ArtStart Board of Directors & Staff
ArtStart Board of Directors
ArtStart Staff
Program & Operations Director
Ashley McLaughlin
McLaughlin oversees ArtStart’s facilities, programs, exhibitions, volunteers, employee training programs, licensing and insurance, and youth community service programs. She often leverages her expertise as a planner and organizer to lead collaborative community programs and initiatives including the City of Rhinelander Public Art Commission, the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport Exhibitions, the Skatepark project, the Northwoods Pride Festival, the SPARK! Program, and Project North Festival’s volunteers and logistics.
McLaughlin is a Rhinelander native and has served in and lead area nonprofits for over 20 years. Beyond her work at ArtStart, she also serves as the only female voting member of the City of Rhinelander Ethics Committee, a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of the Northwoods, a member of Wisconsin Women Leaders, a member of the Oneida County Drug Free Communities cohort, and the National SPARK! Alliance.
Beyond ArtStart, McLaughlin enjoys the northwoods lifestyle and the uniqueness of Rhinelander’s bountiful lakes. She and her young family recreate through watersports, kayaking, fishing, snowshoeing, dog walking, hiking, and biking.
Community Cultural Development Director
Melinda Childs
As Community and Cultural Development Director for ArtStart in Rhinelander Childs focuses on Arts Based Community Development in rural settings. She leads collaborative community projects that span sustainability, economic development, youth advocacy, and cultural inclusion. Recent projects include working with local youth on a skatepark feasibility study for the CIty of Rhinelander, gallery and public art curation for Nicolet College, co-coordinating Project North, a music, art and sustainability festival, and launching a Northwoods JEDI initiative. Prior to moving to Rhinelander Childs was Director of Artists Services and a consultant for rural placemaking at Forecast Public Art in St. Paul, MN. In this role Childs designed professional and economic development training programs for artists and communities. Childs studied at the University of MN where she created an individualized degree focused on Art and Social Change with emphasis on Urban Studies, Geography, and Art. In addition to her work with ArtStart, Childs owns a frame shop and art gallery with her husband Jaron who is also an artist. The couple live in the woods with their two children, two dogs, a mess of chickens and lots of gardens.
Communications Director
Traci Stinebrink
Traci Stinebrink, a Northwoods transplant, brings a deep appreciation for the region’s unique creative energy to her role as Communications Director. With a diverse skill set and a passion for fostering community engagement, Traci oversees the development and execution of all social media content, graphic design for events, programs, and exhibitions, and the organization’s overall messaging strategy.
Traci is dedicated to cultivating youth arts experiences, managing programs such as the Art After School Program and coordinating youth exhibition activities. Her expertise also extends to donor engagement, grant writing, and marketing, ensuring the success of the organization’s events and programs.
When she’s not championing the arts, Traci enjoys quality time with her husband and their three daughters.