Welcome to the Earth Art Sanctuary

Artist Bios

Elsa Anderson Maher is a long-time resident of Poland, Maine, but was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her mother is Swedish, so she has been exposed to all the traditions and customs of their home country as much as possible. Her piece was a senior project.

Ceiba Crow is a 21-year-old multi-disciplinary artist and entrepreneur who has been creating and sharing her work since she was around 11 years old. Ceiba grew up in forests and gardens throughout Maine that instilled a deep sense of wonder and lifelong love for nature that inspires the work she creates! Being homeschooled throughout her entire childhood gave Ceiba time and space to pursue her many artistic passions and create her own business selling her various artworks and handicrafts. Her business, now called Fern Hollow Arts, has grown and evolved with her over the years and continues to expand its creative offerings. In 2021, Ceiba started working with the magical art of solar printing to create prints on fabric with sun-sensitive dyes, plants, and image transparencies (either of photographs she takes or her original art).

Aside from sharing her work through Fern Hollow Arts, Ceiba has created a sculptural window installation for the Portland Food Co-op, presented a solo show of her acrylic paintings at The Mix in Brunswick, and her mixed media painting “Our Mother” was a finalist in the Tidal Shift Award competition hosted by The Portland Museum of Art. In her free time, Ceiba enjoys traveling, painting, photography, and spending time with loved ones. She lives in Durham with her Fiancé Nahum, and family.

Burd Fertig-Burd weaves together the realms of wellness, art, and community as the Wellness Center Coordinator and co-owner of Celebration Tree Farm & Wellness Center, a vibrant multi-stakeholder cooperative in Durham, Maine. With over two decades as a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher, Burd has transformed spaces from libraries to senior living facilities into sanctuaries of movement and mindfulness. Her pioneering work adapting yoga for those with movement challenges, particularly Parkinson’s Disease, reflects her commitment to accessible wellness. As an intuitive Reiki practitioner and teacher in the Usui Reiki Ryoho lineage, she channels healing energy with a personalized touch that complements her background in personal training and wellness consulting.

Beyond the Wellness Center, Burd’s creative spirit has flourished through musical explorations with bands like Over a Cardboard Sea, Primatech, and Murmurations across Maine and New York City.  She connects to the Earth through growing flowers and luffa gourds and incorporates these natural elements into her creative expression. Now venturing into the visual arts with her debut exhibition, she continues to expand her creative horizons. Burd shares her life in Durham with her husband Jonah and their family, cultivating both family and community roots.

Jonah Fertig-Burd facilitates transformation as a consultant, facilitator, coach, farmer, cook, and artist based in Durham, Maine. His journey spans diverse landscapes—establishing nonprofits and cooperative businesses, nurturing restaurants and farms, advocating for equitable food policies, and fostering racial equity in the food system. As a consultant with InterRooted, Jonah co-creates interconnected leaders and communities rooted in love, nourishment, and cooperation. His agricultural and community passions flourish at Celebration Tree Farm & Wellness Center, the multi-stakeholder cooperative he co-owns, which grows organic Christmas trees and hosts wellness services, retreats, and community events.

With artistic foundations from New York University in art and cultural studies, Jonah has showcased his visual work in numerous Portland exhibitions, co-created installations with Burd at Sacred and Profane on Peaks Island, and curated diverse art and music shows. His collaborative spirit extends to his board service with the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, Maine Inside Out, and Land in Common Community Land Trust. When not growing community, Jonah finds joy in cooking, creating art, making music, and forest wanderings. He shares his Durham home with his wife, Burd, and their family.

Janette Hough teaches and directs devised aerial theater and runs The Building, a home & workspace for performing artists in Portland, ME.

Hughes Kraft is a psychotherapist, forest bathing guide, writer and artist. In his endeavors he invites others to look with fresh eyes and a curious mind to all that is around us. He enjoys honoring mystery, challenge perspectives and widen ones connections to others, oneself and the larger world all around. 

He can be reached at [email protected]  and found at HughesKraft.com

Nahum Stevenson is multi-media artist and devoted admirer of the natural world. His creative interests are quite extensive and always expanding. Some of his favorite art forms to work with include watercolor, pen and ink, leatherworking, sketching, acrylic painting, sewing, woodworking, and sculpting. His current artistic passion lies with experimenting with various printmaking techniques, including intaglio and relief. Drawing from his deep love for the forests of Maine, Nahum has created a series of prints that express the beauty and majesty of the trees around us. This is his debut presentation of his work.

Over the years, Nahum has worked as a stonemason, carpenter, farmer, and an instructor at a nature immersion program for kids. When not creating art, you can find Nahum in the forest, exploring, hiking, and studying trees with great gusto. He also enjoys paddling (either in his canoe or in his packraft), traveling, and designing adventure gear. He lives in Durham, Maine.