Meet the bright, beautiful souls that make our organization shine. Feel free to reach out and say hello, we don't bite. 

Staff

Amanda KIK
CO-DIRECTOR

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After spending both her undergraduate and graduate years at California Institute of the Arts, Amanda moved to Northwest Lower Michigan in 2001. Here, she set roots in her community and has focused on her passions: food and art. In 2005, Amanda and her husband Brad founded Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology (née ISLAND). Amanda serves as chair of the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference, which works to build a local vibrant agricultural community. She raises a small flock of chickens and enjoys waltzes and group dances. amanda@crosshatch.org

Brad Kik
Co-Director

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Brad Kik is the co-founder and co-director of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, a non-profit organization that connects the lines between art, agriculture, local economy and ecology. Brad's varied background in film study, environmental activism, graphic design, community organizing, traditional music, writing, ecology, and permaculture plays a key role in shaping the cross-disciplinary work of Crosshatch. Brad and his partner Amanda have their roots dug into ten acres in rural northern Michigan—Anishinaabe land—where they raise pastured pigs and chickens, tap the sugar maples, and practice weaving people and place together. Brad regularly writes and presents on the intersections of art and ecology, particularly in regards to artist residencies and the role of the arts in rural development, and serves as a trustee of the Artist Communities Alliance. brad@crosshatch.org

DANIEL MARBURY
Program Specialist

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Daniel facilitates and supports a number of collaborative efforts for land steward support and education in Northwest Lower Michigan. Current programs he coordinates include a community micro-loan program, carbon farming and forestry cohort, agriculture guild groups, the Northern Michigan small farm conference and peer to peer farm tours. After growing up in Georgia, he led rural, agricultural, ecological and arts efforts as a student and as an AmeriCorps VISTA in West Alabama. He moved cross-country to Traverse City in 2011 to work in farm to school and local food systems with FoodCorps. You might hear him making a joyful noise playing instruments from around the world, pumping global beats from a portable speaker on bike rides around Leelanau County , or drumming with the Deep Blue Water Samba school in community festivals and parades. daniel@crosshatch.org

taylor reed
communications specialist

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Taylor has found writing and other creative work to be a trusted tool for processing years of winding paths amongst rural Ohio, cities in Bolivia, Yosemite National Park, Delaware, Puerto Rico, and Cascadia. Before those places led him to the world of specialty coffee, he and his now-wife, Jessi, came to love Northwest Michigan as they worked at the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. This itself followed a farmer training program outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, which instilled a deep appreciation for Northern climate small-scale farm resiliency. After working as a roaster and in quality control for Seattle's Victrola Coffee and Higher Grounds Trading Company in Traverse City, he's now thankful to be settling into a small farmhouse on two and a half acres just east of Bellaire, with his wife and son, Arlo. He's excited to live and grow well, commute sporadically by bicycle and contribute to the unique and intersectional work of Crosshatch. taylor@crosshatch.org