Artisan Residency Program

Diane Zempel is a leatherworker, sewist and owner of Off the Cuff Creations, LLC. . Diane first fell in love with sewing in high school Home Economics class and with inspiration from her teacher, Mrs. Cuff, has been sewing ever since. She has more than four decades of sewing experience, including working as a factory seamstress at Oshkosh B’Gosh, as well as continuing her education in quilting classes.  Diane is practiced in sewing everything from garments, home décor, quilts, and more. Her favorite quilt is made from old jeans her boys had outgrown. 

In 2010 Diane transformed an heirloom barn wool coat into a computer bag. Several years later, she created a handbag from her favorite but worn pair of dress boots. These early pieces inspired Diane to purchase her dream industrial sewing machine and thus begin her current journey, creating bags and more from all types of  leather, fur and reclaimed vintage garments. 

Maureen Blaney Flietner is an award-winning freelance writer and journalist traveling a second career path as an artist and illustrator. Living on a Wisconsin hobby farm made her keenly aware of the rural landscape, nature, and local flora and fauna. Driven by a need to express her wonder at it all, she brings her visions to life using watercolor, photography, and colored pencils. For more whimsical creations, she turns to digital tools and pen and ink. Maureen holds a BA in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and is a 2026–2027 participant in the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Artisan Residency Program. Her art style—a type of expressionist realism—balances a journalistic eye for a compelling subject with a painterly approach.

Eliza Skenandore is an Oneida artist, cultural advocate, and founder of Starr Merrie Native Gifts LLC. Working for the Oneida Nation as their Library Director, her background in museum, archival, and library work brings a research-informed and community-centered approach to her artistic practice. Eliza is known for her engaging presentations and hands-on workshops sharing the beauty and meaning of Haudenosaunee culture through raised beadwork, storytelling, and traditional knowledge. She partners with schools, libraries, museums, and other organizations to offer impactful cultural experiences that foster connection, learning, and respect. Through this work as well as in her artistic practice, Eliza empowers communities to engage with Indigenous perspectives in meaningful and creative ways.

Katie Bobber is an award-winning painter, illustrator, and kiln glass artisan living in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She holds a BA in Studio Arts and Communication and the Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Katie has exhibited work in several regional galleries, including The Neville Public Museum. In her work she seeks to explore the beauty, intricacies, and emotional connections to the natural world. 

James D. Osborne is a fine artist living in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he is working in ceramics, fused glass, painting, and more. James is a firm believer in continual life long learning. During his fifty year artistic journey he has attended three universities. He has studied with individual art instructors as well as with other artists and crafts people learning several mediums. James believes that each piece of art can become an individual learning experience, that honors the gift of art that he has been blessed with. Ever moving forward, James celebrates and takes joy in his place and in his time in the miracle of life ‘s creation.