Faculty
Ben Ahlvers
Ben teaches Intro to Ceramics, Tilemaking and Dinnerware at the Lawrence Arts Center. He has a BFA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and an MFA from Ohio University. His work is exhibited as numerous galleries and museums in the U.S., London, Spain and China. Ben says "I use clay because of its ability to show evidence of the makers hand and mimic other materials. The work I make is primarily figurative. I am essentially asking questions of myself and I believe the work reflects this process."
Email: ben@lawrenceartscenter.orgDeena Amont
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Deena Amont is a high school art teacher at Lawrence High School , where she teaches ceramics, jewelry, digital imaging, and other subjects. She received her Masters of Art Education and certification in Visual Art Education from the University of Kansas with a concentration in Ceramics. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science from Rutgers University . She is certified to teach grades K-12, and has taught many classes at the Lawrence Arts Center for both children and adults. When she's not making art or teaching, she enjoys gardening and keeping bees.
Marlo Angell
Marlo has a B.A. in Film/Video Production from University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television. Her short film, Cigar By Car, was screened in film festivals across the country including the AFI Los Angeles Film Festival. Her feature screenplay, A Night in Armor, was a top 10 finalist in the Nevada Sreenwriting Competition and she wrote and directed the feature film, Waiting For The Son, starring Brian Aldiss and Lupe Ontiveros. Most recently, Marlo produced and edited, Mariachi Estrella, a short documentary about one of the country's first all female mariachi bands. She is currently in pre-production on "From Football to Futbol," a documentary on the evolution of soccer in western Kansas, made possible by a grant from the Kansas Humanities Council. Past teaching experience includes film production instruction at the New York Film Academy's Los Angeles office.
Jeanne Averill
Jeanne Averill has been teaching and directing for over 25 years. Jeanne was the 2000 recipient of the American Alliance for Theatre in Education John C. Barner Teacher of the Year Award. Nationally recognized as the innovative creator of the outstanding Experimental and Issue Theatre Program at Lawrence High School, Jeanne's program has featured residencies of some of the top playwrights in the field of theatre for youth, including Laurie Brooks, Sandy Asher, Ric Averill and Max Bush.
In addition to her work as a teacher, Jeanne is a professional actress performing in film, commercials and on stage. Jeanne teaches Acting for the Camera, Audition Workshops, and Improvisation and Issue theatre for the Drama Program.
Ric Averill
(Drama Program Director, Boys' Dance Theatre) Artistic director and principal playwright, composer and director for the Lawrence Arts Center's Seem-To-Be Players professional children's theatre company since he and his wife, Jeanne, founded the company in 1973. Ric started taking ballet lessons in 2003.
Candi Baker
(Dance Program Director) Candi holds a M.A. in Dance from Mills College. She has over 40 years of teaching, performing, choreographing experience. She was founder and artistic director of Prairie Wind Dancers (1987-2004) and originated the Pistachio, Popcorn, Pretzel and Peanut Cos. Candi was also the recipient of a 1998 Lawrence Phoenix Award. One of the LAC studios is named for her in recognition for her contributions to dance in Lawrence and the surrounding region.
Blue Barrand and Christie Curtis
(Ballroom, Latin) This delightful father/ daughter team have been teaching ballroom together for many years. They have both danced competitively for numerous years and received many awards in ballroom dance. They are also both long time Lawrence residents.
Deborah Bettinger
(Ballet Program Coordinator, Ballet, Yoga-lates, Stretch and Tone) Debby has extensive classical ballet training, teaching experience and professional performance/choreography experience. She is the former director of the Lawrence School of Ballet and former member of Prairie Wind Dancers and Kaw Valley Dance Co. She is the artistic director of Lawrence Ballet Ensemble, Lawrence Youth Ballet Company, A Kansas Nutcracker and Snow Queen.
Mollie Blackburn
Mollie Blackburn is an artist who works primarily in the realm of metalsmithing and jewelry design. She received her BFA from Texas State University and her MFA from the University of Kansas. Discovering the art of metalsmithing has provided this storyteller with a passion for malleability, melting points, intimate scale and endless possibilities. She says, “Stemming from the culmination of my twenty-seven years of life experience, I employ self-specific imagery referencing family, home and partnership in an effort to convey the very essence of my ‘tiny human heart.’
http://molliekathleenb.blogspot.com/Miriam Cain
Miriam Cain began working at the Lawrence Arts Center Preschool as a parent volunteer when her children were in the preschool. Miriam has a degree in Music Education from KU, with an emphasis in both vocal and instrumental music for grades K-12. She completed additional coursework in Early Childhood Education with emphasis on the exceptional child.
Jessica Conner
Jessica Conner has been working at the Lawrence Arts Center in some capacity since 2006 when she was the ceramics artist in residence for 2006-2007. Prior to that, she attended Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS and received a BA in ceramics followed by attending Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas where she received her MFA in ceramics. Jessica truly enjoys interacting with the public as a teacher at the Arts Center and imparting her knowledge of ceramics on her students. She hopes to continue being a world traveler/learner while keeping her heart in North Lawrence.
Email: jessicaconner@lawrenceartscenter.org-
Paige Comparato
(Ballet, Dance Program Coordinator) Paige has extensive training in classical ballet, Pilates and yoga including Barbara's Conservatory of Ballet in Topeka and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX. She also performed numerous principal roles for Ballet Midwest.
Louis Copt
Artist Louis Copt was born and reared in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He graduated from Emporia State University in 1971 with a degree in art.
Copt began his career as a full time artist in 1985 after returning from a summer of study at the Art Students League in New York City. The focus for Copt’s art includes photography, portrait, figurative and landscape painting. Louis has taught at the Lawrence Arts Center for over 12 years and has led travel and painting workshops to France, Spain and Italy. He has also taught classes at the University of Kansas. His work has been featured in two recent exhibits at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri and the Sabatini Gallery in Topeka, Kansas. His work has been published in American Artist Magazine and numerous scholarly publications including The Great Plains Quarterly.
Copt has also exhibited work in national competitions such as the National Oil Painters and Kansas Watercolor Societies. His work is in several museum, corporate and private collections throughout the United States.
Louis’s work can be found at;
www.louiscopt.com
www.leopoldgallery.com
www.strecker-nelsongallery.comPhyllis Copt
Phyllis Copt was born and raised in Emporia, Kansas. She began her undergraduate career in English literature at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas in 1968 and finished at Emporia State University in 1972. Copt taught English literature, composition, and creative writing in the Lawrence public schools. In the summer of 1984 she studied creative writing at New York University. She completed an M.S.E. at the University of Kansas in 1993. In the summer of 2008, she studied with Natalie Goldberg in Taos, New Mexico.
Since retiring Phyllis has started a daily photo blog which is based on a challenge to find a subject to photograph around her house and neighborhood. The photos are accompanied with short descriptions which she often uses as writing prompts.
www.twoeyeworkshop.wordpress.comCynthia Crews
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Cynthia Crews started her dance training in Tulsa , Ok with Roman Jasinski and Moscelyn Larkin acclaimed Ballet Russe stars and co-founders of Tulsa Ballet Theatre. In high school she performed solo roles with Tulsa Civic Ballet, including being Tulsa ’s very first “Clara” in the Nutcracker. Ms Crews continued her dance education in New York City as a full scholarship student for Joffery Ballet and Harkness Ballet. She then returned to Oklahoma and received a BFA in Ballet Pedagogy from The University of Oklahoma.
Ms Crews performed as a principal with TBT for nine years. She danced leading rolls in Balanchine’s “Concerto Barocco”, Ruth Page’s “Die FlederMaus”, Peter Anastos’ “Footage” , Loyce Holton’s “Wingborne” to name a few and Classics including “Giselle”, “Coppelia”, Swan Lake and ,of course, “The Nutcracker” . She was also teaching Master Classes, performing as a Guest Artist and presenting numerous school lecture demonstrations each year.
Her teaching career started at The School of Tampa Ballet, continued at the Post School of ballet (Southwest Virginia Ballet Company) and Jasinski Academy , the official school for Tulsa Ballet. Ms Crews joined the Lawrence Arts Center in 2005 and has been teaching ballet, pointe and variation classes. Through the years Ms Crews has also performed and choreographed in many community and professional musical productions including Discoveryland Outdoor Dramas, Theatre Tulsa, and the Manatee Players (Fl).
Hannah Cromwell
(Iyengar Yoga) Hannah has been studying Iyengar yoga for over 20 years. As a certified instructor, she has attended numerous senior training and teaching workshops throughout the country including India where she studied with the Iyengar family.
Christa Dalien
As an artist, Christa works in a variety of different mediums including installation, drawing, painting, and printmaking. Originally from St. Cloud, Minnesota, she received her BFA in painting from St. Cloud State University in 2003. Christa moved to Lawrence, Kansas to pursue a MFA in printmaking, which she received in 2007. Christa has had her work shown locally and nationally including the Soo Vac Gallery (Minneapolis), All Rise Gallery (Chicago), and Paragraph Gallery in Kansas City. In 2009 Christa was awarded a 1-year studio residency through the Urban Culture Project in Kansas City. In 2010 she was awarded an Avenue of the Arts Grant in Kansas City that is being held for grant funding in 2011. As an educator, Christ also teaches workshops at the Nelson Atkins Museum of art in Kansas City, Mattie Rhodes, and adjunct at Washburn University.
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Ann Dean
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, I have been interested in the art of photography since the age of 15. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Kansas, I went on to pursue a graduate certificate from the New York Institute of Photography and have studied under several different photographers in the Lawrence area. I have been teaching photography at the Lawrence Arts Center now for 3 years and also work as a freelance photographer.
Although I have done wedding, corporate and portrait work, my passion is travel photography. It is important for me to visit new places and experience different cultures around the world, and to promote education and understanding between people through my photographs.
I love photography because it gives me a chance to savor the fleeting moments in time that we all take for granted and that give our lives meaning.
http://anndean.zenfolio.comChristie Dobson
Christie Dobson received her BA in Theatre from KU in 1992 and worked as a professional actor, singer and teacher in Seattle for many years before returning to Lawrence with her husband and their 2 little boys. Christie is now pursuing a Master's Degree in Theatre with training in Drama Therapy at Kansas State University.
Herb Friedson
Herb Friedson was born in Cleveland, Ohio and received a BFA in Sculpture from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1958 and an MFA in Design from the University of Kansas in 1967. Herb also performed enameling research in Vienna, Austria 1959. At the University of Kansas, Herb has taught jewelry/silversmithing, basic design and enameling throughout 1967 – 1974. He also was a textile design consultant, New York City throughout 1960 – 1964.
Herb’s work has been displayed in more than 150 regional, national and international exhibitions including those at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York; Cleveland Museum of Art, Long Beach Museum of Art and the Biennale Internationale in Limoge, France.
Jennifer Glenn
Jennifer Glenn is a long-time member of the Seem-To-Be Players and teaches many of the drama classes at the Arts Center, including Lil'Bees, Soon-To-Be Players, and the Seem-To-Be Apprentices. Jennifer also teaches in the Lawrence Arts Center's Arts-Based Preschool. She has a degree in Theater from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is also an accomplished costumer.
Nancy Goodall
Nancy Goodall, Lead Designer and Co-Owner of Nancy Goodall Designs, literally stumbled upon jewelry making. One winter while the rest of the family was skiing, Nancy went shopping in Frisco, Colorado, where she actually tripped while walking in front of a local bead shop, and then wandered in out of curiosity. The friendly and persuasive staff introduced her to beading, but Nancy soon realized she was most attracted to fused glass pieces, particularly those made with dichroic glass. After attending several classes throughout the United States Nancy, by trade an attorney and trust officer with CoreFirst Bank & Trust in Topeka, Kansas, and a music director at local theatres, found she was hooked.
She has expanded her glass and jewelry repertoire to architectural pieces, wire wrapping, metalsmithing, casting and lampwork beadmaking. She has studied locally, as well as with Dale Nichols and Kent Lauer (California), Patty Gray (Washington), Colleen McGraw and Scott Dye (Las Vegas), Bonnie Perry (Massachusetts), Catharine Weaver (Alaska), Will Smith (Tennessee), Joe DiPietro (Florida), and Sara Sally LaGrand (Missouri). She also studied at the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Georgia.
She has won several Best in Category awards for her work. She teaches fused glass, wire working and lampwork beads. Her work can be seen at various art fairs, shops and galleries throughout the United States.
Email: Designer@NancyGoodallDesigns.com
Website: www.NancyGoodallDesigns.comMolly Gordon
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Molly Gordon Started her dance training at Barbara’s Conservatory of Dance, in Topeka , KS at the age of four. She studied at Barbara’s for fourteen years, studying classical ballet, pointe, tap & jazz. Molly was a member of the resident dance company, Ballet Midwest. Molly continued her dance education with an emphasis on jazz in Los Angeles . She studied at The Edge dance Studio, and Dance & Creativity Center . Molly was cross trained as an arial artist performing spanish webs, rings, & bungee trapeze. Molly has toured & danced professionally for Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain , Harrah’s S. Lake Tahoe , Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruise Lines.
Upon returning to Kansas , Molly has traveled to LA participating in a verity of projects with dance companies, musical artists & community outreach programs. In 2001, Molly directed a KS to LA workshop uniting aspiring KS youth with LA professionals in a pro-youth Hollywood Performance. She has since witnessed the fruit of the experience with past KS youth working as current LA professionals.
Molly has taught at the Lawrence Art Center since 1998. She enjoys teaching a variety of movement styles to all ages and abilities. Molly teaches kinder ballet, youth & adult jazz & hip-hop, tap, diverse dance, creative youth workshops, Boys & Girls Club classes, & occasional woman’s work outreach. She co-teaches boys dance theatre, & the new LAC Voices choir group. Molly is the artistic director for the LAC Jazz Performance Ensemble, & co directs Peanut, Pretzel, Popcorn, Pistachio Youth Performance Company. Molly has choreographed a variety of City Youth Theatre Productions working with serious teen issues. She has choreographed Rent, Oliver, & Hair for the LAC Drama Department. Molly is an independent contractor for GaDuGi Safecenter and is currently teaching body awareness through movement & art to seniors at Brandon Woods at Alvamar. Molly is a certified Bikram Yoga Instructor & an advocator of the healing powers of a yoga practice for dancers & all bodies.
Molly believes a creative dancer exists in each person regardless of age or capabilities. She finds great reward in sharing the power of feeling the music & enjoying the movement. Molly passionately encourages the freedom of each dancer to explore, discover & challenge the potential artist within.
Janice Griffin
(Child Parent Movement & Music) Janice holds a Bachelor of Music Education from KU. In addition to teaching at the arts center, Janice also teaches piano, violin and viola lessons. She plays with a local musical group also at her church with her daughter.
Lori Hanson
Lori Hanson attended both the University of Central Missouri and the University of Kansas in order to attain a BFA with an emphasis in painting. After having taught a variety of children's classes at the Arts Center over the past three years, Lori has returned to KU and is currently working on a master's degree in visual art education. Her media of specialty includes acrylic, oil, and watercolor paints. Lori was initially trained to draw and paint realistic portraiture with a disciplinary focus on proportions and classical drawing techniques. Her work has evolved into a realm of improvisational abstraction, as she works alongside various local and traveling musicians who invite her to paint on stage for live, visual elements that correlate with the music. Lori dedicates her time to share both old and newly found drawing and painting techniques will her students.
Elizabeth Hatchett
Elizabeth has her BFA from the University of Texas in Austin, her Masters of Art Education with honors from the University of Kansas. She taught Art for the Lawrence School district for seventeen years, taught undergraduate courses at KU, taught in the Perry and Alma school districts. Elizabeth appreciates the power of art and is an artist working in various media. She loves nature and animals and likes sharing her appreciation and knowledge of art with children and adults.
Cindi Kroll Hauptli
(Dancing Fairytales, Curious George) Cindi was trained in Grandview, MO, Wichita and the University of Kansas. She holds degrees in Journalism and English. She also owned Liberty Dance in Lawrence from 1995-2000 and has been a Lawrence Arts Center teacher for several years.
Allison Haworth
Allison Haworth began working at the Lawrence Arts Center Preschool as a parent volunteer when her children were in the preschool. Allison has a degree in Elementary Education from KU and taught first grade in the Lawrence Public Schools for 11 years.
Megan Hay
Megan Hay has a degree in Early Childhood Education and graduate hours in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Kansas. She has experience teaching in Lawrence and Kansas City, Missouri. Three of her four children attended preschool at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Paul Hotvedt
Paul Hotvedt has been practicing painting and teaching painting in Kansas since 1993. Prior to that he attended the University of Wisconsin, and received a bachelor's degree in painting from the Tyler School of Art and a master's degree in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He is particularly interested in teaching as a way to observe and facilitate art among people of diverse backgrounds. In his own work he is interested in taking part in very old traditions that are constantly being reborn.
Akiko Jackson, Artist in Residence 2010-2011
Akiko Jackson is from Kahuku, a rural North Shore community on the island of O’ahu, Hawai'i. From 1999-2007, Akiko lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco to focus her studies in the arts. After receiving a Master of Arts degree from California State University, Northridge, she moved to Richmond, Virginia where she received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Coming to Kansas as our Artist in Residence, Akiko teaches Ceramics Handbuilding, Mold-making and Slip-casting, an Installation and Multiples course, along with youth classes at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Akiko has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, most notably in the American Museum of Ceramic Art, Los Angeles, CA; Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA; 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA; the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA; the 4th World Ceramic Biennale Korea, Republic of Korea; and the Australian International Ceramics Triennale, Sydney Australia.
Website: www.akikojackson.com-
Whitney Jacobs
Originally from Kansas City, Whitney Jacobs moved to Lawrence after receiving her Associates degree to earn a bachelors degree and K-12 certification in Art Education at the University of Kansas. Currently, she is in her last semester of graduate school and teaches Art History and Photography at Topeka High school. This world trotter enjoys traveling abroad and teaching Arts Camps at the Lawrence Arts Center during her summers. She has taught a variety of classes to a range of ages at the Arts Center since 2004. Most recently, her excursions have involved taking high school students to Egypt and China! She is an exploratory artist who enjoys fusing different mediums together. In her free time you can find her photographings of her favorite muse, her 3 year old daughter Scout.
Ann Johnson
Ann Johnson started teaching Integrated Arts for Preschoolers at the Arts Center in the fall of 1991. Ann received her degree in Early Childhood Education from Kansas State University. She taught in early childhood centers in Overland Park and Pittsburgh, Kansas after she finished college and was the director of a Mother's Day Out program in Overland Park before moving to Lawrence.
Heather Smith Jones
Heather joined the preschool staff in January 2004. She has a BFA in drawing and painting from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC and a MFA in painting from Kansas University. Heather has taught both children's and adult art classes at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN; at Kansas University; and as a private instructor in drawing and painting. Her work has been exhibited extensively and is represented in several galleries.
Lora Jost
Lora Jost teaches Sketchbook-journaling, Mixed-media Collage, and other creative process classes at the Lawrence Arts Center. She is a freelance artist whose newest body of work, “Linked in Spirit,” is comprised of clayboard drawings, mixed-media collages, and mosaics, and is a visual commentary on daily marvels, focusing on themes that are mundane, whimsical, and socially urgent. Jost’s creative work also includes illustrating, facilitating community art projects, grant writing, and writing. She co-authored with Dave Loewenstein the book Kansas Murals: A Traveler's Guide (University Press of Kansas, 2006) with grant support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kansas Arts Commission, which received a Kansas Notable Book Award in 2007. Jost holds a BA is Liberal Arts from Bethel College (N. Newton, KS) and an MFA in Nonstatic Forms from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Gwen Kerth
Gwen Kerth is a freelance illustrator and graphic artist in the Midwest area and has won several national awards for her work. She received a BA in Art Education from Fort Hays State University and went on to complete the Illustration/Graphic Arts program at the University of Kansas. There she became proficient at typography, visual design concepts, illustration, and the Adobe Creative Suite programs. She has also instructed digital art classes, as well as, fine art classes for the past 10 years in the surrounding area.
Megan King
Megan King is a Lawrence native who grew up taking classes at the Lawrence Arts Center. She finished her art education with a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she studied fashion design and fiber arts. Her three children have all attended preschool at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Tiffany Kunkler
Tiffany received her BFA in metals and jewelry in 2007 at Missouri State University. She moved to Lawrence with he husband when he entered into University of Kansas to begin his MFA in ceramics. Working out of her home studio, Tiffany's work can best be described as playful and inspired by natural forms and focuses on wearable art. Her work has shown in numerous exhibitions throughout the Midwest, and also has been published in 500 Earrings as well. She is currently a full time bench jeweler at Lauren's Hope, an web based company from Kansas City selling a variety of options for medical ID jewelry.
Amy Lenharth
Amy Lenharth is a 2007 graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute. She graduated valedictorian with a double major in ceramics and art history, summa cum laude. Her work has shown in numerous art shows and exhibits throughout the Midwest and has been published in several books including Yixing and the West, 500 Teapots, 500 Bowls, 500 Cups, and 500 Animal Figures. She has been featured in Studio Potter magazine (July 09) in an article she wrote tracing her journey in clay.
Amy received her MFA in ceramics from the University of Kansas in 2010. She is currently the ceramics and 3D art instructor at Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas.
Katherine Lindboe
Katherine Lindboe started her Irish Dance training at eight years old with the O'Riada Academy of Irish Dance. She has performed with the O'Riada Academy for artists such as Eileen Ivers and The Elders. In later years, she had the opportunity to serve as a teaching assistant for the Academy. In 2006, Katherine began attending the University of Kansas to study psychology and dance. Since then, she has worked in conjunction with Vox Novus, a collective of musicians and composers, on the 60x60 project to perform Irish Dance choreography set to contemporary music.
In early 2010, Katherine joined the Driscoll Irish Dancers. She continues to showcase her choreography and performance at the Kansas City Irish Fest and Raglan Road Irish Pub. She is offering a beginning Irish Dance workshop for children from August to December 2010 at the Lawrence Arts Center. Katherine is committed to promoting each student's self expression during the creative process, using dance as a medium.
Robbin Loomas
Robbin Loomas, a working photographer for over 25 years, received her BFA in photography from the Kansas City Institute. Working as a freelance photographer in Kansas City, then as head of photography for University Relations at KU, she now has her own photo studio, Sterling Image, in Lawrence, Kansas.
When people look at the artwork produced by Robbin Loomis the first question is, "Is that a photograph or a painting?" the answer is "yes". Robbin feels a whole new world opened up with the development of digital media. Although computer generated art has existed for nearly 35 years, it is the blending of photography, painting and technology that has excited Robbin and other artists.
WebsiteBetsy McCafferty
Betsy started ballet as a child taking classes in Wichita, Kansas. She continued studies as an adult at the Lawrence School of Ballet under Deborah Bettinger's program. She also has studied ballet as an adult through the Lawrence Arts Center program. She has enjoyed opportunities to dance in the Lawrence Ballet Ensemble, the Choreographer's Showcase events, and the Kansas Nutcracker. She is starting her 12th year as a teacher of preparatory ballet for 3 to 5 year olds at the Lawrence Arts Center. Betsy really enjoys teaching ballet to children and sharing my love of dance.
Leslie McCaffrey
Leslie Mccaffrey has degrees in Elementary Education and Public Health from Kansas University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations which focus on children's issues. Leslie's children attended the preschool. Leslie is the art teacher in the 2007-2008 Pilot Pre-K Project in Douglas County.
Darren Moore
Darren teaches Photoshop Fundamentals and Digital Scrapbooking. He has been working in Photoshop since it's introduction in 1990 ? the same year he received a B.F.A. in design from Fort Hays State University. Since 1996, he has designed for local and national clients in his studio, Titus d, Co. studio.
Pat Nemchock
Pat Nemchock has taught drawing and painting at Lawrence High School for twenty-nine years. Over the years, she was fortunate to receive many teaching honors, but the greatest reward was interacting with her students. When Pat retired, she realized that education was still a passion she wanted to continue. Pat teaches continuing education classes for high school students, and graduate classes for art teachers at The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and The Kansas City Art Institute. Pat is happy that she will be “home” teaching at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien has taught Letterpress Printing since the new Arts Center building opened. He loves typography, the manual labor of setting type, and sharing his enthusiasm for printing the old fashioned way. When he is not teaching, Tim gardens, builds houses with straw bales and clay, operates a sawmill and helps with farm chores.
Bryan Park
Bryan Park was born and raised in Greenville, SC. He began studying metalsmithing at The Fine Arts Center in Greenville during high school. He earned his BFA in Metal Design from East Carolina University in 2004 and his MFA in Metalsmithing & Jewelry from the University of Kansas in 2008. Park recently taught and ran the Metalsmithing/Jewelry program at Idaho State University.
Joan Parker
Joan teaches Painting the Natural Landscape classes at the Lawrence Arts Center. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. She has been a freelance artist in the motion picture industry and as an original greeting card artist at Hallmark Cards. Her work has been exhibited at the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in California; Gallery International, MD; Galleries in KS, MO, WY, IL CO, CT and CA. She has participated in twenty five group exhibitions, national juried shows and several one woman shows. Parker has been instrumental in establishing Plein Air painting events in both Kansas and Missouri. She has a passion for the immediacy of painting outdoors and enjoys sharing her love with others.
Email: jbourgeois@kc.rr.comShannon Pickett
(Ballet) Shannon has taught and performed ballet and modern dance in the surrounding area for the past 15 years. She received her training at Barbara's Conservatory of Dance, The University of Kansas, and The Lawrence Arts Center. Shannon holds an MA in education from Avila University.
Marsha Poholsky
Marsha Poholsky is originally from St. Louis, Mo. She came to Lawrence in 1973 to attend art school at KU and by 1976 she had made Lawrence her permanent home. Marsha has a B.F.A. in printmaking, a B.A.E. in art education and an M.A. in art education all from the University of Kansas. She did her student teaching in the 501 district in Topeka at both the elementary and secondary levels. She taught pre school for one year before beginning her high school teaching career. She has taught in the Lawrence school district since 1980, beginning at Lawrence High school and now at Free State. Marsha's classes have mainly been in photography and art history but she has also taught classes in drawing and ceramics. Recently, Marsha has been using book forms in her photography classes and her own art. Marsha has been married for 30 years and has three daughters.
Linda Reimond
Linda Reimond is the original director of the preschool program at the Arts Center and currently teaches in two classes. She taught kindergarten in Wichita and Tulsa before her daughter entered preschool. When that happened, Linda started preschool too, and she has never left. She has degrees in Elementary Education from Wichita State University and Early Childhood Education from Emporia State University. She is an adjunct instructor at Washburn University and has been part of an N.E.A. grant to train artists in early childhood arts education.
Madison Rhea
Madison Rhea is an artist working in and out of Lawrence, KS. He defines himself as a modern landscape painter delving in both abstract and representational landscape painting. He is currently teaching both adult and children's classes at the Lawrence Arts Center. He recently graduated from the University of Kansas with a BFA in Painting and Art History. Originally from Dallas, TX he has fallen in love with the rural community and surroundings that Kansas has to offer. Madison will go onto graduate school at the University of Texas where he will look to teach painting and drawing at a University level. He has exhibited both locally and nationally and is currently creating a body of work based on the surrounding Kansas landscape.
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Hollie Rice
Hollie Rice teaches a variety of classes at the Arts Center including Family Pottery, Intro to Ceramics, children's classes, Pottery, Metalsmithing, and Intermediate Ceramics. She has a BFA in Ceramics and Art History from the University of Kansas, and is currently completing her Masters in Visual Arts Education. Her work can be seen at the Olive Gallery in Lawrence, and in numerous other exhibitions in and around Lawrence and Kansas City. Hollie employs a variety of materials in her work; she often uses clay alone, but is not afraid to use metal, wood, glass, or anything else that can help to communicate a particular idea successfully. She prefers to work in clay because of its flexible nature and endless array of possibilities. Her current body of work is a collection of low and high-fired ceramic birthday cakes. Her cakes reflect her playful sense of humor, as does most of her sculptural work.
Email: hrice@ku.eduJeff Ridgway
Jeff Ridgway is a local artist who produces humanistic paintings, drawings and sculptures that are in collections throughout the United States and Europe. He has taught Life Drawing and Anatomy for the Artist at the Arts Center for eighteen years. Jeff has also taught Oil Painting, Portraiture and Pastel classes as well as various workshops during his tenure. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and the Master of Fine Arts in Painting. Jeff is probably best known for his portraiture, which he creates for both commission and whimsy.
Susan Rieger
Susan Rieger's mom took her to see a ballet at age 4, to which she responded "I want to be a dancer", and began taking her choreographic career seriously. She studied tap, jazz and ballet at various studios, including Miss Lily's Tap and Tumbling and the Miller-Marley School of Dance. She received a BA with honors from the University of Iowa . She has also received a Kennedy Center Award for achievement in choreography for her work on the play "Lost" at Rockhurst University .
Susan has performed with numerous modern dance companies including A Company of Dancers, Kambour Dance Theatre, City in Motion Dance Theatre and the companies she has directed, including aha! dance theatre and the 940 Dance Company. Her current role at the LAC is Artistic Director of the 940 Dance Company and modern dance teacher. Susan views dance/movement education as a learning process which allows all ages to move towards physical and mental well-being, while having great fun and discovering your creative voice.
Danny Rogovein
After graduating from the University of Kansas with a BFA in Theatre Design, Danny Rogovein spent a year at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia before returning to his adopted home of Lawrence. Shortly after his return he found a home as the Touring Stage Manager for the Arts Center's Seem-To-Be Players for four years before joining the Arts Center staff full time as Assistant Technical Director. Danny is pleased to be sharing his love of the behind-the-scenes action of live performance with the students of the Tech Theatre program for junior and senior high school students. Each summer Danny serves a Technical Director for Summer Youth Theatre. He also is the Stage Manager and Set Builder for many of the productions at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Jason Romanishin
Jason Romanishin is a versatile teacher and practicing artist. He is entering his third year at the Art Center, where he has taught a variety of kid's classes as well as adult darkroom, painting, and drawing. Jason has taught many grade levels in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, and Kansas. He is currently a tenured teacher of art at Bonner Springs High School. Jason looks forward to continuing his support of art and community in Lawrence. Jason Romanishin holds a BSE in Art Education from Millersville University and a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.
Rachael Sudlow
Rachael graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her Cowscapes series of photographs explored the use of texture & alternative landscapes that can be formed from livestock. Her jewelry work focuses on the natural world, transforming silver & gold into organic pieces such a peapods & flowers. She now runs Sudlow Jewelry, www.rachaelsudlow.com with over 20 locations selling her work worldwide.
Maria Thompson
Maria Thompson’s first introduction to dance came at the age of three, when she began her ballet and tap training. She continued her studies adding jazz and modern dance to her repertoire throughout her childhood.
In 1989, Maria was accepted into the dance program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . During her four years of training at UArts, she had the opportunity to study under extraordinary faculty including, Ruth Andrien (Paul Taylor Dance Company), Milton Myers (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) and master teachers David Parsons and Bill T. Jones, to name a few. Also during this time, Maria broadened her training by studying under Mia Michaels (So You Think You Can Dance), Eddie Mecca (best known for his role as ‘Carmine’ on “Lavernce and Shirley”) and tap masters, LaVaughn Robinson and Phil Black.
In 1993, Maria proudly graduated from the University of the Arts with Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Dance Education and began her career as a dance educator. She now has over 17 years of experience of teaching students of all ages in many dance genres. Maria’s strength lies in teaching preschool dance which she thoroughly enjoys each and every class. She happily teaches the preschool dance program at the Arts Center on Saturday mornings and substitutes on occasion for older classes. Maria’s commitment to dance education revolves around the sheer joy and privilege of sharing her knowledge and years of experience with her students. Treating dance as a performing art continues to be her goal amongst even the youngest students in our dance program.
Betsy Timmer
Originally from Michigan, Betsy Timmer has lived in Lawrence for the past five years. She has a BFA in painting from Western Michigan University and a MFA in expanded media from the University of Kansas. Since finishing graduate school in 2008, Betsy has taught foundations drawing and design part-time at KU while also working as a independent graphic designer. Betsy's mixed media works are constructed from everyday materials combined to form thought provoking objects or characters. You can see her works at www.betsytimmer.com. When not creating, you can find Betsy rummaging through thrift stores and estate sales, searching for components for her next projects.
Nicholas Ward
Nicholas Ward was born in Klamath Falls Oregon and spent most of his early life and schooling in South Dakota where he received a BFA in drawing and painting from the University of South Dakota in 2006. Residing in Kansas since the fall of 2006 Nicholas has recently received an MFA with honors from the University of Kansas. As a practicing artist, Nicholas works between drawing, painting, stop motion animation and Film. Often times combining many of these processes in a single project. It should also be noted that Nicholas is a prolific catcher of turtles and to his knowledge is currently the best at it.
Mary Wharff
Mary Wharff is working on her first novel and has published several short stories. She thinks writing fiction is like painting or composing music -- words create texture, words create sound and rhythm, repetition and cadence can turn a good plot into a great story. She began writing full-time in 1989 as a writer for a fund-raising consulting firm and then, a video production company, both in Atlanta GA. In 1994, she began free-lancing in Atlanta and continued free-lancing when she moved to Lawrence in 1995. In 2005, she completed her MA in Creative Writing at KU and in 2006, she won the Langston Hughes Award for Fiction. She is a co-curator for Big Tent, a reading series sponsored by the Raven Bookstore. She is also the fiction editor for Coal City Review and a judge for the Langston Hughes Award. She lives in Lawrence with her husband, Andy Bloomer, and their adopted four-legged family.
Donika Wiley
Donika Wiley was born in Lawrence Kansas on September 8, 1979. This freethinking, liberal oasis in the middle of the United States continues to be her home. She is an artist and a teacher, committed to her students and her craft. In 2004, Donika graduated with honors from The University of Kansas School of Fine Arts with a BFA focused on sculpture and printmaking. While at the University of Kansas, she completed two study abroad programs in Italy; Donika continues to embrace traveling and is dedicated to scholarship abroad. In 2005 & 2007 she spent time at The Fran Masereel Centre for Printmaking in Kasterlee, Belgium. Most recently, Donika has shown her prints, book arts and sculpture at The Holden Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, England, UK, The Supreme Trading Company, Brooklyn, NY, The Arts Incubator, Kansas City, MO and The Lawrence Arts Center, KS.
Sarah Wertzberger
Sarah Wertzberger was born and raised in Lawrence, KS. She received here BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003. Her work is primarily sculptural but she also enjoys drawing, painting and printmaking. Sarah teaches a variety of classes within the children's programming at the Arts Center.
Todd Wyant
(Ashtanga Yoga) Todd has extensive training in the various disciplines of Yoga. He is a gifted teacher and has been teaching for many years. He holds additional yoga classes at the Be Moved Studio.