LEADERSHIP CASE STUDY · EDITORIAL DIRECTION · CREATIVE COLLABORATION · BROADCAST DEVELOPMENT

Art Chowder: Cultivating a Creative Culture

View the work: Editorial evolution comparison (PDF) · Art Wolfe feature (PDF)

The opportunity: Guide a regional arts publication, strengthen its editorial identity, and cultivate a collaborative environment where writers, artists, and designers could do their best work.

Leading Through Creative Trust

As Executive Editor and Director of Art Chowder, I worked with an established creative team and a publication dedicated to telling artists’ stories. The editorial mission—artists covering regional arts—called for more than assembling compelling content. It required trust, clear direction, and respect for contributors’ perspectives.

Rather than treating editorial leadership as control over every decision, I focused on providing a consistent vision while giving writers and creative collaborators room to bring their own strengths to the work. I wanted readers to encounter the people behind the art—not simply a description of what they made.

Matching Talent With Subject Matter

I brought additional talent into the contributor mix and matched column assignments to writers’ expertise and interests. Our wine column, for example, was written by Eric Cook, a sommelier who also taught food service at a local community college. Authors wrote about books and fellow writers, artists covered the arts, and art history contributions came from people with established historical expertise.

These choices helped contributors write from firsthand knowledge and genuine enthusiasm. My role was to recognize the right voices, give them a fitting platform, and support their work within a cohesive editorial direction.

Shaping the Editorial and Visual Experience

I guided editorial planning, shaped features and interviews, and worked to maintain a cohesive voice across issues. My own interviews and features included artists and writers such as Art Wolfe, Patti Warashina, James Lee Burke, Christopher Paolini, Ben Joyce, and Cheryl Metcalf.

The visual experience was part of the storytelling. I advocated for a designer whose approach aligned with the publication’s creative direction, helped establish that working relationship with the publisher’s approval, and considered how design choices supported the magazine’s identity. The work was collaborative: I strengthened an existing team rather than claiming its accomplishments as my own.

A Visible Editorial Evolution: Issues 33 and 47

Two issues offer a useful view of the publication across this period. Issue 33 (May–June 2021) predates my editorial leadership. Issue 47 (September–October 2023) was published at the end of my tenure as Executive Editor and Director.

The comparison brings together the covers, tables of contents, and opening publisher/editor columns—From the Publisher on page 4 of Issue 33 and From the Editor on page 4 of Issue 47—before turning to complete feature stories. These examples allow readers to consider the editorial voice, organization, design, and treatment of subjects across the two periods.

The selected features are Melissa Cole’s story in Issue 33 (pages 10–13, written by Sue Eller) and my Art Wolfe feature in Issue 47. Presenting each feature as a whole respects its editorial flow and makes the comparison more meaningful than alternating individual pages.

Expanding Into Broadcast Media

Our editorial vision eventually extended beyond print and digital publication into television through Everyday Northwest, a monthly magazine-style program on KSPS public television.

The idea developed through a shared vision with Art Chowder’s publisher. While he had already initiated contact with KSPS through his media company, I had independently envisioned adapting the magazine’s stories for television. We collaborated on the initial logistics and explored how best to translate our editorial content into a broadcast format.

I initially conducted the on-camera interviews. As the program evolved, we experimented with different hosts before moving toward a format that eliminated the need for an on-camera personality. Interviews were still filmed, but the interviewer was neither seen nor heard in the finished segments. Instead, the featured individuals told their stories through their own responses, complemented by B-roll footage and professional editing and production.

The resulting format reflected the editorial philosophy behind the magazine itself: let the people and their stories take center stage.

Nonprofit Governance & Organizational Development

My responsibilities also extended beyond editorial direction. As Art Chowder transitioned to a nonprofit structure, I drafted organizational bylaws addressing the Advisory Team, officer roles, meetings, governance procedures, and amendments. This work reflects another dimension of my involvement in developing the organization’s foundations.

View the Art Chowder bylaws (redacted PDF). The portfolio copy removes names, signatures, and electronic-signature audit information.

Leadership Reflection

Creative teams need both freedom and clarity. Art Chowder demonstrated that leadership can create the conditions for strong work without making the leader the center of it.

The same curiosity that guides my organizational work shaped my editorial approach: listen carefully, recognize individual expertise, and help distinct voices contribute to something meaningful together.