A professor from Poland will be coming to Winona State University next semester.

Anna Nacher will be teaching Audio-Video Production and Experimental Visual Communication, two Mass Communication classes.

“I’m very much looking forward to the exchange of experience with the staff and to meeting the students of WSU,” Nacher said.

Davin Heckman, a mass communication professor, applied for the grant to hire Nacher.

Heckman had previously known Nacher from conferences the two had both attended.

“I’ve known Anna for a few years, but have recently gotten to know her better through going to conferences,” Heckman said. “She has been involved in electronic literature for a number of years.”

Heckman said there is a lot of work that goes into applying for a grant.

“You have to write up a pretty long report where you make the case for why Nacher would be a good fit for the department and what kinds of things she’d be able to do while she’s here,” Heckman said. “We also needed to work out a budget for how much money Winona State can provide.”

Heckman said he thinks Nacher will bring interesting approaches to coursework, as well as reinforce connections with schools overseas.

Nacher said she believes there is much to learn from the beginning of Polish visual art, particularly a group of film workers and artists called Workshop of the Film Form.

“I think it is worthy to get back to their aesthetics and methods of work these days, when the experimental filmmaking became part of a mainstream, including content widely available on YouTube and through social media,” Nacher said.

There are many aspects of the Creative Digital Media program Nacher said she is interested in.

“I know WSU’s Creative Digital Media as one of the most innovatory educational programs in the field of digital media production. I’m thrilled to be able to work for a while alongside Talan Memmott and Davin Heckman,” Nacher said.

Nacher said she is also excited about Winona’s strong Kashubian Polish presence.

“The fact that there is a strong Kashubian presence in the city makes me even more excited, because I’m a great enthusiast of Kashuba region and culture in Poland,” Nacher said.

Nacher is also a part-time musician, and toured the U.S. in the early 2000s. She said she is curious to see how the country has changed since then.

“I’m really curious how the U.S. has changed since my last visit. To me it’s always been a country of enthusiastic, creative and dedicated people, with the beautiful energy in the air that makes one want to get up early, act and get involved in worthy causes,” Nacher said. “The U.S. has taught me a lot and I am looking forward to another wave of inspiration and all the fun that comes from being among wonderful people.”

Nacher will begin at Winona State in August after she finishes co-curating sessions in two international conferences.