Photos by Tyler Franz
Meet the bright, beautiful souls that make our organization shine. Feel free to reach out and say hello, we don't bite.
Staff
Katrina Daniels
Program Specialist
she/her/hers
Katrina is passionate about the arts, environment, and the community; her experience includes over ten years in the arts field with expertise in gallery settings and community engagement. Beyond her art endeavors, Katrina's passion for permaculture and community gardens fuels her advocacy for local farmers and the food movement and she is excited to explore and celebrate this intersection at Crosshatch.
Katrina's journey has taken her across continents, from the vibrant landscapes of South Africa to the bustling streets of India and Europe, before finding her way back to Michigan. Growing up in Lansing and living in South West Michigan before settling in Traverse City, Katrina has collaborated with artists across urban and rural landscapes. She's led public art projects and community music festivals, celebrating artists, makers, and storytellers.
Outside of work, Katrina enjoys hiking, camping, cooking with her partner, and traveling to as many National Parks as she can.
Jordyn Elhart
Operations & Finance Specialist
she/her/hers
Jordyn was born and raised in Leelanau County. She returned to Traverse City in 2018 after wrapping up her undergraduate degree in west Michigan and her graduate degree in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee. She is an occupational therapist by trade and has most recently served in operations roles within the healthcare field, bringing with her a unique perspective on accessibility and inclusion. She has always had an appreciation for the arts, dabbling in watercolor painting most consistently in recent years. Jordyn and her husband recently settled into a home of their own in Traverse City and enjoy riding their tandem bike to the Sara Hardy Farmers Market, gardening, and spending time along Lake Michigan with their dog, Fuzzy.
Amanda Kik
Co-founder, Co-director
she/her/hers
After spending both her undergraduate and graduate years at California Institute of the Arts, Amanda moved to Northwest Lower Michigan in 2001. Here, she set roots in her community and has focused on her passions: food and art. In 2005, Amanda and her husband Brad founded Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology (née ISLAND). Amanda serves on the boards of Commongrounds Cooperative and the Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network.
Brad Kik
Co-founder, Co-director
he/him/his
Brad Kik is the co-founder and co-director of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, a non-profit organization that connects the lines between art, agriculture, local economy and ecology. Brad's varied background in film study, environmental activism, graphic design, community organizing, traditional music, writing, ecology, and permaculture plays a key role in shaping the cross-disciplinary work of Crosshatch. Brad and his partner Amanda have their roots dug into ten acres in rural northern Michigan—Anishinaabe land—where they have raised pastured pigs and chickens, tap the sugar maples, and practice weaving people and place together. Brad regularly writes and presents on the intersections of art and ecology, particularly in regards to artist residencies and the role of the arts in rural development, and serves as a trustee of the Artist Communities Alliance.
Daniel Marbury
Program Specialist
he/him/his
Daniel facilitates and supports a number of collaborative efforts for land steward support and education in Northwest Lower Michigan. Current programs he coordinates include a community micro-loan program, carbon farming and forestry cohort, agriculture guild groups, the Northern Michigan small farm conference and peer to peer farm tours. After growing up in Georgia, he led rural, agricultural, ecological and arts efforts as a student and as an AmeriCorps VISTA in West Alabama. He moved cross-country to Traverse City in 2011 to work in farm to school and local food systems with FoodCorps. You might hear him making a joyful noise playing instruments from around the world, pumping global beats from a portable speaker on bike rides around Leelanau County , or drumming with the Deep Blue Water Samba school in community festivals and parades.
Taylor Reed
Communications Specialist
he/him/his
Taylor has found writing and other creative work to be a trusted tool for processing years of winding paths amongst rural Ohio, cities in Bolivia, Yosemite National Park, Delaware, Puerto Rico, and Cascadia. Before those places led him to the world of specialty coffee, he and his now-wife, Jessi, came to love Northwest Michigan as they worked at the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. This followed a farmer training program outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, which instilled a deep appreciation for Northern climate small-scale farm resiliency. After working as a roaster and in quality control for Seattle's Victrola Coffee and Higher Grounds Trading Company in Traverse City, he's now thankful to be settling into a small farmhouse on two and a half acres just east of Bellaire with his wife and kids, Arlo and Ada. He's excited to live and grow well, commute sporadically by bicycle, and contribute to Crosshatch’s unique and intersectional work.