Textbook Makers: A History of American Studio Craft by Janet Koplos and Bruce Metcalf
HomeInstructor Login

Meet the Project Team

Dian Magie, Executive Director, UNC Center for Craft, Creativity and Design

Dian Magie has over 25 years in arts administration as executive director of four agencies, including CCCD since 2000. She has coordinated the history/text book project since 2002, raising over $500,000 for the writing and research of the history/text and negotiating with three publishers, resulting in the selection of the University of North Carolina Press for this project. She has written and administered National Endowment for the Arts Grants in Design, Visual Arts, Folk Arts, and Challenge programs including the $45,000 NEA Visual Arts grant in 2005, that is part of the over $500,000 from corporate, foundation and private support for the research, writing and rights release for the Craft History/text project. She administers the Windgate Fellowship and Museum Internship program, and plans and coordinates the annual North Carolina Craft Think-Tank meetings. Magie has a B.A. in Humanities and M.A. in American History.

Katie Lee, Assistant Director, UNC Center for Craft, Creativity and Design

Katie Lee has experience as an art administrator, curator, teacher and commercial gallery director. At CCCD, her responsibilities include managing exhibition programs, administering the Craft Research Fund grants, leading the website and curriculum development team for the Makers textbook, and working with professors who plan to use the textbook and curriculum tools. She also coordinates an annual session at the College Art Association conference hosted by the CCCD. In the community, she currently serves on the board of the Black Mountain College Museum + Art Center.

Prior to joining CCCD, Katie was Assistant Director and Curator at the College of Charleston's Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art and taught a Museum Studies/Gallery Fundamentals course for the Arts Administration program. She also curated exhibits for the City of Charleston's Office of Cultural Affairs. From 2003 to 2005, Katie worked as the Gallery Director of the Eva Carter Gallery, representing the works of Eva Carter and William Halsey.

Katie has a B.A. in Art History from the College of Charleston with Departmental Honors and an Intercultural M.A. in Art History from Richmond, The American International University in London. Her thesis was titled "The Problem with Modernism/s: The Challenge of Bernard Leach's Life and Art."

Mary Beth Ausman, founder and president of NPE Consulting, Inc, DVD design

Mary Beth Ausman has over ten years experience in the non-profit sector. She holds a bachelors degree from Davidson College in Art, and a master degree from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Her master's curriculum focused on arts education, as well as technology in education. Ausman served as educator of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, where she spearheaded the education program for the fledgling museum from its opening in 1999 until spring 2006. In her role as a museum educator, Ausman was responsible for program design and implementation, K-12 curriculum development, technology initiatives, and developing evaluation plans for a variety of museum programs. She now continues in those capacities as an independent consultant for non-profit and education organizations.

Mike O'Kane, Instructor, Technical Writer, Web Programmer

Mike O'Kane has over 10 years experience designing and teaching online courses, and served as the first Executive Director of the University of North Carolina Teaching and Learning Collaborative, serving the sixteen universities of the UNC system. He currently teaches Computer Science courses at the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, writes textbooks, and designs/develops Web and Flash-based applications. Mike has a B.A. in Fine Art and M.S. in Advanced Technology, specializing in Systems Science.