Some of my resumé and paintings, FYI.

Austin Children’s Shelter, Austin, TX.                                                                                                                                                                                                              Taught art and drawing skills to several groups of children residing at the shelter. Art was used as both an expressive and creativity tool. Ages ranged from 6-16.

Roadside Academy, Middletown, CT.                                                                                                                                                                                                               Developed brand new art program and curriculum for private academy. Taught fine art skills and techniques and art history to elementary and middle school age children.  Instructed students in utilizing and understanding the elements and principles of art.

American Red Cross, Middletown, CT.                                                                                                                                                                                                              Created a nationally recognized visual arts program for a Red Cross family shelter.  Taught fine art skills and techniques to homeless children and their parents.  Instructed in many different media from graphite to acrylic paint and collage.  The works of art were shown in various community venues in CT.

Connecticut Commission on the Arts, Hartford, CT.                                                                                                                                                                                 Employed to develop and demonstrate a format used in future after-school art programs which produces higher rates of student participation and success.

Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, N.M.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Taught  dozens of art classes for children ranging from drawing and painting to theater. Students participated in city arts projects in Albuquerque, many successful end of the year shows, often a wait-list for classes.

Sandia Preparatory School, Albuquerque, N.M.                                                                                                                                                                                          Taught graphite and pastel drawing classes, ages 6-12. End of the session shows, very successful and positive parent and student evaluations.

Workshops

SafePlace, Austin TX.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Led an art workshop for women who had survived domestic abuse. The artwork the women created were shown and sold at the event, “Celebrating the Survivor’s Spirit.”

My Healing Place, Austin, TX.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Story time and art project for grieving children and family based on my book, Squirrel and Oak: a Story of Hope.

Children’s Grief Center of New Mexico, Albuquerque N.M.                                                                                                                                                                   Worked with grieving children and families who have experienced a death or traumatic event in their lives.   Utilized art to facilitate expression and transformation of their trauma. Received training and certificate to lead groups.

 Middletown Community Health Center, Middletown, CT.                                                                                                                                                                    Self Expression with Art: contracted to present a workshop to domestic abuse victims through health center on the use of creative expression as a transformation tool.

Education and Training                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

B.A., University of Vermont, 1991.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 1994                                                                                                                                                                                            Children’s Grief Center of New Mexico                                                                                                                                                                                                             Life!

Publications

Cover Artist, Contributing Artist, and Contributing Author, Flowers For The Ones You’ve Known:Unedited Letters From Bereaved Teens (Enid Samuel Traisman and Janet Siebert, Eds. Omaha, NE: Centering Corporation, 1995.)

 Author and Illustrator, Squirrel and Oak: A Story of Hope, a children’s book that addresses loss and the bereavement process. (Halo Publishing International, 2009.)

Contributing Author, Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Healing After Loss, Open to Hope Publishing, forward by the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation, June 2011.

Contributing Author, Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories for Handling the Holidays After Loss, Open to Hope Publishing, November 2011.