Erin Naler, Director of Vision
Erin was reared by her West-Texan parents somewhere between the city and the farm on the edge of Kansas City, Missouri. Her dad taught her to love the smell of the soil, but rarely let her use his tools. Moving to Greenville in 1993, she studied Theatre and Education at Bob Jones University, but eventually reconnected with her family roots, moving to Texas to earn a PhD in Aesthetics from the University of Texas in Dallas. There she studied the aesthetics of 1930’s American photography and the epic play-cycles of the American theatre. She’s taught theatre and aesthetics for 25 years, performing, directing, producing, and mentoring students’ creative work. But her chosen vocation is the making of place—which she’s currently doing by turning her backyard into a meadow of grasses and wildflowers.
Emma Galloway Stephens, Director of Education
Emma is a poet and professor from the Appalachian foothills in Greenville County, South Carolina. Raised on a steady diet of early American literature, Shakespeare, the Bible, and family ghost stories, her poetry echoes the sounds of these familiar narratives. She writes in the southern gothic tradition, carving poems out of what Flannery O’Connor called the “Christ-haunted” landscape of the American southeast. Her work has appeared in The Windhover, Ekstasis Magazine, Thimble Literary Magazine, Red Branch Review and others, and has more work upcoming in the new year. Emma has taught post-secondary English and creative writing courses since 2017. In addition to teaching and writing, she performs annually with the Greenville Shakespeare Company. She earned her MFA from Converse University and dreams of earning her PhD in gothic literature—and then disappearing into the Blue Ridge Mountains. She shares her life with her spouse, Samuel, and their small menagerie of cats and reptiles.
Lewis Carl, Director of Culture
Lewis is an artist, educator, and Director of Visual Culture at the Arbor Institute for the Arts. With over 25 years of experience in art and design and having lived in Venice, Italy, he is passionate about fostering creativity, community, and cross-cultural connections. Lewis’ work bridges cultural and historical narratives through textile art—reflecting a love for storytelling, sustainability, and the interplay between tradition and innovation. His work has been influenced by the interplay of history, faith, and community, offering viewers an invitation to explore the threads that connect us all. His current work can be viewed and purchased at the Grand Bohemian Gallery at Falls Park in Greenville, South Carolina. In addition, Lewis is actively involved with the European Cultural Centre and is planning to participate in their Venice Biennale exhibition, Personal Structures: Time, Place, Existence. When not championing artistic endeavors, Lewis can often be found escaping to the kitchen, perfecting his risotto and tirelessly chasing the dream of the perfect tiramisù.