Board of Directors

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Liz Deichmann
Co-Founder

Liz Deichmann has worked in commercial and nonprofit arts as a film producer, music talent buyer, and administrator. She is interested in working with artists and nonprofits to foster sustainable growth and innovative practices. She is a 2012 Community Arts Training alumna and co-founder of St. Louis Secret Sound Society and St. Louis Arts Project. Currently, she is pursing her PhD from the University of Missouri—St. Louis and holds a Master of Public Policy Administration and BA in Art History.

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Brigid Flynn
Co-Founder

Brigid Flynn has more than 15 years of arts administration and fundraising experience. She has worked at the Wexner Center for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts in New York City, and served as the Director of Institutional Giving for the Saint Louis Art Museum from 2008-2016. She currently is the Senior Associate Director of Development for the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University. She is a past board member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals-St. Louis Chapter and Creative Reaction Lab, as has been a presenter at several major conferences. She holds a BA from Loyola University Chicago and an MA from The Ohio State University.

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Syrhea Conaway

Syrhea Conaway is a multi-instrumentalist and music instructor who lives and works in St. Louis. She has and continues to present workshops at local schools and libraries, give motivational speeches and performances for non profit and for profit organizations, and has returned to the Center of Creative Arts (COCA)’s Summer Institute which aims to bring art integration to school curriculum. Currently she is a member of the Great River’s Greenway Artist of Color Council, and is the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis DJ in residence for 2019.

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Misa Jeffereis

Misa Jeffereis is Assistant Curator at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, where she organizes the Street Views video projection series and has curated exhibitions by Jennifer West, Oliver Laric, and Jonathas de Andrade. Prior to CAM, Misa was Curatorial Associate at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, where she organized exhibitions by Lee Kit and the Guerrilla Girls. Misa holds a Masters in Art History from Hunter College in New York.

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Sarah Kelley

Sarah is one of the co-creators at Union Studio, a St. Louis shop that works with over 80 local artists. Before entering the creative world, she studied Sociology and Women and Gender Studies at Brandeis University and worked in non-profits. She recently bought a home in Tower Grove East where she lives with her partner and misbehaved dog, Herman. On days off, you can find Sarah fighting with weeds in the garden, reading for her book club, or having a cold beverage in a cool place.

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Mallory Nezam

Mallory is a public artist & urban strategist integrating community development, socially-engaged art and urban planning. She works with civic entities and grassroots cultural organizations to bring arts and equity into community planning, and has helped developed new arts programs at Smart Growth America, PolicyLink and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council in Boston. As an artist, she playfully disrupts public space through play and participatory performance.

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Angie Villa

Angie is most happy when her hands are busy and possibly covered in dirt, paint or glue. She thrives on doing, making and getting done. She works for Via Partnership, a consulting group which specializes in public art. They work nationally, but she is proud that many of our recent projects have been based in St. Louis. It is wonderful to be involved in growing the opportunities for artists in this region, especially in an inclusive way. She and her husband enjoy traveling, and seeing friends and family, but mostly treasure sunny days watching our two dogs chew on sticks and chase squirrels in our garden.

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Kalaija Mallery

Kalaija Mallery is a creative producer and community organizer from Oregon currently based in the Midwest. In her art/work and research, she responds to notions of collective liberation, the formation of underground religious groups + fringe-communities, and the end of the world as a cultural catalyst. Kalaija has an extensive background in DIY artist projects and gallery spaces; in 2017, she founded Third Room Project in Portland, OR, and she currently co-operates Monaco Gallery in St. Louis, MO. Kalaija is the Manager of Public Engagement at The Luminary, where her work is in collaboration with those in direct relationship with the organization and its impact; she works to provide resources to artists in the region and neighbors of Cherokee Street through educational programming, regranting initiatives, and artistic engagement. In addition to her multi-scaled work in institutions, Kalaija is a freelance photographer and regularly documents artwork around the city. She is dedicated to doing the most with the least, to healthy framing and good design, and towards asking, often, “What do we need more than space and each other?”

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Erika Fiola

Erika Fiola has more than 15 years of experience in community development, urban planning, non profit management, and grantmaking. Over the course of her career she has done work focused on downtown revitalization, long-range regional planning, creative placemaking and public art, and entrepreneurial ecosystem building. Erika is passionate about the interplay between art and community. She previously served as the Director of Grants and Strategic Initiatives at the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and Impact Advancement Officer at ArtsWave in Cincinnati. Currently, Erika is a Senior Project Manager with PGAV Planners. Erika earned a master’s in urban planning and real estate development from Saint Louis University.

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Jon Michael Ryan

Jon Michael Ryan is an owner, executive producer, and director at Retriever. His career began with a pivot away from medicine, redirecting his methodical scientist's mind to his current creative endeavors. His work has taken him around the globe, creating content for Verizon, Elanco, Purina, Materne North America and Caterpillar. He’s been a series DP for shows on ESPN and Netflix, and worked on the award-winning Verizon spot for Super Bowl LIII. His foundation in cinematography informs creative problem-solving and guides him in his quest to tell the most arresting visual stories possible.

Administrative Assistant

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Emily Tolman

Emily has experience with social media marketing and project coordination for digital artist networks and cultural start-ups around the world. She has developed a love of supporting artist communities—particularly using digital and technological resources. Emily holds a Masters in the History and Philosophy of Art, and is currently finishing a specialized MSc in Arts Management. On the weekends she can be seen frequenting the festivals, performances, and exhibitions of her very talented friends; traveling; or trying her hand at some poetry with a cup of coffee in the other.

Board Meetings

MAPS Board meetings take place the second Monday of every other month:

May 08, 2023
July 10, 2023
September 11, 2023
November 13, 2023
January 08, 2024