Teaching Artists
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.
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- Shannon Andersen
- Visual Art
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
- Jerome Aparis
- Dance
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
- Daemond Arrindell
- Poetry/Spoken Word
Daemond Arrindell is a workshop facilitator, counselor, community organizer, advocate and wants to be a poet when he grows up. Slam Master of Seattle and producer of the longest running weekly show... more
- Roberto Ascalon
- Poetry/Spoken Word
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
- Visual Art
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
- Vicky Edmonds
- Poetry/Spoken Word
Vicky Edmonds is a poet and teacher who uses the art & practice of writing to bring the deepest and most authentic parts of ourselves to the page and to the world. Over the last 22 years she has... more
- Florentino Francisco
- Dance
Florentino began working with out-of-school programs in 2000. Most of his experience comes from his involvement with school age and middle school children. He enhances programs by implementing what... more
- Geoff Garza
- Visual Art
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
- Stephany Hazelrigg
- Poetry/Spoken Word, Visual Art, Theatre
Stephany Koch Hazelrigg is an engaging and empowering creative director, facilitator, cultural worker, and social artist living deeply & directly from her belief in the power of art to create space,... more
- Maxie Jamal
- Dance
I am Maxie "Mystique" Jamal. While possessing a slew of hidden talents I have mostly aspired to become a Choreographer/ Artistic Director, dancer, and an educator for the arts. Arts education is... more
- Laura "Piece" Kelley
- Poetry/Spoken Word
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
- Tina LaPadula
- Theatre Arts
In addition to being Education Director, Tina LaPadula is a theatre teaching artist and founding member of Arts Corps. Her commitment to emergent curriculum, art for social change and... more
- David Lasky
- Visual Art
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
- Visual Art
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
- Carter McGlasson
- Dance
Inspired by a Poppin' Battle in Seattle's Central District, Fever One had become influenced by the spiritual aspect and competitiveness of the dance by the age of 10. Soon after, he identified with... more
- Eduardo Mendonça
- Music
- Eduardo Mendonça — multi-talented musician, producer and composer — is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Mendonça received his masters in arts education from the Music Institute of the... more
- Erica Merritt
- Music
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
- Dora Oliveira Newman
- Dance
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
- Daniel Pak
- Music
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
- Arturo Rodriguez
- Music
Coming from a musically infused childhood, the ever-versatile Arturo Rodriguez shares his passion for percussion with the Pacific Northwest and beyond. An accomplished musician, author, and teacher,... more
- Lana Sundberg
- Visual Art
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
- Aaron Walker-Loud
- Music
Aaron Walker-Loud is a composer, drummer and director of many music collaborations and services, including The Flood (1999-2003), Big World Breaks (2000-present) and One Family, Inc. (2004-present).... more
- Hollis Wong-Wear
- Poetry/Spoken Word
Hollis Wong-Wear is a poet, musician and performance artist originally from the Bay Area. In 2005, Hollis was on San Francisco’s Youth Slam Team and competed in the Youth National Slams. In high... more
Dance
- Jerome Aparis
- Dance
- 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
- Florentino Francisco
- Dance
- Florentino began working with out-of-school programs in 2000. Most of his experience comes from his involvement with school age and middle school children. He enhances programs by implementing what... more
- Maxie Jamal
- Dance
- I am Maxie "Mystique" Jamal. While possessing a slew of hidden talents I have mostly aspired to become a Choreographer/ Artistic Director, dancer, and an educator for the arts. Arts education is... more
- Carter McGlasson
- Dance
- Inspired by a Poppin' Battle in Seattle's Central District, Fever One had become influenced by the spiritual aspect and competitiveness of the dance by the age of 10. Soon after, he identified with... more
- Dora Oliveira Newman
- Dance
- 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
Music
- Eduardo Mendonça
- Music
- Eduardo Mendonça — multi-talented musician, producer and composer — is a native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Mendonça received his masters in arts education from the Music Institute of the... more
- Erica Merritt
- Music
- 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
- Daniel Pak
- Music
- 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
- Arturo Rodriguez
- Music
- Coming from a musically infused childhood, the ever-versatile Arturo Rodriguez shares his passion for percussion with the Pacific Northwest and beyond. An accomplished musician, author, and teacher,... more
- Aaron Walker-Loud
- Music
- Aaron Walker-Loud is a composer, drummer and director of many music collaborations and services, including The Flood (1999-2003), Big World Breaks (2000-present) and One Family, Inc. (2004-present).... more
Poetry/Spoken Word
- Daemond Arrindell
- Poetry/Spoken Word
- Daemond Arrindell is a workshop facilitator, counselor, community organizer, advocate and wants to be a poet when he grows up. Slam Master of Seattle and producer of the longest running weekly show... more
- Roberto Ascalon
- Poetry/Spoken Word
- 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
- Poetry/Spoken Word
- Vicky Edmonds is a poet and teacher who uses the art & practice of writing to bring the deepest and most authentic parts of ourselves to the page and to the world. Over the last 22 years she has... more
- Stephany Hazelrigg
- Poetry/Spoken Word, Visual Art, Theatre
- Stephany Koch Hazelrigg is an engaging and empowering creative director, facilitator, cultural worker, and social artist living deeply & directly from her belief in the power of art to create space,... more
- Laura "Piece" Kelley
- Poetry/Spoken Word
- 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
- Hollis Wong-Wear
- Poetry/Spoken Word
- Hollis Wong-Wear is a poet, musician and performance artist originally from the Bay Area. In 2005, Hollis was on San Francisco’s Youth Slam Team and competed in the Youth National Slams. In high... more
Theatre
- Stephany Hazelrigg
- Poetry/Spoken Word, Visual Art, Theatre
- Stephany Koch Hazelrigg is an engaging and empowering creative director, facilitator, cultural worker, and social artist living deeply & directly from her belief in the power of art to create space,... more
Theatre Arts
- Tina LaPadula
- Theatre Arts
- In addition to being Education Director, Tina LaPadula is a theatre teaching artist and founding member of Arts Corps. Her commitment to emergent curriculum, art for social change and... more
Visual Art
- Shannon Andersen
- Visual Art
- 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
- Visual Art
- 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
- Geoff Garza
- Visual Art
- 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
- Stephany Hazelrigg
- Poetry/Spoken Word, Visual Art, Theatre
- Stephany Koch Hazelrigg is an engaging and empowering creative director, facilitator, cultural worker, and social artist living deeply & directly from her belief in the power of art to create space,... more
- David Lasky
- Visual Art
- 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
- Visual Art
- 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
- Lana Sundberg
- Visual Art
- 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