What Defines Our Creative Principals
Anton Morton
Principal and Co-Founder, Kasum Manifold
Activator, innovator and agitator are words with which Anton Morton identifies. He has made it a mission to be a change-leader across the creative industry by advocating for process change, operating a collaboration-forward creative practice and working to help other creatives succeed with him. Anton’s efforts have directly impacted communities through museum exhibitions, public art installations, art’s programming and design integration in major infrastructure projects. The Principal and Co-Founder of Kasum Manifold builds multicultural teams to address site-specific projects, consults on and commissions creative projects and administers art services for entities, governments and studios internationally.
Anton’s creative practice is rooted in his Native American cultural beliefs and desire for greater inclusion and equity across the cultures that define a shared human experience. Recent recognitions of Anton’s collaborative arts practice include an AIA High Design Honor, AGC-OK Best of the Best Build Award, multiple CODA TOP 100 awards and personal recognition as one of CODAworx 2024 Creative Revolutionaries. Anton is a member of Citizen Potawatomi Nation, of the Algonquin Anishinaabe, and a disabled Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. The longtime resident of Oklahoma City resides on the edge of utility with his wife, Stacey, and cat Fantastic Mr. Fox.
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1. Color me fortunate! I work with some of the foremost creative leaders on the planet, serving municipal, state, corporate and private arts interests. I love the work I do and real-world impact it offers.
2. As a creative leader, I build multicultural interdisciplinary collaborative creative teams to address the needs of site-specific projects, I steward public art and fine art service provisions for organizations around the globe and I consult on creative projects ranging from the expected to the obscene.
3. My efforts have directly impacted communities through museum exhibitions, public art installations, art’s programming and design integration in major infrastructure projects. I am determined to continue growing the value of that impact.
4. The things I enjoy most about my work are the three C’s… creative thinkers (quirks included), creative problem-solving and cultural growth. All three, every day. The most challenging aspects of my work would include risk management, people management and problem analysis. The best part is that I like those too.
5. I was not voted “most likely to be an artist” in my senior class but my wife was and what an impact her experience had on me. Having an intimate opportunity to understand the arts through hers and other’s experiences developed passion and compassion for the Arts.
6. I believe in inclusivity. I believe in equality. I believe in people even when they, sometimes, do not believe in themselves. I work to create positive experiences in my personal life and the lives of others.
Pamela Zeljak
Associate Principal, Kasum Manifold
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Pamela attended Geneva College where she studied Music and Religion and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She spent a semester abroad in Jerusalem, Israel where she earned a certificate in Historical Geography. After college, she moved to Columbiana County, Ohio, the northernmost county in Appalachia to work with underserved high school students. In 2003, she moved to Florida to pursue a career in the arts. Her love for music turned into a passion for the visual arts and she hasn’t looked back.
Pamela is a versatile and resourceful arts leader with fifteen years of experience in arts administration, community outreach, and project management. She has excelled throughout her career in building relationships with artists and community stakeholders as a Public Art administrator, museum administrator, and a nonprofit professional. Pamela has had the opportunity to provide services in public art project administration, public art planning, creative placemaking, community engagement, collections management, collection accessibility, and helping clients engage with emerging artists.
During her time as contracted public art administrator she was worked with the Leesburg Center for the Arts acting Public Art arm of the City of Leesburg, FL; the City of Inverness, FL; and the City of Oakland; FL. Before starting her private work, she was the Cultural Arts Supervisor over public art and creative placemaking for the City of Ocala, FL for 3 years. She also worked with the Appleton Museum of Art of the College of Central Florida for 7 years as Chief Operations Officer and was on the Board of Fine Arts for Ocala for 7 years. Pamela is currently a Public Art Administrator for One Columbia Arts and Culture in Columbia, South Carolina.
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1. I wanted to study visual art in college but I didn’t fit into that category in the strict sense of the word at the time. I was also focusing on music and my good fortune and dedication to the discipline helped me land a scholarship to study euphonium. Through a series of fortuitous events and guidance of some exceptional mentors, I learned about Arts Administration and started developing a path in visual arts leadership. I am thankful for that journey of discovery and couldn’t be happier than I am doing the work I do each day in the Arts.
2. I studied historical geography in Israel during a semester abroad. One of those fortuitous events, I mentioned, was a class with artist, feminist, and Jewish thought-leader, Jo Milgram, called the Handmade Midrash. Through my studies with Milgram, I learned that if I took the time to observe what was around me, I could find symbolism and draw out meaning from those spaces. That understanding is at the heart of my curatorial practice. I seek to create experiences which foster community, cultivate civic pride, and support artists.
3. The first study I did in Public Art was at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. For a hands-on learner, like myself, there was no better place to be immersed in the world of outdoor sculpture. I started my first official job in public art as a public art administrator with a municipality. After having worked primarily in a nonprofit setting, learning the ins and outs of government work was challenging and exciting. I got to move beyond outdoor sculpture into murals, wayfinding, augmented reality, and smart street projects.
4. One of my favorite quotes is, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” - Steven Wright There is no way to rush the process in public art. There are a lot of steps, even more approvals, and a mountain of paperwork. Showing up first provides few guarantees. Showing up prepared is everything when it comes to success. I love helping creative persons show up to the project ready to go and primed to exceed their goals.
5. One of my personal missions is to be an instrument for municipalities, organizations, and business to use to achieve their creative ideas. If you can dream it, it is my charge to help you complete it no matter how big or small, simple or complex the project ambitions may be.