As our season comes to a close, we reflect on the questions and interwoven themes that have emerged from our time together.

Through Creative Expression as a Social Practice we pondered: how can you use your art form or practice to change the system you exist within?

In Culturally Responsive Teaching we asked: where in your work or community do you observe differences that through your art or TA practice could bridge the gap?

Media Arts begs us to question: how can you use your art to experiment with new ways of relating or understanding the world around you?

Legacy Artistry proposes: what kind of impact are you hoping to have through what you pass down in your art-making practice?

TA Action Research wonders: who could you collaborate with to deepen and evolve your creative methods?

SEL demands us to dig inside and ask: in what ways does love lead through your art expression and Teaching Artist practice?

When we think of legacy artistry, we're often reminded of the generations and traditions that contribute to an enduring design, style or art-making practice, or perhaps we think of the dedication and refinement that a single artist contributes to a discipline, what they pass down and leave behind historically. How would one teach legacy as a teaching artist? Together with Remi Majekodunmi, Solomon Mason and Shelly Svonavec we'll dive into what this might look like in their Teaching Arts practice with students, how they hope to see their legacy deepen or change, and how their work with students evolves their work as artists.

***

Teaching Artist Bios:

The Artist Journey w/Sketchbook was created for students to work towards a life-size self-portrait. The students use their sketchbooks not only to develop a sketchbook practice, but the art activities are used as a way to explore their emotional selves through the seven elements of visual arts; line, shapes, patterns, texture space, color mood etc.

As a Nigerian herself, Remi Majekodunmi - names and ancestor acknowledgement are a fundamental part of her individual and collective identity. Remi brings these key elements into her personal practice and intentionally shares these points of view with her young artists as a way to be in community. As a way to explore who we are, where we come from and to whom we belong.

###

Born June 12th 1995, Solomon “Solo” Israel Mason is a culture bearer, performing artist, multi-instrumentalist, stilt walker, educator and New Orleans native. Teaching over a decade of teaching experience specializing in Youth Development, Music Composition & Arrangement, Performing Arts, Art Integrated Workshops and Social-Emotional Learning.

###

Growing up on the east side of Cleveland with a challenging upbringing, Shelly Svonavec developed a sense of grit and resilience that helped shape who she is today. While committed to athletics and academics throughout school, she always found herself back to creating art as an expressive outlet.

After receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art Education & Painting, Shelly pursued her desire for connection by teaching High School Visual Arts & Ceramics in Charlotte, NC. These few years spent in the classroom played a key role in the development of my pedagogy. She left the formal education setting in search of creating art full time and finding more effective ways to connect to the youth.

For the past 7 years, she has worked with Center for Arts Inspired Learning teaching integrated arts programming, training new Teaching Artists, and consulting on new curriculum initiatives. Her work in paint and clay is inspired by the dynamic journeys of those who she meets, the grand power of nature, and my inquisitive nature to experiment with materiality. As she ventures forward, she hopes to scale her art to include the lives of those in her community.

www.svonastudio.com

IG: svonastudio

The goal of the action research process is to encourage teaching artists to consider how they might assess the impact of their work in classrooms through RAISE. Teaching Artist as Researcher presents us with methods and thought processes of creating a more holistic breakdown of how students might be engaged, feel understood, valued and build social awareness in and out of the classrooms. Together with Born Shamir, Melli Hoppe and Jessica Mueller we'll dive into what this might look like in their practice, how they hope to see it change, and how their work with students evolves their work as artists.

***

Teaching Artists Bios:

Melli Hoppe is a Nationally Credentialed Teaching Artist with Young Audiences Arts for Learning and a certified Wolf Trap Teaching Artist. She has a B.A. in Dance from Columbia College in Chicago, MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College in Vermont, received a Teaching Artist Certificate from Teachers College at Columbia University and has completed over 100 hours of training in student-empowering, healing-centered, and culturally responsive practices from RAISE through Young Audiences. Melli taught site-specific theater and stage movement at Butler University and taught dance at Indiana University, and in various high schools in Indianapolis. She was the Artistic Director of Susurrus, an Indianapolis based not-for-profit performance group, for twenty years, and has choreographed for dance and theater productions internationally.

###

Born Shamir Walters is a multidisciplinary teaching artist residing in Pittsburgh, PA. Found working independently in his own neighborhood-based company, Fundamental C.A.M.P. and/or collaborating in integration of arts with STEAM and literary education with Arts Ed Collaborative via RAISE (Responsive Arts In School Education program),Assemble, Waldorf Schools and Arsenal K-8 school, to name a few. His aesthetic is informed by classical Hip-Hop culture, Bauhaus and Pop Art. In his practice his focus has been on using the 4 pillars of Hip-Hop culture to translate Social Emotional Learning to youth and adults. His inspiration has been from the Afro-futurism movement and its writers. Blending imagery from indigenous people of planet Earth with sci-fi themes, which is his way to celebrate the past, present, and future technological and cultural advancements of marginalized people of the world. “Our art supplies brighten up environments, not only from hues and tints, but from the smiles our neighbors share in the streets which they Live & Love."

IG: FundamentalCamp

www.fundamental123.com

###

Jessica Mueller is an interdisciplinary artist and educator from Chicago, Illinois. Her work provides visibility for experiences of motherhood that are less than glamorous, shows the absurdity and value in the domestic mundane within actions of care and service. Jessica investigates intersectionality as she experiences it while tending to her bi-cultural/dual-language/single-parent household. Since 2004 Jessica has been a teaching artist with Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and is a member of the Chicago ACT Collective and MotherArt: Revisited. Her work is exhibited as part of the permanent collections at the School of the Art Institute’s Flaxman Library, Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection, Columbia College’s Center for Book and Paper Arts, and the Library of Congress. Recently, she was an artist in residence at WORKROOM and PO Box Collective in Chicago, Nido II; Living in the Play, Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy and Poor Farm Little Wolf, WI.

IG: jessicamuellerart

[email protected]

Social Justice as a practice can be defined as the empowerment and mobilization of historically marginalized groups through community support and refinement of critical thinking skills. Creative Expression as a Social Practice could then be seen as tapping into creativity as a powerful tool in sparking conversations, raising awareness, and inspiring communities to move toward social change. Together with Ilasiea Gray, Miguel Grijalva and Wojo Womack, we'll dive into what this looks like in their Teaching Arts practice with students, how they hope to see their social practice changing, and how their work with students evolves their work as artists.

***

Teaching Artists Bios:

Ilasiea Gray is a multi-hyphenate social practice artist (actress, educator, writer, director, creator). As an actress, she does a variety of work ranging from stage to screen. She made history in Colorado playing the title role of Sleeping Beauty (Denver Children’s Theatre) and performs in the video game Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, releasing October 2024. As an educator, she runs her own acting programming for kids and teaches in a variety of capacities nationwide for theatres, arts organizations, and schools. She is a True West Award recipient for her impactful work in the arts and arts education, has been featured in publications & panels discussing the intersection of arts, activism, and youth advocacy, and speaks at conferences around the country(including South by Southwest (SXSW) Education Conference), about her internationally published essay on inequity in the arts for kids of color. Ilasiea has an MFA in Social & Environmental Arts Practice, from an inaugural program created/led by Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors.

Social Media:

www.ilasiea.com

Instagram: @laegray

Ilasiea L Gray (Facebook)

###

Miguel Grijalva is a freelance artist going on 25 years. Miguel holds an associates degree in Illustration and Graphic Design, and a bachelor's degree in Advertising Art and Design. He teaches art, ceramics, and sculpting at Rio Rico High School in Rio Rico Arizona. At the high school he has an art club and throughout the school year and summers, they paint murals in and out of the high school.

###

Wojo Womack is an entrepreneur who owns three businesses, but his heart and purpose lie in community support and development. Though he has loved being a sports trainer and coach for the past 20 years, it's his work teaching film and media production to underserved communities for the past 17 years that fulfills his mission of helping people become self actualized. As a Columbia University certified Master Teaching Artist Wojo has been fortunate enough to create curricula for dozens of programs spending a full year in over 40 schools. With such an immense amount of classroom experience in mostly struggling schools Wojo has gained a very unique perspective. This is how he was able to create the Dot Product Approach. A holistic teaching strategy whose philosophy is based in practicality and efficacy.

Media Arts combines multiple forms of communication such as audio, video, photography, digital arts and other interactive mediums. It plays off of creative elements like space, time, color, and sound to express perspectives, feelings, and ideas. Because of its dynamic quality to tune into the senses, it innately holds the power to create meaningful connections. Together with Nate Barnes, Marcus Allen and Gwylym Cano we'll dive into what this looks like in their Teaching Arts practice, how they see the Media Arts changing, and how their work with students evolves their work as artists.

***

Teaching Artist Bios:

Marcus Allen and Nate Barnes, known collectively as Universal Sounds, are teaching artists with Arts for Learning Connecticut. Together, they specialize in transforming classrooms into virtual recording studios, aiming to provide students with hands-on experience in music production. Marcus and Nate integrate diverse forms of Social Emotional Learning and Culturally Relevant practices into their teaching approach. Additionally, they are Certified Kingian Nonviolence Teaching Artists, dedicated to imparting the principles of conflict resolution and peace inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., certified through the CT Center for Nonviolence

###

Gwylym Cano has been a teaching artist, visiting schools and prisons across Colorado for thirty years. For 12 years Cano was a classroom teacher, teaching both film art and Humanities classes for upper-level high school students. He loves exploring layers of intersectionality and has a special teaching passion for the Chicanx movement of the Southwest, then and now, otherwise known as Aztlán. His video works (and poetry) have been exhibited at film festivals, art galleries, anthologies and zines the past 30 years. Cano also produces documentaries and videos for nonprofits and artists with video boutique Fool Moon Productions. Cano is a graduate of Yale University And notably beat Lewis Lapham at pool (one exceptional evening in the past.)

At the heart of culturally responsive teaching is the intention of finding commonality and connection of our human experiences. We can achieve this by committing to staying curious about differences in the classroom, becoming comfortable with our discomfort about what we don't know, reaching clarity in understanding our diversity, and having confidence in working together to empower one another. Together with Alison Zapata, Chris EspinosaXYZ and Danny Russo we'll dive into what this all looks like in your Teaching Arts practice with students, how you hope to see your cultural responsiveness changing, and how your work with students evolves your work as artists.

***

Teaching Artist Bios:

Chris EspinosaXYZ is a Young Audiences Credentialed Teaching Artist and a Certified Arts IntegratedTeaching Artist with Mississippi Whole Schools. Chris integrates Theater Arts (melodrama and improvcomedy) into Language Arts (narrative and expository). Though his residencies are full of melodramaticsilliness, Chris is serious about providing authentic art experiences that motivate students to discovertheir voice as a writer on the page and as a performer on the stage. He has completed three trainingcourses of the Responsive Arts in School Education (RAISE) program: SEL Foundations, CulturallyResponsive Teaching Through the Arts, and Trauma-Informed Teaching.Chris has also written twochildren’s books, as well as a few scripts that have been performed on stages around the Dallas-Ft.Worth area.

Website: Chrisespinosa.xyz

###

Alison Zapata is a visual artist & arts educator with over 25 years of experience in the classroom. She specializes in vibrant, colorful murals, & mixed-media collage. Her work is display throughout Pittsburgh & beyond. She is a member of the #notwhiteCollective,an artist’s collective of thirteen women with focus on social justice as we relate, connect, & belong to the Global Majority. Alison has been featured on videos for Disney/Pixar, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, & the Arts Education Collaborative. She has earned a BA in Fine Art/Art Education at Carlow University, as well as training through the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Penn State, Lincoln Center’s Aesthetic Education, & Wolf Trap Institute. She is the artist-in-residence for the Artists-in-Communities program through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts & Media for SOY: Supporting Our Youth after school program with the Latino Community Center for over 6 years. She was awarded an artist residency to study Folk Art in the summer of2022 in Oaxaca, Mexico, as well as participation in the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Art and Society: Brazil/U.S. Educational Partnership.

Social Media:

www.zapatastudios.com

https://www.instagram.com/alisonzapataartist/

https://linktr.ee/Alisonzapataartist

###

Danny Russo is a visual artist and native Houstonian. He holds a BFA degree from the University of Houston, 1978. He's been a teaching artist for 20+ years. He sees life unfolding and improving with each generation. He looks to the past and the present to determine best practices for our collective way forward. Love is the cure!

Social Emotional Learning can be rooted in student empowerment, emotional awareness, and empathy-building principles.These approaches support the development of helpful changes in students and mindset shifts through art to help them achieve their goals and build nurturing relationships with themselves and their peers. Together with Jennifer Puig and Dana Leon we'll dive into what this looks like in your Teaching Arts practice, how they see SEL changing, and how their work with students evolves your work as an artist.

***

Teaching Artist Bios:

Jennifer Puig, is an inclusive dance, yoga, and creative movement facilitator and teaching artist. She is certified in Dance Movement Therapy, Wolf Trap Education, Movement Yoga for Children, and R.A.I.S.E.techniques. Her Dominican heritage fuels her passion for dance as a unifying and expressive art. Jennifer earned an Associate in Arts from Miami Dade College, studied Dance at the University of South Florida and trained in Modern Dance and Afro-Caribbean rhythms at Florida International University. She completed a master's degree in Dance Movement Therapy at Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, specializing in the mind-body-spirit connection. Throughout her career, Jennifer has contributed to community and educational programs with organizations like Miami City Ballet and the Adrienne Arsht Center. She has trained over 600 teachers, counselors, and artists in inclusive practices and Universal Design for Learning. Internationally, Jennifer taught English through dance in Nicaragua and became the Latin American director of Ascential Language Arts School. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched a YouTube channel, Universal Movement Education, offering free dance and movement resources .Jennifer also works as a stage manager and assistant for various arts events. She believes in the transformative power of dance and movement for learning, social integration, emotional well-being, and self-regulation.

IG: @jenniferpuig

YouTube channel: Universal Movement Education https://youtube.com/@universalmovementeducation5045?si=xb0P9CSg3sV5excI

###

Dana Leon is a dancer, visual artist, and costumes designer. Her creative focus is in AfroCaribbean, Afro Brazilian and New Orleans cultures. She's also performed and created costumes with several artistic companies. Dana has taught cultural dance and visual art to Pre-K students allthe way through high school for the past 16 years. Her passion is introducing her students to other cultures, and allowing them to create a personal connection through dance, music, language and visual art. Dana has worked with Young Audiences since 2004, and has trained extensively through their Wolf Trap and Baby Arts Play programs.

In our Young Audience professional learning spaces, our vibrant Teaching Artists have cultivated rich conversations around their practice, collaborations, intentions & techniques. In our six-episode format, Artists Teaching Artists: A Conversation Series, we invite our listeners to pause and regather with our YA TAs in dialogue, sinking deeper into their artistry, driving philosophies and RAISE learning reflections. Together we’ll touch on timely topics in arts education and unearthed nuggets of wisdom that have surfaced from our knowledge-sharing time across our network.

Sound Design Credits:

Audio Library - Free Sound Effects

n Beats

Free Sound EFX Live