WINTER 2012 CIVIC ARTS EDUCATION INSTRUCTORSCorinne Abbott, MFA, SF Art Institute; taught ceramics at ceramic institute in Faenza, Italy and Malta; currently teaching at SFAI.
Graciela Acedo, began dance training at Academia Interamericana de Ballet in Venezuela; has danced with Ballet Teresa Carreno and Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas as well as Oakland Ballet; teaching experience includes Oakland Ballet, Shawl Anderson, Ballet San Jose and Marin Ballet among others; currently teaches at U. of San Francisco, Berkeley Ballet, and Ayako Ballet.
Noelle Arms, BA, Theatre, Chapman University; attended Eugene O’Neill National Theater Institute; currently directing Kids and Mini Kids Theatre at CAE as well as Artistic Director for Poison Apple Productions and Stage One Summer Program in Point Richmond; published playwright as well as actor and director.
Gary Bergren, studied at CCAC and locally with David Hardy, Charles White and Van Waldren. Exhibited Sabine’s Crossroads Gallery, Jackson Hole, and currently with Simic-New Renaissance Galleries, Carmel; recently awarded 2nd place in Figurative Painting for portrait painting “Frontiersman/circa 1870”.
Michael Berkley, formerly instructor and resident artist at Univ. of Oregon and Multnomah Art Center, Portland, with expertise in functional ceramics.
Ed Blackburn, MFA, San Francisco Art Inst., recently taught at Santa Clara Univ. with national exhibition record including permanent collection at Oakland Museum and SFMOMA.
Tesia Blackburn, MA, JFK Univ.; Bay Area artist for over 15 years; Golden Working Artist for Golden Acrylic Colors since 2000, currently represented by SF MOMA Gallery.
Mona Clee, studied jewelry making at Revere Academy, Mendocino Art Center and the Crucible; work featured in Oakland Musuem, and Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino Gems and Partners galleries; article on etching red brass, copper and nickel published in November 2006 issue of Art Jewelry magazine.
Laurie Close, BFA, San Jose State Univ, studied drawing, painting & printmaking; BFA Pratt Institute in New York City; Bay Area painter who has exhibited her paintings in New York and the Bay Area.
Peter Coussoulis, Ceramics Studio Mgr. and kilnmaster with expertise in sodium vapor firing. National studio potter network advisor; international exhibitions/collections.
Tom Crews, senior instructor and camera salesman with Reed’s Cameras for over 20 years; frequently judges photo contests at various camera clubs in Bay Area and has made presentations to schools and civic organizations.
Rebecca Crowell-Berke, has operated ballet schools in Marin County and Danville/Alamo area; trained with Gordon Paxman and Bene Arnold, Salt Lake City and has staged such ballets as ‘Peter and the Wolf’, ‘Raymonda’ and ‘La Bayadere’.
Jeanne Disney, BA, Dance, Univ. of Washington, Seattle; has taught ballet and jazz since 1993; currently teaches at Ygnacio Valley H.S.; has choreographed for Telluride AIDS Benefit, Works-in-the-Works, Berkeley and Mountain Dance in Aspen.
Rem Djemilev, BA/MA, Moscow Conservatory, performed in Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra; currently violist and violinist with Arlekin String Quartet, California Symphony and San Francisco Chamber Orchestra; teaches at Crowden School and CCMC, Black Pine Circle School in Berkeley; conducts Young People’s Chamber Orchestra, Berkeley as well as Young Performers Orchestra and Diablo Regional Youth Orchestra, Walnut Creek.
Maria Dudley, BA, English, UC Berkeley and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Cal State University, Hayward; writing enrichment teacher and tutor in Walnut Creek for past 16 years; active in annual San Francisco Writers Conference and currently participating in local writing group called “Writing Mamas”.
David Duenas, M. M., SF Conservatory of Music; founder of several ensembles including the San Francisco Guitar Quartet; on music faculty of Santa Clara University.
Mark Eanes, MFA, Mills College; numerous solo exhibitions including 2004 Master Studies, Parsons School of Design, Paris, France; works in many selected exhibitions as well.
Karen Ehrhardt, BA, CSU. Hayward; professional jeweler for over 20 years. Work in Oakland Museum Collection; instructor at Studio One.
Connie English, Bay Area mosaic artist working with many mosaic mediums, specializing in tempered glass, natural and recycled materials; Certified Interior Redesigner and member of Society of American Mosaic Artists, work sold at local garden and furniture shops.
Stephen Evans, BA, Music (Cello) from Univ. of Texas at Austin and Masters from Univ. of London; has taught cello and piano for 17 years; currently active member of several local symphonies and chamber groups.
Kathy Faut, preschool teacher for over 15 years throughout the Bay Area; worked as play leader and music teacher at Gymboree.
Kolby Fehlberg-Burns, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Printmaking emphasis, Montana State Univ.; work has appeared in juried exhibitions and is in private collections throughout the West; has been beading for the 30+ years.
Sandra Foster, Yoga Ed., CA. Inst. Asian Studies, Inst. for Yoga Teachers. Teaches Iyengar method in Bay Area.
Emily Garcia, BA, UCLA, School of Theater, Film and Television; award-winning performer who has worked with various companies in NY, LA and San Francisco; member of Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble and has been involved in dance for over 25 years including jazz, tap, ballet, modern and musical theater.
Tricia Goldberg, studied tapestry weaving and design at the San Francisco workshop; work included in public and private collections and in publications including Fiberart Design Books 3, 4 and 7 as well as both editions of Carol Russell’s ‘The Tapestry Handbook’; helped found Tapestry Weavers West and serves on the board of American Tapestry Alliance.
J. M. Golding, fine art photographer with a special interest in traditional analog methods, particularly toy camera and pinhole photography; work has been exhibited in juried shows internationally.
Lou Grantham, BFA Textiles, SF State; over 40 years experience in weaving, spinning, natural dyeing, and textile design; originator and owner of San Francisco Fiber Company; co-sponsor of the Oakland Fiber Festival.
Tim Hancock, BFA, Academy of Art College, San Francisco; currently teaches The Art of Drawing and Cartooning at the Art Room in Lafayette, as well as at various after-school art programs at local elementary schools; freelance illustrator and painter.
Greg Hazard, attended Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara; Certified Photographic Consultant, member of N. Calif. Professional Photographers and member of Wedding and Portrait Photographers International.
Ana Lisa Hedstrom, innovator in Shibori resist dyeing for over 30 years; has exhibited internationally and has work in the De young Museum, The Oakland Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Musuem in NY and the Museum of Art and Design in NY; her work may be seen in recent publications: SILK by Mary Schoeser, CRAFT IN AMERICA by Jo Delorio, and ART QUILTS by Kate Lenkowsky.
Bill Helsel, professional photographer since 1976 specializing in architectural and travel photography; represented by a major stock photo agency.
Ann Henderson, English, MA Curriculum and instruction, Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Studies in Education, with more than 40 years teaching young people, including 15 years teaching pottery for teenagers.
Lesley Jensen, BFA, Ceramics, Colo. St. Exhibiting potter and teacher since 1979. Presently teaches ceramics at College Park H.S.
Laura Jensen Norberg, MM, Colorado State University; board certified music therapist (MT-BC); advanced training in Neurologic Music Therapy; Fellow from the Robert F. Unkefer Academy at the Center for Biomedical Research in Music; founder of Bayside Music Therapy Services, which provides quality Neurologic Music Therapy for individuals and groups with physical, cognitive, communication and social needs.
Chris Kanyusik, BFA, Ceramics, The University of Montana, Post-Baccalaureate, Sculpture, Brandeis Univ, MFA, Ceramic Sculpture, Rochester Inst. Of Technology; figurative ceramic sculpture exhibited nationally.
Bruno Kark, full-time studio potter from Earthworks Pottery, Berkeley; apprenticed with Isezaki Jun, Bizen, Japan.
Karen Nelson Kelly, BFA Studio Arts, Cal State Univ., Hayward; Fine Art instructor with Cities of Antioch and Pittsburg for past 3 years; private instruction at home studio, exhibited work in shows locally and regionally.
Erin Leedom, received training at American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet as well as San Francisco Ballet; featured in Dance Magazine and has performed in Europe and throughout the US; Artistic Director for Calif. Academy of Ballet Company and School since 2002.
Weizhen Liang, BA, Chinese Literature, Ji Nan University in China; also completed advanced painting study program at Guangzhou Academy of fine Art, China; represented by numerous galleries and paintings exhibited throughout the US.; invited artist of the Northwest Rendezvous Group in Montana, 2003/04.
Celeste Lococo; dance teacher for many years with experience in performing and choreography; has performed on stages from the Alameda County Fair to the Riviera in Las Vegas; her choreography has been seen at half-time shows at 49er games.
Jody Mattison, MFA, Academy of Art College; award-winner in Pro-Arts juried show “New Visions: Introductions ‘01”; instructor of Figure Drawing, Sketching and Color Theory at Academy of Art College; published in International Artist magazine July 2002, private commissions in local collections, numerous juried shows in Bay Area.
Melissa McCumiskey, BFA, Academy of Art; exhibits in local shows and galleries for over 20 years; taught stained glass, blown glass, fused glass and torch work (bead making) at Hot Box Stained Glass.
Amanda McGovern, has danced and toured with various companies including Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Lisbon Dance Company in Portugal and Oakland Ballet; currently teaches at Corner Studio in SF, pursuing BA in Performance, St. Mary’s College.
Lynne Meade, BA, Visual Arts with concentration in Ceramics, Wesleyan Univ., Connecticut; work shown in numerous exhibitions, specializing in carved porcelain; published in several national and international publications.
Shirley Rencher Miller, graduated Chicago Academy of Fine Arts; studied Japanese brushpainting extensively with Prof. Chiura Obata, UC Berk.; has taught brushpainting since 1969.
Linda Mortarotti-Padilla, BA, Music, BM, Performance, Univ. of Washington; professional music educator with extensive experience in teaching and performing; performs with various chamber ensembles.
Tomoko Murakami, MFA, Printmaking, San Francisco Art Institute; MA, Transformative Arts, John F. Kennedy Univ; recipient of the 1992 Kala Art Institute Fellowship and 2008 Susan Boulet Award; work has been presented by Gloria Delson Fine Arts in Los Angeles, Gallery on the Rim in San Francisco, Tomura Gallery in Tokyo, Richmond Art Center, and Sebastopol Center for the Arts; currently teaches at CCA, and NIAD Art Center.
Rana Nassar, preschool and youth arts instructor for Civic Arts; currently working on completing additional units in early childhood education at DVC.
James Newton, graduated from UC Santa Barbara, performing arts; currently teaching at ASU of Calif. on UC Berkeley campus; works sold in stores and galleries in Bay Area and through home studio.
Jen O’Neill, BA, Dance, St. Mary’s College; has taught dance in LA and Bay Area for past 12 years and has danced with choreographers and companies including Dana Lawton Dances, Davalos Dance Co. and Hart Pulse Dance Co.; has taught at St. Mary’s College and various studios, elementary and high schools in the East Bay.
Rachel Pergamit , Bay Area actor, director and producer for nearly 30 years; currently production coordinator for Civic Arts Education, producing more than 20 events a year; helped to create Youth Theatre Company and directs After School Drama Club for local elementary school students; two-time Shellie Award winner.
Max Pricco, BA, Music, San Francisco State Univ; Medaille d’Argent from the Conservatoire National de Versailles, France; studied at UC Davis and the Sorbonne in Paris; studied with world renowned jazz artists, Joe Henderson, Jacques Desloges and Jean-Claude Diot; studied with James Matheson and Donald Carroll, members of the San Francisco Symphony and Opera; performed with Mel Torme, Neil Sedaka, Toni Tenille, Jack Jones and Shirley Jones.A. J. Remedios, instructor/music appreciation; performed with Sydney Philharmonica Choir, Lamplighters and as soloist, St. Mary’s College chapel; performed as tenor soloist, Trinity United Methodist Church, Berkeley.
Sally Rodriguez, BA Women’s Studies, Univ. of California Santa Cruz; has taught locally in public school art programs for past 4 years and currently involved as member of Martinez Arts Association.
Pamela Rousseau, studied ballet and Russian character dance in the San Francisco Bay Area; performed with Khadra International Folk Ballet, Neva Russian Dance Ensemble, and with singer Nikolai Massenkoff; ACE Certified Trainer and also holds certifications in Pilates and Pre/Post Natal Fitness.
Penny Ruhter, MBA/PA; fused glass instructor, jewelry designer and exhibitor in local galleries; buyer/teacher for Broadway Bead and owner of Hot Box Glass Studio for several years.
Ellen Sachtschale, BFA, N. Illinois Univ.; formerly taught at Artscenter and Arthaus in N. Carolina; private studio, Stone Garden, in Clayton featuring abstract organic vessels and wall reliefs.
Cynthia Schultz, BS, Music Education/Music Therapy, Univ. of Minnesota; actively teaching music for 20 years as well as piano lessons, harp lessons and is licensed Preschool Music Instructor through Musikgarten; has professionally performed engagements with her harp for 20 years.
M.J. Schuppert Wilson, BA in Art and MA Ethnic Art in Anthropology, Cal State Hayward; State of CA Standard Teaching Credential, Adult; CA Community Colleges Instructor Credential for Fine and Applied Arts and Related Technologies, Anthropology; has taught sculpture, papier-mâché, multi-cultural textile art, collage, wood and linoleum block printing.
Sue Scott, BFA in Painting & Drawing, College of Arts and Crafts; assistant teacher for Civic Arts Fine Arts Preschool; youth arts instructor and currently teaches at the Art Room.
Reba Siero, interests include knitting, crochet, embroidery, spinning, hand-dyeing of both fabric and yarn, sewing, quilting, weaving and most recently, machine knitting. She brings her math and science background into play as she learns new techniques and finds creative ways to share her love of her various crafts with others.
Edward Stegge, danced with Colorado Ballet for ten seasons; guest artist with Minnesota Dance Theater and performed extensively throughout Japan; joined Diablo Ballet in 2002 and has performed the title role in Julia Adam’s ‘The Little Prince,” and KT Nelson’s “Walk before Talk” among others.
Patricia Strout, has taught watercolor, acrylics and multimedia to adults for over 15 years; Vice-President of Concord Art Association and won Teacher of the Year Award for excellence in teaching, 2008.
Mayo Sugano, began ballet training at Aoyama Ballet School in Tokyo and in 1997 won scholarship prize in 25th Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland; awarded full scholarship with San Francisco Ballet School and joined American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in 1998; currently dances with Diablo Ballet and has been featured in ballets by George Balanchine and KT Nelson.
Toru Sugita, MFA in printmaking, San Francisco State Univ; a printmaker and painter originally from Japan; artwork showing throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and Latin America, including the Achenbach Foundation of Graphic Arts in the Fine Art Museum of San Francisco; currently teaches at Diablo Valley College.
Julie Tadena, lead teacher in Fine Arts Preschool toddler program for last five years; 12 years experience in early education with work in both art and special education programs; attended Los Medanos college with a background in drawing and painting.
Lisa Taft, MA and PhD., art history, Ohio St.; children’s art instructor since 1984 and published ceramic tile historian.
Patsy Taylor, MFA Painting, Academy of Art University; landscape painter who has worked with children of all school ages for 15 years and coached Odyssey of the Mind.
John Waller, Bay Area percussionist; has played with sitar master Habib Khan, flamenco group Maya & Michaud, Jazz Inc. and others in jazz, alternative rock and world music.
Hope Weiner, Bay Area artist, obtained Level One Certification from PMC Connection; teaches workshops at SF City College and work on exhibit at 2006 PMC Conference.
Casey Rasmussen White, CSU, Chico, split emphasis of Drawing/Painting, Honors in English; Certified Picture Framer, Picture Framing Academy, South San Francisco; has been teaching for fourteen years, specializing in fruit and flowers.
Mira M. White, MFA with Distinction, California College of Art; award winning painter with an exhibition record both domestic and international; received Grand Prize at prestigious Rocky Mountain National Aquamedia Exhibition, 2001, was presented in Watercolor Magic, 2002 and 3rd place winter in national Pastel Journal competition, 2006.
Monica Williams, bachelor’s degree, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY; has performed in symphonies in Bay Area, Rochester, Cincinnati and Chicago; currently works with contemporary ensembles Copus and Phoenix Rising.
Leslie Wilson, BA, Uof MD, Secondary Art Education; award winning watercolor painter, Signature Member of Cal. Watercolor Assoc. And member of Gallery Concord, East Bay Fine Artists; has participated in juried exhibits and competitions including Scene on the Strait, Napa Valley Art Festival and published in “Splash 10” by North Light Books.
Beth Witrogen, Bay Area photographer for more than two decades; has exhibited photographs of birds and the cycles of nature in SF Bay Area galleries; published in magazines, calendars and newspapers.
Roger Yee, MFA Ceramics, San Jose State Univ., has been a ceramic artist for over 15 years and currently ceramic studio technician at Civic Arts Education.
Noemi Zeigler, MFA, Director’s Program, Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies, American Film Institute, Los Angeles, currently teaches at Academy of Art University and Laney College; award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker and multimedia performance artist.
