Arts Corps' faculty of teaching artists brings an exceptionally rare breadth and depth of experience as working artists and as educators. We value our teaching artists in their indispensable role as facilitators of a creative journey for young people, and honor them as artists whom we hire in the diverse art forms listed below. Read more about them by clicking on their names.
Growing up in Austin, Texas, Shannon gained early exposure to many artistic mediums through her participation in an experimental arts education program in elementary school. She attributes her... more
Jeromeskee started break dancing in 1996 and has been performing in b-boy events and competitions ever since. Jerome is a member of several competitive, successful b-boy dance groups: World champion... more
Roberto connects with students via universal narratives that span through a wide range of subjects: first kisses, defying racism, love for family and … cans of Spam. He teaches that poetry must be... more
Lauren Atkinson is a visual and mixed media fiber artist who shows her work throughout the Northwest and nationally. She has 15 years of experience working as a teaching artist and has taught with... more
Mark has been a performing musician for over 20 years, starting with piano lessons when he was a wee lad. Throughout the years, Mark has played in a number of bands, most recently as the keyboard... more
Since age five, Colleen Carey has appeared in numerous television commercials, radio spots and stage productions. She’s studied both classical and contemporary theatre at Los Angeles County High... more
David Crellin is co-founder, ringmaster and lead singer of Circus Contraption, a one-ring, traveling circus. He works with a number of groups throughout the world as a performer and/or director.... more
Vicky Edmonds is a passionate Seattle writer and poetry teacher. She’s taught around the country and abroad for 20 years in K-12th grade, as well as at universities, arts organizations, youth... more
Monad has been a professional artist for more than 30 years. He started teaching art to all age populations in Chicago. For the past 20-some years, he has taught in institutions all over Washington... more
Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, performer, host and writing teacher.
Karen has been active in the Poetry Slam movement since 1999 when she competed as a member of the Washington, D.C. Slam Team at the... more
Amber Flame is a word artist whose source of inspiration is rooted in the blues. Whether exploring rhythmic and harmonic structures as a framework for spoken word or blending voice in song, she tests... more
In the 1960s, Bob was “one of those kids” that participated in sit-ins at lunch counters. By then, he was already a respected trumpet player receiving all state honors in music. Joining the U.S.... more
Matt Gano is a nationally known poet, writer, and performance artist residing in Seattle, Wash. He was a member of the National Poetry Slam team for Seattle in 2004 and 2005, and remains one of the... more
Geoff Garza is a visual artist who has exhibited regionally and nationally for 20 years. As an actor, he's had the opportunity to work with luminaries like Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise, among others.... more
Anne Grgich is one of the most original and innovative artists in the group of American artists known as Outsiders. Completely self-taught, as detailed in the cover story of Raw Vision Magazine... more
Nate Herth is a multi-disciplined visual artist who creates playful, analytical environments in both the classroom and the art studio.
He has lead classes in drawing, painting, printmaking,... more
Nick Hubbard makes theater with shadows. His living space is over-run by puppets. He has taught theatre and dramatic arts with the University of California’s ArtsBridge program, Morry's Camp in New... more
Dwayne Jackson is a Seattle native, self-taught dancer and choreographer. He swears he learned to dance watching Janet and Michael Jackson videos. At Mercer Middle School, he was the only boy in the... more
Piece has graced the stage with some of the forefathers and mothers of spoken word: Gill Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Saul Williams and Gwendolyn Brooks. As far as hip hop goes, she’s wrecked shop... more
Katinka Kraft is a Seattle based spoken word and multi-media performance artist. She approaches words with a fusion of song, voice, body and rhythm. Katinka graduated from Western Washington... more
Tina LaPadula is a performing artist. She oversees our faculty and collaborates with the community partnerships and deputy directors to manage all areas of programming at Arts Corps. Tina has taught... more
David Lasky was born in 1967 in Washington,D.C. He grew up in Northern Virginia and attended The College of William & Mary. He began drawing mini-comics in 1991, while living in the Bay Area. He... more
Darren Lay is artistic director of the nationally recognized Young Shakespeare Workshop. Since 1998, he has directed for the workshop’s “Love's Labour's Lost,” “As You Like It,”... more
Mark Lilly began his studies of the Afro-Cuban arts at Portland State University. The former college athlete was searching for a way to connect with his African ancestry, and Orisa dance provided the... more
Fides "Anna" Mabanta is a proud member of the b-boy/b-girl crew Massive Monkees. Breaking is her passion. For over nine years, she has competed, performed and taught breaking throughout the United... more
Brent McDonald was born in Missouri in 1966 and relocated to Washington state in 1972. In the late-‘80s, Brent attended drawing classes at the School of Visual Concepts. He began experimenting with... more
Eduardo Mendonça, multitalented Brazilian recording artist, producer, percussionist, guitarist, vocalist and composer, is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Mendonça traces his lineage to a royal... more
Erica Merritt began singing and performing at 5. In middle school, she was featured in a band called “Starlighters,” which consisted of three student vocalists and a few members of the faculty.... more
A painter with passion for positive living, Yegizaw was born and educated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fleeing the country’s worsening governance in 1990 to continue his artistic education in Kenya,... more
Amos Miller began playing piano by ear at age 5. He progressed quickly and began writing music at the tender age of 12. By the time he was a freshman in high school, he was recording his music. Amos... more
Darwin is an accomplished visual artist whose work includes drawings, paintings and sculpture that reflect his fascination with nature.
Darwin’s 25-year career as a teaching artist is centered... more
Tomas Oliva was born in Havana, Cuba in 1958. He studied at San Alejandro Academy, perfected his training at the Instituto Superior de Arte, and traveled to Ukraine to pursue his masters in fine arts... more
Dora’s career as a professional dancer began in 1976 when she joined renowned Brazilian folkloric dance troupe, Exaltacao A Bahia. Ms. Oliveira has a repertoire that ranges from Afro-Brazilian... more
Water for roots. Love of reggae. Fire for rock. This is not only the essence of Seattle reggae band, Kore Ionz, but the philosophy behind band front man and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Damian Pak. ... more
Vesna Pavlovic is a Serbian-born artist based in the United States. In 2007, she obtained a masters in fine arts in visual arts from Columbia University. She has exhibited widely, with solo shows at... more
Lucien Pellegrin was one of Arts Corps’ first students back in the fall of 2000. Since then, he has come back to volunteer, intern and now, with much honor, he is employed by them as a professional... more
Kelly Requa studied film at the University of Washington. In 2001, Kelly’s 24-minute short film (as writer/director) “Last Whiskey,” premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival.
The... more
Luc's work is driven by the fundamental belief that we all have endless capabilities as long as we do not limit or judge ourselves. After two years studying theater and cinema at the University of... more
Colleen Ross has been break dancing since 1999. With her crew (Fraggle Rock Crew), she has competed and performed locally, nationwide and internationally. Since 2002, she has been teaching break... more
Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jill Rothenberger moved to Seattle in 1998 to attend the University of Washington, graduating with degrees in visual art and comparative history of ideas. Her... more
Paul Rucker is an interdisciplinary artist. He's received numerous visual art and music grants from 4Culture, Seattle Mayor's Office, Artist Trust and South Carolina Arts Commission, among others.... more
Greg Stump has been teaching comics and cartooning to students of all ages for more than a decade. His comics and illustrations have appeared regularly in the Seattle paper, The Stranger, since 2000,... more
After graduating from the University of Washington with a bachelor of fine arts in painting, Lana moved to New York City to begin her career as an artist and a teacher. After five years of teaching... more
Joan Swearingen, a Northwest native and mixed media artist, earned her bachelor of fine arts in photography from the University of Washington. While living and studying in Rome, she learned a... more
Jeromeskee started break dancing in 1996 and has been performing in b-boy events and competitions ever since. Jerome is a member of several competitive, successful b-boy dance groups: World champion... more
Dwayne Jackson is a Seattle native, self-taught dancer and choreographer. He swears he learned to dance watching Janet and Michael Jackson videos. At Mercer Middle School, he was the only boy in the... more
Mark Lilly began his studies of the Afro-Cuban arts at Portland State University. The former college athlete was searching for a way to connect with his African ancestry, and Orisa dance provided the... more
Fides "Anna" Mabanta is a proud member of the b-boy/b-girl crew Massive Monkees. Breaking is her passion. For over nine years, she has competed, performed and taught breaking throughout the United... more
Dora’s career as a professional dancer began in 1976 when she joined renowned Brazilian folkloric dance troupe, Exaltacao A Bahia. Ms. Oliveira has a repertoire that ranges from Afro-Brazilian... more
Colleen Ross has been break dancing since 1999. With her crew (Fraggle Rock Crew), she has competed and performed locally, nationwide and internationally. Since 2002, she has been teaching break... more
Vesna Pavlovic is a Serbian-born artist based in the United States. In 2007, she obtained a masters in fine arts in visual arts from Columbia University. She has exhibited widely, with solo shows at... more
Kelly Requa studied film at the University of Washington. In 2001, Kelly’s 24-minute short film (as writer/director) “Last Whiskey,” premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival.
The... more
Joan Swearingen, a Northwest native and mixed media artist, earned her bachelor of fine arts in photography from the University of Washington. While living and studying in Rome, she learned a... more
Mark has been a performing musician for over 20 years, starting with piano lessons when he was a wee lad. Throughout the years, Mark has played in a number of bands, most recently as the keyboard... more
Amber Flame is a word artist whose source of inspiration is rooted in the blues. Whether exploring rhythmic and harmonic structures as a framework for spoken word or blending voice in song, she tests... more
In the 1960s, Bob was “one of those kids” that participated in sit-ins at lunch counters. By then, he was already a respected trumpet player receiving all state honors in music. Joining the U.S.... more
Mark Lilly began his studies of the Afro-Cuban arts at Portland State University. The former college athlete was searching for a way to connect with his African ancestry, and Orisa dance provided the... more
Eduardo Mendonça, multitalented Brazilian recording artist, producer, percussionist, guitarist, vocalist and composer, is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Mendonça traces his lineage to a royal... more
Erica Merritt began singing and performing at 5. In middle school, she was featured in a band called “Starlighters,” which consisted of three student vocalists and a few members of the faculty.... more
Amos Miller began playing piano by ear at age 5. He progressed quickly and began writing music at the tender age of 12. By the time he was a freshman in high school, he was recording his music. Amos... more
Water for roots. Love of reggae. Fire for rock. This is not only the essence of Seattle reggae band, Kore Ionz, but the philosophy behind band front man and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Damian Pak. ... more
Luc's work is driven by the fundamental belief that we all have endless capabilities as long as we do not limit or judge ourselves. After two years studying theater and cinema at the University of... more
Paul Rucker is an interdisciplinary artist. He's received numerous visual art and music grants from 4Culture, Seattle Mayor's Office, Artist Trust and South Carolina Arts Commission, among others.... more
Roberto connects with students via universal narratives that span through a wide range of subjects: first kisses, defying racism, love for family and … cans of Spam. He teaches that poetry must be... more
Vicky Edmonds is a passionate Seattle writer and poetry teacher. She’s taught around the country and abroad for 20 years in K-12th grade, as well as at universities, arts organizations, youth... more
Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, performer, host and writing teacher.
Karen has been active in the Poetry Slam movement since 1999 when she competed as a member of the Washington, D.C. Slam Team at the... more
Amber Flame is a word artist whose source of inspiration is rooted in the blues. Whether exploring rhythmic and harmonic structures as a framework for spoken word or blending voice in song, she tests... more
Matt Gano is a nationally known poet, writer, and performance artist residing in Seattle, Wash. He was a member of the National Poetry Slam team for Seattle in 2004 and 2005, and remains one of the... more
Piece has graced the stage with some of the forefathers and mothers of spoken word: Gill Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Saul Williams and Gwendolyn Brooks. As far as hip hop goes, she’s wrecked shop... more
Katinka Kraft is a Seattle based spoken word and multi-media performance artist. She approaches words with a fusion of song, voice, body and rhythm. Katinka graduated from Western Washington... more
Since age five, Colleen Carey has appeared in numerous television commercials, radio spots and stage productions. She’s studied both classical and contemporary theatre at Los Angeles County High... more
David Crellin is co-founder, ringmaster and lead singer of Circus Contraption, a one-ring, traveling circus. He works with a number of groups throughout the world as a performer and/or director.... more
Nick Hubbard makes theater with shadows. His living space is over-run by puppets. He has taught theatre and dramatic arts with the University of California’s ArtsBridge program, Morry's Camp in New... more
Tina LaPadula is a performing artist. She oversees our faculty and collaborates with the community partnerships and deputy directors to manage all areas of programming at Arts Corps. Tina has taught... more
Darren Lay is artistic director of the nationally recognized Young Shakespeare Workshop. Since 1998, he has directed for the workshop’s “Love's Labour's Lost,” “As You Like It,”... more
Growing up in Austin, Texas, Shannon gained early exposure to many artistic mediums through her participation in an experimental arts education program in elementary school. She attributes her... more
Lauren Atkinson is a visual and mixed media fiber artist who shows her work throughout the Northwest and nationally. She has 15 years of experience working as a teaching artist and has taught with... more
Monad has been a professional artist for more than 30 years. He started teaching art to all age populations in Chicago. For the past 20-some years, he has taught in institutions all over Washington... more
Geoff Garza is a visual artist who has exhibited regionally and nationally for 20 years. As an actor, he's had the opportunity to work with luminaries like Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise, among others.... more
Anne Grgich is one of the most original and innovative artists in the group of American artists known as Outsiders. Completely self-taught, as detailed in the cover story of Raw Vision Magazine... more
Nate Herth is a multi-disciplined visual artist who creates playful, analytical environments in both the classroom and the art studio.
He has lead classes in drawing, painting, printmaking,... more
David Lasky was born in 1967 in Washington,D.C. He grew up in Northern Virginia and attended The College of William & Mary. He began drawing mini-comics in 1991, while living in the Bay Area. He... more
Brent McDonald was born in Missouri in 1966 and relocated to Washington state in 1972. In the late-‘80s, Brent attended drawing classes at the School of Visual Concepts. He began experimenting with... more
A painter with passion for positive living, Yegizaw was born and educated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fleeing the country’s worsening governance in 1990 to continue his artistic education in Kenya,... more
Darwin is an accomplished visual artist whose work includes drawings, paintings and sculpture that reflect his fascination with nature.
Darwin’s 25-year career as a teaching artist is centered... more
Tomas Oliva was born in Havana, Cuba in 1958. He studied at San Alejandro Academy, perfected his training at the Instituto Superior de Arte, and traveled to Ukraine to pursue his masters in fine arts... more
Lucien Pellegrin was one of Arts Corps’ first students back in the fall of 2000. Since then, he has come back to volunteer, intern and now, with much honor, he is employed by them as a professional... more
Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jill Rothenberger moved to Seattle in 1998 to attend the University of Washington, graduating with degrees in visual art and comparative history of ideas. Her... more
Greg Stump has been teaching comics and cartooning to students of all ages for more than a decade. His comics and illustrations have appeared regularly in the Seattle paper, The Stranger, since 2000,... more
After graduating from the University of Washington with a bachelor of fine arts in painting, Lana moved to New York City to begin her career as an artist and a teacher. After five years of teaching... more
Growing up in Austin, Texas, Shannon gained early exposure to many artistic mediums through her participation in an experimental arts education program in elementary school. She attributes her... 
Jeromeskee started break dancing in 1996 and has been performing in b-boy events and competitions ever since. Jerome is a member of several competitive, successful b-boy dance groups: World champion... 
Roberto connects with students via universal narratives that span through a wide range of subjects: first kisses, defying racism, love for family and … cans of Spam. He teaches that poetry must be... 
Lauren Atkinson is a visual and mixed media fiber artist who shows her work throughout the Northwest and nationally. She has 15 years of experience working as a teaching artist and has taught with... 
Mark has been a performing musician for over 20 years, starting with piano lessons when he was a wee lad. Throughout the years, Mark has played in a number of bands, most recently as the keyboard... 
Since age five, Colleen Carey has appeared in numerous television commercials, radio spots and stage productions. She’s studied both classical and contemporary theatre at Los Angeles County High... 
David Crellin is co-founder, ringmaster and lead singer of Circus Contraption, a one-ring, traveling circus. He works with a number of groups throughout the world as a performer and/or director.... 
Vicky Edmonds is a passionate Seattle writer and poetry teacher. She’s taught around the country and abroad for 20 years in K-12th grade, as well as at universities, arts organizations, youth... 
Monad has been a professional artist for more than 30 years. He started teaching art to all age populations in Chicago. For the past 20-some years, he has taught in institutions all over Washington... 
Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, performer, host and writing teacher.
Karen has been active in the Poetry Slam movement since 1999 when she competed as a member of the Washington, D.C. Slam Team at the... 
Amber Flame is a word artist whose source of inspiration is rooted in the blues. Whether exploring rhythmic and harmonic structures as a framework for spoken word or blending voice in song, she tests... 
In the 1960s, Bob was “one of those kids” that participated in sit-ins at lunch counters. By then, he was already a respected trumpet player receiving all state honors in music. Joining the U.S.... 
Matt Gano is a nationally known poet, writer, and performance artist residing in Seattle, Wash. He was a member of the National Poetry Slam team for Seattle in 2004 and 2005, and remains one of the... 
Geoff Garza is a visual artist who has exhibited regionally and nationally for 20 years. As an actor, he's had the opportunity to work with luminaries like Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise, among others.... 
Anne Grgich is one of the most original and innovative artists in the group of American artists known as Outsiders. Completely self-taught, as detailed in the cover story of Raw Vision Magazine... 
Nate Herth is a multi-disciplined visual artist who creates playful, analytical environments in both the classroom and the art studio.
He has lead classes in drawing, painting, printmaking,... 
Nick Hubbard makes theater with shadows. His living space is over-run by puppets. He has taught theatre and dramatic arts with the University of California’s ArtsBridge program, Morry's Camp in New... 
Dwayne Jackson is a Seattle native, self-taught dancer and choreographer. He swears he learned to dance watching Janet and Michael Jackson videos. At Mercer Middle School, he was the only boy in the... 
Piece has graced the stage with some of the forefathers and mothers of spoken word: Gill Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Saul Williams and Gwendolyn Brooks. As far as hip hop goes, she’s wrecked shop... 
Katinka Kraft is a Seattle based spoken word and multi-media performance artist. She approaches words with a fusion of song, voice, body and rhythm. Katinka graduated from Western Washington... 
Tina LaPadula is a performing artist. She oversees our faculty and collaborates with the community partnerships and deputy directors to manage all areas of programming at Arts Corps. Tina has taught... 
David Lasky was born in 1967 in Washington,D.C. He grew up in Northern Virginia and attended The College of William & Mary. He began drawing mini-comics in 1991, while living in the Bay Area. He... 
Darren Lay is artistic director of the nationally recognized Young Shakespeare Workshop. Since 1998, he has directed for the workshop’s “Love's Labour's Lost,” “As You Like It,”... 
Mark Lilly began his studies of the Afro-Cuban arts at Portland State University. The former college athlete was searching for a way to connect with his African ancestry, and Orisa dance provided the... 
Fides "Anna" Mabanta is a proud member of the b-boy/b-girl crew Massive Monkees. Breaking is her passion. For over nine years, she has competed, performed and taught breaking throughout the United... 
Brent McDonald was born in Missouri in 1966 and relocated to Washington state in 1972. In the late-‘80s, Brent attended drawing classes at the School of Visual Concepts. He began experimenting with... 
Eduardo Mendonça, multitalented Brazilian recording artist, producer, percussionist, guitarist, vocalist and composer, is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Mendonça traces his lineage to a royal... 
Erica Merritt began singing and performing at 5. In middle school, she was featured in a band called “Starlighters,” which consisted of three student vocalists and a few members of the faculty.... 
A painter with passion for positive living, Yegizaw was born and educated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fleeing the country’s worsening governance in 1990 to continue his artistic education in Kenya,... 
Amos Miller began playing piano by ear at age 5. He progressed quickly and began writing music at the tender age of 12. By the time he was a freshman in high school, he was recording his music. Amos... 
Darwin is an accomplished visual artist whose work includes drawings, paintings and sculpture that reflect his fascination with nature.
Darwin’s 25-year career as a teaching artist is centered... 
Tomas Oliva was born in Havana, Cuba in 1958. He studied at San Alejandro Academy, perfected his training at the Instituto Superior de Arte, and traveled to Ukraine to pursue his masters in fine arts... 
Dora’s career as a professional dancer began in 1976 when she joined renowned Brazilian folkloric dance troupe, Exaltacao A Bahia. Ms. Oliveira has a repertoire that ranges from Afro-Brazilian... 
Water for roots. Love of reggae. Fire for rock. This is not only the essence of Seattle reggae band, Kore Ionz, but the philosophy behind band front man and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Damian Pak. ... 
Vesna Pavlovic is a Serbian-born artist based in the United States. In 2007, she obtained a masters in fine arts in visual arts from Columbia University. She has exhibited widely, with solo shows at... 
Lucien Pellegrin was one of Arts Corps’ first students back in the fall of 2000. Since then, he has come back to volunteer, intern and now, with much honor, he is employed by them as a professional... 
Kelly Requa studied film at the University of Washington. In 2001, Kelly’s 24-minute short film (as writer/director) “Last Whiskey,” premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival.
The... 
Luc's work is driven by the fundamental belief that we all have endless capabilities as long as we do not limit or judge ourselves. After two years studying theater and cinema at the University of... 
Colleen Ross has been break dancing since 1999. With her crew (Fraggle Rock Crew), she has competed and performed locally, nationwide and internationally. Since 2002, she has been teaching break... 
Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jill Rothenberger moved to Seattle in 1998 to attend the University of Washington, graduating with degrees in visual art and comparative history of ideas. Her... 
Paul Rucker is an interdisciplinary artist. He's received numerous visual art and music grants from 4Culture, Seattle Mayor's Office, Artist Trust and South Carolina Arts Commission, among others.... 
Greg Stump has been teaching comics and cartooning to students of all ages for more than a decade. His comics and illustrations have appeared regularly in the Seattle paper, The Stranger, since 2000,... 
After graduating from the University of Washington with a bachelor of fine arts in painting, Lana moved to New York City to begin her career as an artist and a teacher. After five years of teaching... 
Joan Swearingen, a Northwest native and mixed media artist, earned her bachelor of fine arts in photography from the University of Washington. While living and studying in Rome, she learned a...