Dear Friends,
With great excitement, Hoffman Center for the Arts welcomes our new Board treasurer, Jennie Hoff! Please read on to get to know Jennie better through a brief conversation with Executive Director, India Downes-Le Guin.
India: Can you share a little bit about yourself, your professional background, and how you ended up on the Oregon Coast?
Jennie: We were retiring and moving to Portugal, but we had a big labradoodle we didn’t want to fly so we booked passage on the Queen Mary and had to wait 9 months. We decided to spend the 9 months in Portland just for fun, so we sold the family house and headed to Oregon at the end of Feb 2020. Two weeks later, everything shut down and being on a different continent from our daughters and family didn’t sound like such a good idea. We started exploring Oregon since we’d never been here, and we happened to drive into Cannon Beach on May 5th…closed on a house at the end of June and started our plan B! (Yes, we are that crazy and yes we are very happy with this new plan!)
India: What drew you to Hoffman, and what are you most excited about here?
Jennie: I got involved in the coastal art community immediately upon arriving and was quickly exposed to the professionalism and reputation of HCA. I stopped one day to check it out, met Lloyd Lindley who was sitting at the desk at the gallery, and we talked for quite awhile. I have since been to most exhibitions, taught a digital art class, taken 4 or 5 classes, met and was quite impressed with you right after you started, missed the open studio because it was sold out, boo, and taken all my friends there (one from Austin bought a huge painting and rented a car and drove it back to Texas, ha, ha). What I love about Hoffman is the breadth of offerings, business acumen and professionalism, and community mission.
India: You are an artist! Can you share a bit about your own work and what you love to do?
Jennie: I was a software executive, so I always had to balance and use my right brain! I’ve been a jewelry designer and mixed-media artist for over 20 years and about 8 years ago became a digital artist as well. My work has been in galleries and high-end boutiques in Austin, Denver, Breckenridge, and Cannon Beach.
India: What’s a fun fact about you?
Jennie: I spent my late pre- and early teen years in Seoul, South Korea. That family move sparked my love for people, travel, new/different cultures, and change. I’ve now lived in and traveled to many other countries with my husband and two daughters, and we all love seeking new adventures. I also was this tall (5’8″) by age 12, played basketball and ran hurdles well, played clarinet poorly, and throw/build pottery most miserably.
Thank you, Jennie! We are so glad you are here. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome.
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India Downes-Le Guin
She/her
Executive Director
