Jennifer Conley Darling
Executive Director

Jennifer Conley Darling is native Marshallite. Upon graduating Marshall High School, she lived in New York City for 23 years, working in event management and non-profit arts management. She is the President of Darling & Company and the Artistic Executive Director of terraNOVA Collective. Since moving back to Marshall in late 2015, her local clients include The Franke Center for the Arts as the Director of Children's Theater and Arts Education, Eastend Studio & Gallery as the Acting Executive Director, and Starr Commonwealth as the Project Coordinator for Marshall Public School's Resilient Schools Project and the Albion-Marshall Resilient Communities Project. She is also the Managing Director for the Marshall Youngish Professionals Committee. All of these projects and clients speak to Jennifer's passion for mentoring youth, for sharing our stories with each other, and for creating new opportunities to express ourselves through all forms of art.

 

 

Cathy Bovitz

Project Manager

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Cathy Bovitz has a B.A. from the University of Michigan - Dearborn. She has work experience in several areas, including as a manager in corporate marketing, substitute teacher, and as a legal assistant. Utilizing this diverse background, she now enjoys working as a contracted event and project manager, primarily with arts organizations.  As part of the Darling & Company team, her clients include Eastend, the Franke Center, and the Marshall Youngish Professional Committee.  She is also the Internship Coordinator at the Battle Creek Area Math & Science Center.  

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Kat Whaley
Program Director

​Kat has a degree in Visual Communication from Ashland University. She grew up in Ohio, but has lived in Michigan since 2004. She taught art in public schools for nearly 30 years and has been with Eastend wince 2015. Kat also has experience as a program coordinator and an event planner. An artist herself, Kat creates art in many different mediums including felt, colored pencil, watercolor, and sculpture. Kat is outgoing and a great organizer. This along with her enthusiasm and love of art are an asset to Eastend.
 

Michelle Miller 
Gallery Manager/Curator

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A graduate of Western Michigan University, Michelle studied business, art, and engineering to earn her BFA in Product Design. She has grown up in Marshall and loves being a part of the community. Her work and skill set expands over several different mediums such as jewelry maker, wood worker, and a painter. She has exhibited in the Kalamazoo Institute of Art and at Frostic School of Art. She is a member of the Marshall Area Conservation Committee and the Youngish Professionals.

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Meagan Wildt

Gallery Manager/Educator

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Meagan has a degree in Graphic Design from Kellogg Community college. Born and raised in Homer, she transplanted to Marshall nearly ten years ago and is proud to call this town her home. A love for art and community brought her to Eastend as an assistant teacher four years ago. Currently she serves as one of the Gallery Managers, and continues to work directly with the education program teaching  weekly classes. 

 

Betty Perkins

Ceramics Instructor

 

Betty Perkins has lived in the Marshall/Olivet area most of her life.  She has spent the last twenty years teaching pottery in a variety of settings to people of all ages, including The Battle Creek Art Center and at an art therapy program for veterans. She recently retired from the Special Education department at Olivet Community Schools.
She has been with Eastend Studio & Gallery since 2021 and teaches all our ceramics classes.  She is looking forward to teaching adult classes in some other media such as mosaics.  She enjoys teaching as well as learning a variety of new techniques.  Her cheerful, creative, and easy-going personality makes her classes fun and relaxing. She invites you to come “play in the mud” and discover new ways to be creative.