Contributors:

Born in Los Angeles, Todd Haynes is an American film director who has lived in the Pacific Northwest for many years. Passionate about the visual arts since childhood, Haynes studied art and semiotics at Brown University. In 1987, he released the experimental biopic Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, which has become an iconic emblem of independent filmmaking - at the intersection of queer,feminist and political theory. Since then, Haynes has created a legacy of visionary films dedicated to the beauty and pathos of historical and contemporary life.  

Stephanie Snyder is the Anne and John Hauberg Director and Curator of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College, a position she has held since 2003. After receiving her undergraduate degree in art from Reed College, Snyder moved to Athens, Greece, for two years, where she pursued independent research in archaeology and contemporary Greek art as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow. She received her graduate degree from Columbia University, studying art history and art education.

Born in Tokyo, Chihiro Watanabe grew up in Japan, Germany, and the UK. She is the director of the Contemporary Art Foundation, Tokyo, where she develops and oversees the organization’s program of exhibitions, grants, and awards, and leads the acquisition and management of its art collection. The Contemporary Art Foundation was established in 2012 by the collector and philanthropist Yusaku Maezawa. Its mission is to increase knowledge and awareness of contemporary art by hosting public exhibitions of the artwork in its collection; it also works to encourage, sponsor, and promote promising young artists asfuture leaders in the arts.

Heather Watkins is an artist and book designer based in Portland, Oregon. She holds an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and a dual BA in English & World Literature and Classical Studies with a concentration in Art & Archaeology from Pitzer College, Claremont, California. Her artwork explores the nature and nuance of line as form, gesture, expression, and sensation and takes many forms—oscillating between drawing and sculpture, text and textiles, publications and public art. As book designer, Watkins collaborates with artists, curators, galleries, museums, and arts organizations to create artist’s monographs, exhibition catalogs, and printed matter.