People

Emese Ilyes
Project Coordinator
eilyes@portcitydevelopment.org
An explorer of everyday wonders, Emese Ilyes is documenting the potential in every moment and artist as the Direct Care Coordinator at Project Grow. Originally from Transylvania, Emese moved to Portland, Oregon from Michigan to attend Reed College after several years of exploring. She graduated from Reed after completing her thesis titled 'The heat beneath the melting pot: the implicit and explicit stereotyping of immigrants'. Along with her dedication to Project Grow, she is currently commited to several all consuming personal projects, as captured on her website, photogenicwords.com.

Amanda Milholland
Care Coordinator
amilholland@portcitydevelopment.org
Amanda Milholland is from Port Townsend and Olympia, WA. She graduated from the Evergreen State College with a Bachelor of Arts degree. At Evergreen her focus was on Political Science, Latin American and Middle Eastern studies and art. For the last four and 1/2 years she has worked as an HIV/AIDS and reproductive health educator and in non-profit organization development. In all of her work Amanda strives to include art making. She has fundraised for and lead three mural projects including a tile mural at the Evergreen State College and two HIV/AIDS prevention focused murals in Uganda, East Africa. At the end of November 2008 Amanda completed 27 month as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda. You can see photos of Amanda's work, life and some of the art she did in Uganda at: Amand in Uganda

Aside from work, Amanda loves to play at painting, drawing, fabric arts, and cooking. She loves her bike, hiking and yoga. Now Amanda is excited to be part of the Project Grow team!

James Ragsdale
Animal Husbandry Specialist
jragsdale@portcitydevelopment.org
James Ragsdale is a goat farmer who comes from a long line of Montana farmers. He owned and operated a goat and sheep fiber farm in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington until his recent relocation to Portland. He has spent most of his life living in the mountains of the great Western United States while working on various goat and sheep farms.

Tim Donovan
Growing Specialist
tdonovan@portcitydevelopment.org
Tim Donovan is a farmer, nurseryman, and maker who received his BA from Bard College. He has worked on various community gardening projects in Salem, Oregon as well as working on the famous Helsing Junction Farm, and producing a documentary about the farm titled "Growing Awareness." Now he lives in Portland, where he currently works at Pistils Nursery, Project Grow, and facilitates the arts and media label Lasercave.
www.lasercave.biz

Sandy Sampson
Art Specialist
ssampson@portcitydevelopment.org
Sandy Sampson is an Interdisciplinary artist working in painting, video, installation, participatory, guerilla art and motherhood. She received her MFA in Art and Social Practice from Portland State University. Recent public collaborations include projects for the PICA Time Based Art Festival Portland Oregon, Proflux Satellite 2008 North America, Galleria Perdida at Houston's Project Row Houses, Portland Art Museum, and BetonSalon Paris.
Also, founding member of www.parallel-university.org

Natasha Wheat
Founding Artist
natashawheat@gmail.com
Natasha Wheat is an interdisciplinary, socially engaged artist. Wheat proposed Project Grow to Port City in January of 2009. She received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; she has curated and exhibited at Skulpturenpark (Berlin), Rogaland Kunstsenter (Stavanger, Norway), Disjecta (Portland), Mess Hall (Chicago), Gallery 2 (Chicago), Green Papaya Art Projects (Manila) and at The Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago) where her work can be found in the permanent collection.
Appliedlistening.com
Americanseed.org
Natashawheat.com

Volunteers

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