It's election time again. Every December Salem Arts Association Artist Members are encouraged to cast a vote for Officers and Member of your Salem Arts Association Board of Directors.

The information below allows you to review nominees on the 2020 ballot to inform your decisions, and cast your vote. 

Ballots will be collected and counted at our Annual meeting on December 13, 2020. 

This year our annual meeting will be held as a virtual membership meeting. A link to join a ZOOM meeting online is available on our Annual Meeting event page and will be emailed to all members. The meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:00:00 PM, with voting announcement at 7:00 PM followed by our annual meeting presentations by your Officers, Board of Directors, and Committee Chairpersons. 

Cast your vote using the form below

Please only vote once

Executive Committee

Heather Meri Stewart

President of the Board: 

President 2021, First one-year Term

Vice President Since 2019/20

Board Member since 2018

Visual artist, writer, and sometime bass player

Assistant to the Executive Dean at John A. Paulson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University

Heather Meri Stewart is a visual artist, writer and sometime bass player living in coastal New England with her husband, the musician Greg Allen, and two black cats.

Heather's artwork has appeared in solo and group exhibits throughout the United States, including exhibits at the National Arts Club, the Colby College Art Museum, the Bunting Institute at Harvard University, and the Boston Center for the Arts. She has acted as a juror, curator or critic for exhibits at Harvard University, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Wentworth Institute, Bromfield Gallery/WCA Exhibit and Salem Arts Association. She holds certification as a Massachusetts art teacher and has taught at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a camp for seriously ill children, the Boston Architectural Center and Girls Rock Campaign Boston.

Heather holds a Masters of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Studio Arts and Film Studies from Harvard University. She also holds a BFA in Painting and a BA in Archaeological Studies from Boston University, and has studied extensively at the Boston Museum School and the Boston Architectural College.

Although she focuses on realist painting, Heather works in a variety of mediums; her portfolio includes abstract painting, drawing, illustration and sculpture. In all her work she complements her rigorous technical training with her imaginative interpretation of the visual world as she explores the possibilities of creative expression.

Daniel Breslin

Nominated as Vice President

First one-year Term

I stood next to my grandfather’s chair as he told a story about the carnival, drawing out the story’s path on a piece of paper with small, detailed scenes at each attraction. I was frozen in place watching his rough, coal miner’s hand deftly illustrate the scene his words were describing. I was hooked. I needed to make images.

I have made images – drawing, paintings, photographs – in one form or another as long as I can remember. I have a BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. I have done commercial photography, graphic design, and web design work. Painting continues to be my main focus and remains my primary form of expression. In 2018 I relocated both my home and studio to Salem, Massachusetts.

Daniel Breslin has been a long time Salem Arts member since 2018 and an active participant on our committees including Exhibitions and Public Relations. Dan’s career in education technology includes operating his consulting firm and VP of Education Technology Pearson Education. Daniel Breslin currently lives in Salem and has his studio here. He received my BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. His Creative energy and background in business and education make him a great fit our Board of Directors leadership. 

Daryl Toomey

Nominated as Treasurer

First one-year Term

Daryl Toomey is a Salem Resident, current Restaurant Manager at Mercy Tavern in Salem, and an experienced banking professional. Daryl’s finance background includes working for many years in banking as a branch manager at Northeast Community Bank, Retail Business Development position at Salem Five Bank, and Personal Banker at Citizens Bank. Daryl studied at Salem State, Northshore Community College, and is a graduate of Danvers High School. His finance and business background will be a great asset to Salem Arts finance management needs.

Secretary (Incumbent): 

Jane Saunders

Secretary since 2017

Board since 2015

Jane Saunders is a ceramic artist who works out of The Clay School at the Lydia Pinkham building in Lynn. Her hand-built stoneware and porcelain pieces are functional but also illustrative in nature.  She has enjoyed the interactions and collaborations that her membership at Salem Arts Association has fostered for five years and has served as secretary for 3 years.

New Board Nominees

Jennifer Atkinson

Nominated as Board Member, First two-year Term

Jennifer has been with the Harvard Art Museums since 2000 and became the Director of Collections Management in 2010.  A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a BA in Art History, she also holds a design degree from Baypath College.  

Jennifer held the position of Curatorial Assistant in the Islamic and Later Indian Art Department before moving into Collections Management in 2002 as the Project Manager for the first collections inventory in over 20 years.  In that role she led a team charged with the physical cataloging, photography, barcoding and rehousing of the Museums’ collection of 250,000 works of art.  Her participation in the building renovation project included two successful collections moves, the logistical plan for the reinstallation of the galleries and art storage including design development, fabrication and installation.  In addition, she worked with conservation on developing parameters for materials usage in all art storage or display spaces and developed the collections emergency response plan.  

As a member of the senior leadership team at the Harvard Art Museums, she participates in several advisory groups tasked with identifying the museums’ critical strategic initiatives and developing a financial plan to support those goals.  She continues to develop and refine operational procedures in order to better respond to the challenges associated with multiple museum sites and the need to ensure the museum’s work remains current and relevant within the University and beyond.

We’re honored to have Jennifer’s expertise to help guide our board and Salem Arts Association future vision. 

Incumbent Board Members

James Bostick

Board Member Nominee, Past President, Mentor

President 2017-2020

Board member since 2014

Photographer, User Experience Designer and Researcher, Arts Administrator

James Bostick is an active Salem artist with a focus on fine art photography. In his Gallows Hill studio Bostick creates images ranging from Infrared photographs inspired by historic landmarks to his theatrical “Salem Arcanum Tarot” project featuring Salem locals portraying the theme of the tarot cards. Other themes have included still life, studio figure photography, and experimental photo techniques. Images by James Bostick have been exhibited globally and are included in many prestigious private and public collections. 

Bostick’s professional career spans more that 30-years leading cutting edge design projects involving user-centric practices to deliver communication strategies, state of the art software, and interactive experiences for Fortune 500 companies including Carrier Corp, United Technologies, Dell, EMC, Gateway Computers and Three Mile Island. 

Mid Term Board Members

No Vote Needed during Two Year Term. Term is for 2 years. Members may serve up to 4 terms before sitting out a year.

Timothy Brown

Mid Term 2020-21

Board Member since 2019

Director of Innovation and Strategy, Northeast ARC.

Tim’s passion has always been assisting people to succeed. Currently, Tim is the Director of Innovation and Strategy at the Northeast Arc, where he is part of a dynamic team that helps positively change the lives of 20,000 people with disabilities.

Tim’s tenure at the Northeast Arc spans over 28 years. Recent projects include the development of ArcWorks Community Art Center, Breaking Grounds Café and Peabody’s Black Box. Tim developed and implements the annual Arc Tank, an international social innovation challenge that has awarded over $650,000.

Tim also serves on the Executive Committee for the Peabody Cultural Collaborative, Peabody Main Streets Promotions Committee, Tillie’s Farm Education Committee, MA Innovative Task Force and the Massachusetts Partnership for Transition to Employment. Tim is on the Advisory Board for the Creative Collective, Behind You, Salem, Center for Public Representation’s Supported Decision Making Advisory Council and CuriousCity Pop-Up Children’s Museum. Tim also participates in six local and regional Chambers of Commerce and the New England Council. 

Tim frequently presents in regional, state and national conferences on topics including system change, collaboration and partnerships. An innovator and change leader, Tim has judged social innovation challenges for MassChallenge, the Social Innovation Forum and EforAll.

Tim accredits his success to a critical and analytical thought process, developing strong collaborations and partnerships and always willing to roll up his sleeve and be a part of the solution.

Nathan Lewis

Mid Term 2020-21

Board Member since 2019

Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs , Montserrat College of Art

Nathan Lewis is a nationally exhibiting fine artist, curator, instructor, and lecturer. Currently, he is the Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs at the Montserrat College of Art, where he has organized hundreds of exhibitions and associated programmed events that routinely received publication in Artscope Magazine, the Boston Globe, and more. 

He received his BFA in studio art from the University of Texas–Austin and his MFA in Visual Studies–Photography from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His personal work deals with the paranormal and uses the uniqueness of photographic processes to allude to the otherworldly.

Douglas Major

Mid Term 2020-21

Board member since 2017

Douglas Major, composer, conductor and concert organist has been involved with the performing arts his whole career. He spent 28 years playing the organ and conducting the choirs at Washington National Cathedral, and has recently retired as Music Director of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Marblehead. His compositions for organ and choirs have been performed all across the US and in Europe and Japan. As a lover of and supporter of all the expressive media, whether music, art, photography, architecture or dance, Dr. Major brings enthusiasm and encouragement for all creative artists young and old, amateur and professional alike.

Mary Taddie

Mid Term 2020-21

Board Member since 2016

Vice President 2016

Mary has been on the Salem Arts, Board of Directors for over 4 years and has been an active participant on various committees. For more than a decade, she was part of the senior leadership team at the American Red Cross.  Mary has a studio/workshop with 10 other artists located in Marblehead, MA. Mary specializes in designing and creating large-scale mosaics and custom installations.