ABOUT US
Our Mission
The mission of MENSK is to inspire and support personal, local, and regional action for the development of creative and sustainable communities. Goals to encourage grass roots networking and act as a platform for community members to creatively inter-relate. To offer logistical support. To broaden and enhance individual and community perspectives and involvement. To promote the conversation of energy and the reliance on sustainable resources and increase the awareness of the interconnectivity of transportation, agriculture, vocation, recreation, art, our community and ourselves. We do all this through event orchestration providing community resources, and by acting as an unbrella organization.
Collaboration, Collaboration...one more time, Collaboration!
Meet Our Board
Jenna Crowder - Board Member / Secretary
Jenna is a visual artist and designer. She has worked internationally on public art projects and research, and has attended residencies in the US and Egypt. She is the co-chair of the First Friday Art Walk Committee and a member of the Portland Public Arts Committee. Jenna holds a BFA in Sculpture with a focus on public engagement from Maine College of Art, and currently works there as an Admissions Officer.
http://jennacrowder.com
Michael Henderson - Board Member : Marketing, Branding, Social Media & Event Planning
Michael's foundation began with my B.A. in Theater arts, with a focus in set design. After completing his education, he moved to New York City, first working with the Martha Stewart Show then moving on to a role in producing and Operations for Technicolor / Postworks LLC. During this time, hs worked with many hit shows such as "30 Rock", "Gossip Girl", "Nurse Jackie", Michael Moore's "Capitalism", and several documentaries and award winning independent films, managing all aspects of post-production. Locally, he has worked with both Dispatch Magazine & Outside Television devloping the operations and programing of those entities.
Dan Koloski - Board Member / Treasurer
Dan Koloski is a software executive for Oracle Corporation and a mentor for the Maine Center for Enterprise Development's Maine Mentor Program . In the Portland-area arts scene, Dan is a co-owner of STAGES, the Treasurer of PortFringe and he plays bass for the classic soul/R&B band Feral Academy. In the past, Dan composed The Scarlet Letter: A New Musical, which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2001 and co-produced the original John F. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Internet Broadcasts from 1998-2000. Outside of music, he is an avid sailor and skier. Dan holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School and lives in Portland with his wife (theater director and designer Stacey Koloski) and their two daughters.
PATRICK ROCHE - Board Member / President
Patrick Roche is the Founder and Director of Think Tank, a Coworking Space for Portland’s creative tech sector. Prior to moving to Maine, Patrick earned a BA in Film Production from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has worked in various media-related fields over the years, writing and producing TV and documentary content in New York and in the Boston area. Patrick is also currently on the board of Mensk, a local non-profit arts council that curates the Rooftop Film Series.
Bethany Field - Board Member / Vice President
Bethany Field (Marketing, Strategy) is someone who likes to think positively and can execute a difficult task. She works in marketing/education at IDEXX Laboratories, and as a production manager with Gum Spirits Productions. Bethany is also the co-owner of Maine Flag Company and teaches ballet classes for teens and adults.
In the past, Bethany has created experiential marketing campaigns at Pierce Promotions and FairPoint Communications. She was commissioned to choreograph for the PSO’s Magic of Christmas and Bob Marley’s New Years Eve Shows.