Staff team
Becca Cerra
(she/her)
Education & Access Coordinator. Becca Cerra is a Queer, Female Artist living with Physical Disabilities and Mental Illness. Each of these identities informs the art she creates and the advocacy work she is involved in. She is passionate about contributing to the inclusivity, accessibility, and equity within arts organizations and spaces. She believes art is for all and is honored to help make that possible.
Heather Sona Lasair
(she/her)
Founder & Artistic Director. Heather has been inspired by fire as a creative and empowering tool since her first industrial arts class in high school. After working in industry as a welder, fabricator, and product designer, she became a fire arts educator in 2003 and developed a sculptural welding and blacksmithing program at Minneapolis Community & Technical College. At CAFAC, she continues her work as an educator and mentor in sculptural welding, blacksmithing, enameling and public art. She served on the Minneapolis Arts Commission and continues to contribute to the creative sector through educational partnerships, sculpture fabrication, and emerging artist mentorship.
Jhyle Rinker
(she/her)
Gallery & Community Coordinator. Jhyle is a contemporary jewelry artist and gallerist who joined the CAFAC staff in 2017. As Gallery Coordinator, she plans and curates regular shows, special exhibitions, and artist talks, along with managing CAFAC’s retail gallery operations. She views her role as the welcoming committee for CAFAC and her vision for the gallery is for it to be a jumping off spot for emerging artists – a safe space to learn and come into their own as well as a comfortable space for people to connect to art and those that make it.
Pallav Kumar
(they/them)
Content & Communications Coordinator and Shop Coordinator. Pallav Kumar is a queer, South Asian-American media artist originally from Ohio. They work to shine light on the diversity of voices, projects, and stories at CAFAC. Their commitment to lifelong learning is what led them to pursue storytelling, first through journalism and later through film and digital media. Pallav believes strongly in the importance of arts centers like CAFAC as hubs to spark creativity, fuel collaboration, and build community
Victoria Lauing
(she/her)
Founder & Executive Director. Victoria has more than two decades of experience in higher education and workforce development. She spent 15 years as the Continuing Education Program Director at Minneapolis Community & Technical College, where she managed a large portfolio of course offerings ranging from arts to welding – and where she first observed the transformational power of combining the two. Victoria brings to CAFAC a passion for lifelong learning and the belief that the arts are fundamental to humanity, along with a knack for developing systems and processes that enable creators and creativity.
Board
Nancy Ariza – Board Member. Nancy Ariza is a printmaker, educator, and arts administrator. She brings over 10 years of experience developing and leading educational arts programming in museums and community-based learning spaces. She is currently the Career Development Manager at Springboard for the Arts where she helps artists make a life and a living by connecting them to resources, tools, and professional development workshops. Outside of Springboard, Nancy serves on the Leadership Council of Serpentina Arts, a nonprofit providing professional and creative development for Latinx artists in Minnesota. She is also a member of the Culturally Responsive Art Education Advisory Committee at the Minnesota Department of Education. Nancy holds an MA in Education from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and a BA in Art History and BFA in Printmaking from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Christopher Harrison – Board Member. Christopher E. Harrison is a fine artist, public artist and graphic designer who is based out of the Twin Cities. He has exhibited his work at art venues locally, nationally and internationally. Originally from Springfield, Ohio, he has BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio, and is working on his graduate degree in fine art from the Art Academy University in San Francisco, CA. Christopher is currently an Arts Educator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. His studio is located in the North Minneapolis neighborhood where he creates paintings, drawings, sculpture and collage.
Valerie Hoiness – Board Member. Valerie is an attorney in the Twin Cities with a concentration in complex commercial litigation. She volunteers as a citizen lobbyist on behalf of vulnerable Minnesota children in foster care and performs pro bono work for members of the artistic community in the Twin Cities. Her work with CAFAC brings her closer to the artists that make the Twin Cities a beautiful, livable urban destination.
Amanda Kaler – Board Secretary. Amanda (she/her) is the Development Director at Springboard for the Arts and brings over 16 years experience in development, fundraising, and arts and cultural leadership, including past development and executive roles at Minnesota Center for Book Arts and Open Book. A resident of the Bancroft neighborhood in South Minneapolis, she’s passionate about artist spaces that preserve and provide access to unique art forms. Amanda holds dual master's degrees in Nonprofit Management and Arts Administration from the University of Oregon, with an emphasis in Community Arts, and is a 2021 graduate of the Rockwood Leadership Institute. Her primary fire arts skill is performing fire-juggling "telegrams"—outdoors, socially distanced, and preferably in the dead of winter—to celebrate the birthdays of friends and loved ones during the pandemic.
Asa-Azriel “Ace” Rice – Board Member. Ace is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and creative strategist whose work is rooted in heritage, social impact, and creative empowerment. As the founder of PLOT Gallery in Minneapolis, he has cultivated a dynamic space for emerging and underrepresented artists, with a mission to amplify marginalized voices and foster meaningful artistic exchange. With a background in architecture, creative direction, marketing, and art/design, Ace brings a unique approach to curation and community-building. Drawing from his experience in creative leadership, he applies a multidisciplinary lens to elevate artistic expression and re-imagine public spaces as platforms for cultural dialogue. Ace’s work extends beyond the gallery, with an artistic practice that blends the bold aesthetics of American pop art and traditional tribal influences with the storytelling traditions of Black artists such as Gordon Parks. Influenced by his passion for tattooing, his work explores themes of permanence, identity, and collective memory.
Heidi Schuster – Board Vice-Chair. Heidi has spent 20 years in the media industry working in promotion, documentary and series television. She’s worked in both the public and private sector and is currently Director of Business Development and Operations for Aldis Systems, Inc. She has a B.A. in Communications from the University of Minnesota and has served on the boards of MN Women in Film & TV and Film North. With a focus on business operations leadership, Heidi helps creative companies and visionary leaders integrate their ideas with actions.
Missy Staudinger – Board Chair. Missy (she/they) is a proud Wisconsin transplant who has called Minneapolis home since 2011 when they moved to the area to study law. As an attorney she has spent nearly a decade helping advise and counsel companies in the construction industry. In 2023, she found herself craving the opportunity to create and contribute in different ways outside of the office, and made their way to metalsmithing. In collaboration with Raw Tools, Missy has developed their fledgling smith skills converting surrendered guns into garden tools, jewelry, and other art. They love exploring and going on adventures with their partner and one-eyed dog, Werthers Original. She is excited to be joining CAFAC’s board and looks forward to serving and growing CAFAC’s community of artists and neighbors.
Ryan Sweeney – Board Treasurer. Ryan (he/him) is a nonprofit professional with over 10 years of experience in the Twin Cities serving in a variety of operations and development roles. He is currently the Director of Operations at the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, where he is passionate about the integration of data driven initiatives and technologies to improve fundraising and business efficiency. As a resident of Bryant neighborhood Ryan has experienced the thriving artistic community CAFAC has incubated. Ryan looks forward to the opportunity as a Board member to support and grow the incredible work that CAFAC already does enabling talented fire artists to teach other and inspire the entire community.