Executive Director

Monica Miller
director@gallery-one.org

Monica Miller has worked with arts organizations for over 15 years in fundraising, grants management and professional development for artists.  Monica’s primary responsibility is to ensure that Gallery One is relevant to the community it serves.  Before moving to Ellensburg from Seattle, she oversaw artist grants and professional development at Artist Trust and was a member of SOIL, an artist collective.  She also had a brief stint as the Fremont Solstice Parade Director.   Monica considers her major accomplishment the advocacy of percent for art program with the Ellensburg Arts Commission, but is a daily advocate for artists. She hold a BA from the College of William and Mary and an MA from Johns Hopkins University in Museum Studies. Her latest endeavor is the event, Confab where she hopes to provide artists and communities opportunities for networking, inspiration and tools for a sustainable arts community! Monica grew up as a military brat visiting museums around the world. She wanted to be a potter for a brief stint and now makes ceramics dinosaur fossils with her five year old Porter, plans camping adventures with her husband, artist Justin Beckman and rides her bike when time allows!

Exhibition and Publicity Coordinator

Renee Adams
renee@gallery-one.org

In tandem with her position at Gallery One, Renee Adams fosters her own creative studio practice. She is a board member and helped found PUNCH Projects, formerly PUNCH Gallery in Seattle. As a three-time Artist Trust GAP Grant recipient, she has shown her mixed media sculptures extensively in galleries across the U.S. Renee received her MFA from Central Washington University in 1999. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, traveling, and exploring the wilds with boots and skis.

Retail & Events Manager

Sarah Haven
sarah@gallery-one.org

As the Retail & Events Manager, Sarah Haven’s primary role beyond creating product displays and managing the inventory, is to cultivate and maintain relationships with artist vendors.  She travels the Northwest attending craft shows and visiting artists in their homes and studios.  As a ceramic artist, she also teaches adult handbuilding and wheelthrowing classes at Gallery One.  Sarah came to Washington after completing her BFA at Ohio State University. After earning her MFA at Central Washington University, Sarah was fortunate to step into the role of visiting professor and run the ceramics program at CWU for 3 years.  As a community member, Sarah served on the board of the Ellensburg Film Festival for five years during which time she was awarded the Promising Arts Leader by the Laughing Horse Arts Foundation in 2010. Sarah was an artist member of Punch Gallery in Seattle for two years and a member of the Culture Lab artist collective, a countrywide group that shows nationally and internationally, from 2009-2014.  She also co-founded the Ellensburg Downtown Community Garden and remains and active member.

Visitor Services Assistant

Clay Maer
clay@gallery-one.org

Clay Maer is delighted to continue her lifetime of connection with the arts and artists in her position with Gallery One. Her education focused on Art History/English, BA, Liberal Arts, University of St. Thomas, Houston followed by years with nonprofit organizations and a certification in nonprofit management.  Working with Shakespeare at Winedale at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin Children’s Museum, Denver Center for the Performing Arts and most recently, Allied Arts of Yakima Valley, brought opportunities to learn from directors whose vision and tenacity made possible celebrations and support for Art: visual, literary and performing. She enjoys watching Washington’s changing seasons, reading the next good book and being with her children and grandchildren.

Community School of the Arts Coordinator

Amy Davison
amy@gallery-one.org

Amy Davison is an active participant in the performing arts as well as the visual arts in Ellensburg, performing music in a community band, as well as teaching art to young artists, and performing with community there on stage or in the orchestra pit.  She enjoys the community outreach that is a part of the Education Coordinators position including helping with our local Kittitas Early Learning Coalition STREAM Events for birth to 5 year olds. She grew her passion for teaching during a year of co teaching home school preschool with a friend for their daughters and then moving into a teaching position here at Gallery One the following fall. Amy grew up in Moses Lake, Wa and moved to Ellensburg to attend Central Washington University where she earned a BA in Graphic Design.  She enjoys reading a good book, baking fancy cakes and cookies for friends and family, and learning new art techniques.

Ceramics Studio Manager & Resident Artist

Crista Ann Ames
crista@gallery-one.org

Crista attended Washington State University where she obtained her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Ceramics with a minor in Art History and Disability Studies. After receiving her BFA, Crista attended Utah State University for Post Baccalaureate studies in Ceramics. While receiving her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana Crista began studio dance and movement to help inform the way she sculpts the figure. She has been an artist in residence at A.I.R. Valluaris in France, Guldagergaard International Ceramics Research Center in Denmark, the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Santa Fe Art Institute, and Red Lodge Clay Center. Crista is currently an artist in residence at Gallery One Visual Arts Center.

Community School of the Arts Instructors

Jacqueline Trujillo
Justin Gibbens
Crista Ann Ames

Picasso Gallery Coordinator

Jacqueline Trujillo

Accounting Specialist

Dina Yook
dina@gallery-one.org