Michael Vance Toombs is an accomplished painter, art activist, and founder and CEO of Storytellers Inc., Artist Collective. Mr. Toombs is a community leader and champion for young people and working artists in the Greater Kansas City area. Michael began as a young student with Matthew Monks at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. He furthered his study through classes at the Kansas City Art Institute and completed a business entrepreneurial course of study through Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas.
Michael left the corporate world as customer service manager for GEHA Insurance for 8 years where he helped setup their customer service department which handled 3500 calls a day with 75 customer service reps. He left to develop his own business in the belief that ”Art is a Change Agent for society’s difficulties.”
Michael’s art form is “interactive community-based art”. As Executive Director of Storytellers Inc, Michael has developed contracts with many high profile organizations including University of Missouri, Wichita State University, Environmental Protection Agency, Accessible Arts, Bartle Convention Center, Olorun Foundation in Burkina Faso, West Africa, Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority, Jackson County Family Courts and C.O.M.B.A.T – Jackson County Prosecutors Office,KCMO Mayor’s office, KCMO Police Dept., ArtsTech and InterUrban Arthouse, as well as 18th and Vine Jazz district.
