Matthew Offenbacher seeks constructive, positive positions at often difficult intersections of individuals, communities and institutions. His work has been called “freakishly egoless”, vulnerable, funny and queer. Offenbacher lives in Seattle, Washington. Recent exhibitions and projects include The V&A at Veronica, Deed of Gift at the Seattle Art Museum, and Flower Painting at Lather Daddy Laundromat. helloari.com/~matt

Byron Au Yong creates musical events the Huffington Post calls “audacious, compelling and hugely imaginative.” Examples include TURBINE, created for the 200th anniversary of the Fairmount Water Works and Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas, performed in 64 waterways throughout King County. Honors include a Creative Capital Award and Time Warner Foundation Fellowship. hearbyron.com

Rachel Nussbaum is the Rabbi and Executive Director of Seattle’s Kavana Cooperative, which she co-founded in 2006. Rachel has served on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Program, the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel program and Rabbis without Borders. She has received many accolades, including appearing on Newsweek Magazine's list of “America’s Top 50 Influential Rabbis”. kavana.org

Melanie Noel is the author of The Monarchs published by Stockport Flats in 2013. Her poems have appeared in Weekday, LVNG, La Norda Specialo and The Arcadia Project. She co-curated APOSTROPHE, a dance, music, and poetry series, and curated Impala, a reading series that took place in her grandmother’s car. She sometimes teaches experiential workshops meant to invoke synesthesia and an altered sense of scale. lovepossum.com

Dylan Ward has produced original dance, performance and film for over a decade in Denver, Colorado, Cusco and Lima, Peru, and Seattle. His dance project Sleep Nod has received support, awards and residencies from the Martin Family Foundation, The Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, the University of Washington departments of Dance and Drama. Last month, Sleep Nod debuted Sophia at On The Board’s NW New Works Festival. sleepnod.org

INCA (Institute for New Connotative Action) is an artist-run initiative founded and directed by Aeron Bergman and Alejandra Salinas. Bergman/Salinas believe art thrives outside of commercial interests: “INCA is independent and has nothing to lose. INCA supports independent, experimental, activist, poetic, literate, and collaborative art by artists. INCA is run on generosity and collaboration.” incainstitute.org