Working as an artist, planner, educator, and consultant, Mat advocates for artists and for the inclusion of arts and culture in more places, more often. He believes that art is functional and integral to the human experience through a natural tendency to solve problems and connect people to one another through shared experiences.
Previously the Executive Director of Chicken Tractor, an arts nonprofit offering alternative art venues and professional development workshops, Mat now focusses his energy on creating opportunities for artists to be paid fairly for their work. He works in the public sphere with governments, companies, and nonprofits to prove that art is both functional and integral to the human experience by facilitating public art projects, writing grants, and developing public art and cultural master plans.
Mat has taught at Iowa State University and Grand View University, authored several successful national and regional grants and speaks regionally on public art and public cultural practices. He has a BFA from Drake University and a MFA from Iowa State University.