Last update: Wed, Jul 9, 2025 9:11 pm EDT
Jennifer Read-Whitney - Bio was missing from the Tour Guide. In her own words:
One of the most significant impacts humans have on the environment is waste production. Upcycling waste into art is a way to reduce our impact on the environment and create things that will beautify our world, instead of destroying it. I’m a retired environmental scientist with a background in natural sciences and ecology, and I worked as a Waste Management Specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. I create upcycled art, such as costumes and sculptures from trash and unusual objects, as well as interior design upcycling. Upcycling discarded items into art is a fun way to promote sustainable waste management practices. One beautiful example at Starwood is The Dancing Disc-o Tree - a fantastical and magical outdoor community upcycled art piece made out of old discs that would take over a million years to decompose. It is completed in a two-part workshop series.
George Whitney - Bio was missing from the Tour Guide. In his own words:
When I was a child, my mother included me in making crafts to sell at the flea markets. We did a lot of beading and some refrigerator magnets. I grew up loving arts and crafts. Beading has always been a big part of my life. I started drawing and painting in middle school. As I got older, I continued to create whenever possible. I spent a lot of time with papier-mâché masks, making recycled paper for cardstock, creating Halloween Props, and also making hemp jewelry and doing photography. I have photographed weddings and school portraits, but also many artistic photographs. Most recently I have been creating light up mushrooms from hot glue and fairy lights, and nature prints from leaves and flowers. I am now helping my wife with the Disc-O-Tree, and epoxy pours. We continue to work on projects together and are always looking for new things to do.
Mary Helen McNally - Bio was missing from the Tour Guide. In her own words:
I’ve been a professional creative for over two decades. The first act of my career was as a natural living and do-it-yourself author and blogger. During those years I made hundreds of batches of soap, countless craft projects, and piles of food. I now work as a freestyle food and set stylist for television, film, and print media. In addition, about seven years ago, I pivoted to focus more directly on art, and have been a working ceramics artist and instructor ever since.