About Us

Finding Inspiration in Every Turn

The Portland Arts Retreat was inspired by art lovers Richard and Dorothy Sikora. Richard was an Ethics professor at UBC in the ’70s and '80s, and Dorothy was a visual artist whose art was featured among notable female artists in Canada. The couple owned a classical record store called Sikora’s Classical Records in Vancouver Canada that was beloved for over forty years. They moved to Portland because of its focus on the environment and its progressive political values. Richard was a friend and colleague of some of the most prominent philosophers of the 20th Century. He co-edited a book with Brian Barry called “Obligations to Future Generations” which was seminal to the field known as generational ethics. Among the philosophers visiting his home were A.J. Ayer, Derek Parfit, and Peter Singer. Dorothy received a Fulbright in the 1950s to study art history and philosophy in France under Merleau-Ponty.
The Sikoras’ only daughter, Anne Sikora, had the idea of the arts retreat to support the creative community of Portland. Anne lived in NYC for thirty years where she had a psychotherapy practice. Her children Ashley and Lucy are on the board of directors reviewing potential manuscripts with other writers for the arts retreat. Their father is a literary agent in NYC, so this is a family affair.
In this next phase of the arts retreat the organization is moving its base to the Big Island of Hawaii, specifically addressing the need for artists to come together on the West Coast where there are very few residencies currently. The housing is in a lovely tropical environment with fruit trees, and all manner of animal and plant life, only minutes away from beautiful beaches, shopping, and all modern conveniences. It gives artists the opportunity to have privacy and seclusion near great local food, activities for outdoorsy types, and the peace and quiet needed for leading the creative life.

Board of Directors

Anne Sikora & Chris Awalt

Directors

Anne Sikora, PsyD. Anne had a psychotherapy practice in NYC for 30 years and raised two children in Brooklyn. Anne worked in publishing in her 20s. She was a journalist writing an arts column for the Whig-Standard, Canada’s oldest privately owned newspaper. She helped a well-respected editor, John Benedict, who established the Norton Anthology of African American Literature. The Anthology was edited by Henry Louis Gates, who brought marginalized literature to the forefront of the canon. She also helped edit works by Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, and Rita Dove, and worked at Grove Press where she edited a David Mamet play based on Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard." She married a prominent literary agent and entertained many well-known writers such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Geoff Dyer, Jeffrey Eugenides, Nam Le, and Steve Toltz. Her children are very interested in the arts and serve on the board of directors. Anne's long-time partner, Chris Awalt, is a novelist and professional editor. He is on the board of directors along with Anne's children, Ashley and Lucy, who have an avid interest in reading and writing.

Chris is an editor and a novelist. He is also an avid photographer and a man of letters. He is Anne’s long-time partner and was raised in the same town that Friday Night Lights was written about. He is a jack of all trades and never finds a problem he can’t fix with excellence. He has two daughters, Bella and Olivia, and two stepdaughters, Ashley and Lucy.

Lucy Simonoff

Hello, My name is Lucy Simonoff and I graduated from the University of Edinburgh majoring in Sociology and Psychology. I have a range of experience in freelance audio-editing podcasts, as well as content creation for non-profit organizations. I am also a book lover, and I look forward to discovering new literary voices and providing them with a place to flourish. Currently, I have a full-time job with a nonprofit organization assisting disenfranchised youth as an addiction and housing specialist. I am currently in a book group and enjoy discussing literature and helping the artist retreat.

Yulia Steshenko

Yulia grew up in the Bronx, New York, in a rundown home packed with books. She developed MS at fourteen, became legally blind at sixteen, and stopped being able to read print shortly after, but maintained her love of reading through audiobooks. She graduated from Harvard College with a concentration in psychology. While homebound after college, she tried and failed to become a memoirist. With the help of the Commission for the Blind, she became a Certified Financial Planner to offer pro bono support to New Yorkers with disabilities and is now a Vice President on the board of the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York. She still loves listening to and discussing books.

Ashley Simonoff

Ashley Simonoff grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She is well-versed in the classics and reads Latin. Ashley graduated from the University of Chicago where she studied geophysical sciences. She does volunteer work at a fossil lab at the university. She works at the Chicago Zoo and adores reading in her spare time. She is currently applying to graduate programs in Library Science.

Taia Holmes

Taia is a mastering engineer and live production specialist with over fifteen years of experience in music and event production. Originally from Brighton, U.K., she studied at King’s College London and earned a master’s in musicology from Boston University. Her work spans freelance mastering, backstage management for live venues and tours, and artist support in studio and performance settings.

For the past six years, she has been an executive for a bar program, backstage, and talent manager for a hospitality group (FT Inc.) in New York City. She oversees operations in event spaces and ensures smooth production for artists and teams. As a board member of the Arts Retreat, she is committed to fostering creative spaces that support artistic growth.

David Schneiderman & Melissa Scalera

David and Melissa are relatively new to the Big Island of Hawaii. They adore all the gorgeous natural scenery and wildlife. Melissa studied Culinary Arts and Hospitality at The Culinary Institute of America and brings her expertise to the kitchen of the retreat while being a lover of books and manuscripts. David has a heart for adventure and hands that can fix anything. He spent over 10 years in hospitality in Oahu and South Florida. He is the kind of person you want on a desert island to help you in a storm.