Darrell Bulmer, Acting Director
Darrell joined the Maine Arts Commission staff in 2006. Originating from England he arrived in Maine after studying Business Management in Buffalo, New York. During his time at university Darrell expanded his experience in the performing arts by assisting the public relations department at Shea’s Performing Arts Center; he has continued to be involved with live stage events while in Maine. Darrell oversees the advancement of artists through advocacy, grants management, professional development and communications. He has conducted marketing workshops for artists locally, regionally and nationally. He is a registered lobbyist and has represented Maine artists both in state and in Washington, D.C. Darrell serves on the board of the New England Foundation for the Arts, is an appointed media advisor for the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine and serves as a member of the YMCAs marketing committee. Prior to moving to the United States Darrell worked in private sector management for six years. Darrell lives in Brunswick and enjoys theater, playing music and various outdoor activities.
Donna McNeil, Arts Policy and Program Director
As Director of Policy and Programs at the Maine Arts Commission, Donna McNeil is responsible for overseeing the cultural well being of the State of Maine through support for artists and arts organizations via advocacy, grants, and professional development. She joined the Maine Arts Commission in 2003 as Contemporary Art and Public Art Associate, became Assistant Director and Executive Director before assuming her current post. She serves as State Captain for the Americans for the Arts and on the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Governance Committee. She has served as a juror for the National Endowment for the Arts, Baker Artist Awards, St Botolph Awards, MacArthur Foundation and worked extensively with Creative Capital Foundation. She is an active lobbyist for the arts in Maine and Washington DC. She holds a BFA in Painting from Syracuse University, an MLA in Art History from Harvard University and a certificate from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government for executives in state and local government. Donna has devoted a lifetime to the arts in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, holding directorial and curatorial positions in galleries, museums and the performing arts.
Kerstin Gilg, Media Arts and Performing Arts Associate
Kerstin Gilg joined the Maine Arts Commission in 2007 to oversee the agency Public Art programs with his chief responsibilities being to oversee the Percent for Art program and the Arts in the Capitol program. In 2009 Kerstin became the Media Arts and Performing Arts associate, with the mission to build two new programs to support both disciplines. Kerstin has a Masters Degree in Interactive Telecommunication from New York University’s Tisch School of the arts and a Bachelors Degree in Theater Arts from the University of Oregon. Kerstin came to Maine in 2005 after living in Santa Monica California, where he worked on theater, television, film and internet productions.
Keith Ludden, Accessibility and Special Projects Associate
Keith joined the Maine Arts Commission staff in the summer of 2001, and formerly served as a News Producer/Reporter for Nebraska Public Radio. Keith is a Nebraska native, and a graduate in Liberal Arts from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Keith’s theater experience includes amateur roles in Lincoln, Nebraska, two years of summer repertory theater in Maryville, Missouri, and a playwright in residence stint at the Great Platte River Playwright’s Festival in Kearney, Nebraska. Keith received his MA in Intercultural and Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University and graduate training in theater history from the University of Nebraska. He conducted folk arts and oral history fieldwork projects in Kansas, Indiana and Nebraska.
Meagan Mattingly, Arts in Education Associate
As Arts in Education Associate for the Maine Arts Commission, Meagan Mattingly is responsible for overseeing agency arts in education programs and fostering opportunity for meaningful learning experiences for all people in and through the arts. Prior to joining the Maine Arts Commission in 2012, Meagan served the greater Los Angeles community working in arts education and outreach in museums, non-traditional art spaces, the non-profit sector, and the public school system. She holds a BA from Bennington College in Fine Arts, Painting and continued her education in interdisciplinary area studies with special focus in Latin America and the Caribbean. Meagan maintains an active creative practice and enthusiastically supports all individuals in their efforts to imagine, discover, invent and inspire.
Steve Milligan, Technology Associate
Steve joined the Maine Arts Commission as the Technology Associate in the summer of 2010. A graduate of the University of Maine, Orono, holding a bachelors degree in New Media, he brings with him a passion for technology in the arts and an affinity for gadgets and gizmos. Steve is fascinated by the opportunities afforded to the arts through technology. With a professional background in marketing media, he values the marriage of creativity with clean and functional design. Steve is committed to bringing the Maine Arts Commission to the forefront of technology in the arts and making the agency a valuable technology resource for Maine artists and organizations. Steve resides in Wilton and enjoys a number of activities from home brewing to ice hockey.
Kathy Ann Shaw, Senior Grants Associate
Kathy Ann’s responsibilities at the Maine Arts Commission are two-fold: management and oversight of all agency grant programs and resource development to provide additional funds and opportunities for Maine's artists, arts organizations and communities. She assists program staff across artists disciplines with such programs of as the Artists in Maine Communities and special initiatives such the New Century Community Program and the Jobs for Healthy Maine Bond funds and grant programs. Kathy Ann staffs the Arts Development Committee and directs and manages the agency's extensive intern program. Kathy Ann served on the New Hampshire State Arts Council's Operating Support and the National Endowment for the Arts multi-disciplinary grant review panels. She holds a BA in Special Studies: Aesthetics, Art History and Philosophy from the University of Maine, Orono, and completed course work for an MA in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy Center for Museum Studies in San Francisco. After returning to Maine, she held the position of Assistant Development Director at the Portland Museum of Art, where she developed successful grant proposals and secured funding from the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences and other corporate and foundation sources. Kathy Ann enjoys collecting wine and gardening at her home in Augusta where she lives with her husband and two Newfoundland dogs.