President of the Board - David Baker
David Baker is an arts enthusiast with academic credentials in both electrical engineering and television production. His career spans the technical and creative realms of television, reflecting a lifelong love and commitment to integrating artistry with innovation.
David’s dedication to public service lies in his past grant writing service to OPAL, in addition to his former role as Chair of the Civic Information Systems Commission, and advisory body to the Oak Park Village Board on technology and information policy. He also enjoyed giving back to the community as a middle school math teacher at St. Giles School.
A lover of international travel, music, and the arts, David traces his creative roots back to childhood oil painting and charcoal drawing. He remains passionate about teaching, community engagement, and savoring a good cup of Costa Rican coffee.
Vice President - Mia Garcia Hills
Mia is a trained artist, educator, trauma-informed yoga teacher and activist scholar. Her work in and beyond the studio often draws on her various areas of interest, which allows her to integrate mindful movement, creativity and critical reflection.
Mia was a Coca Cola Foundation Museum fellow. Prior museum and gallery experiences include internship and professional positions at the Chicago History Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Gallery 400 and GBU Gallery. Mia has taught art courses at Morton East High School, Lake Park High School, Multicultural Arts School, Social Justice High School, Yollocalli Youth Museum, Gary Comer Youth Center, Morton College, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Concordia University Chicago.
Mia earned her BFA’s in Art Education and Studio Arts from University of Illinois Chicago, MAAE in Art Education from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her PhD in Leadership: Higher Education from Concordia University Chicago.
Secretary - Maria Gedroc
Maria Gedroc received her Bachelor of Fine Art from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Art in Arts Administration from The School of Art Institute of Chicago. She is an artist, designer, arts administrator, and educator who has been in more than 180+ art shows and galleries including the Dancing Krow in the Oak Park Harrison Arts District, Oak Park Art League, Chicago Public Library, Ferguson Art Gallery at Concordia University Chicago, Northern Illinois University Museum and Gallery, and It's Liquid International, in Venice and Rome, Italy. Her artwork is included in the Chicago Art Scene, Werks Contemporary Art Magazine, Jack Arends Hall NIU Alumni Celebration: 50 Years of Excellence in the Visual Arts, Motif, The Creative Arts Journal of Concordia University Chicago, and more.
Margot Mcmahon
A lifelong-environmentalist, internationally- awarded Margot McMahon sculpts, writes and paints human, plant and animal forms to say, through art, her hope that decisions be made to support life on earth. She has been called the “Studs Terkel of the sculpting world”, for her humanistic portraits, most recently the Gwendolyn Brooks Monument for Gwendolyn Brooks Park which google maps indicates has 2,300,000 views. The Smithsonian, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago History Museum, Soka Gaikkai International, Mobil Oil, the Chicago Botanic Garden, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Steans Family Foundation and Yale University have collected her sculptures.
Barbara McClure
I am an active member of the Art League, where I have taught children’s classes, have exhibited work, and participate in Life Drawing. Additionally I am a member of the Pallet and Chisel, the Portrait Society of America and the Illinois Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I also have a degree in Art Education and am a retired Cook County Public Defender. As a member of the Education Committee, I am focused on expanding course offerings, particularly for children.
Dave Palomares
A native Chicagoan returning home after chasing palm trees in Los Angeles, Honolulu, Las Vegas, and New Orleans, Dave brings marketing expertise and a lifelong commitment to the arts to the Oak Park Art League. As a business consultant specializing in regulated industries, he's led award-winning acquisition and retention campaigns for major brands while developing communication strategies that balance creativity, compliance, and organizational goals.
Dave’s artistic training spans Chicago’s Palette & Chisel, MCA, SAIC, Lillstreet Art Center, New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, and the Blue Easel Club, with a focus on portraiture and figurative drawing. Through nonprofit leadership roles at Guide Dogs Hawai'i and volunteer work with the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, Dave brings his multifaceted professional experience to support the Art League’s growth while reconnecting with his childhood roots in the nearby Austin neighborhood.
Colleen Campbell
Colleen believes in the power of art to bring communities together and give individuals a space to fully express themselves. She studied at Chihuly’s renowned glass school and continues her creative journey through classes at OPAL (Oak Park Art League), where she finds both inspiration and connection. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Colleen is a seasoned AI business leader who helps organizations navigate the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence. She is dedicated to making a positive impact in her community and is passionate about ensuring art remains an essential part of our world—bringing joy, creativity, and beauty to our lives.
Executive Director - Bryan Northup (Grayson)
Bryan is an environmental artist and writer with a multidisciplinary background in 3D visual arts and poetry. He received his B.A. (Fine Art Photography) at California College of the Arts.
Bryan relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to Oak Park in 2008 and joined the staff at OPAL working in many capacities, creating in-house graphic design, monthly member newsletter, web design and maintenance, social media marketing and planning, coordinating and installing monthly exhibitions from 2009 to 2018.
Over the past 20 years, Bryan has worked as gallery director, content creator, marketing manager, curator and exhibition preparator for art organizations as well as private collectors.
Since 2015 Bryan has created sculpture, abstract wall reliefs and installations with single-use plastic as art medium.
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Programming Coordinator - Michael Cuadrado Gonzalez
Michael is an artist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He earned a BFA in Drawing from Pratt Institute in 2018 and an MFA in Painting & Printmaking from Yale University in 2024. Most recently, he attended the School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including Harkawik, SPURS Gallery, David Castillo, Yossi Milo, LVL3, Patient Info, North Loop, New Collectors, and Coco Hunday. He has attended residencies at the Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists’ Residency, Wassaic Project, and BOLT at the Chicago Artists Coalition.
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