Teaching Artists

CAPE Teaching Artists

CAPE’s teaching artists come from the worlds of both visual and performance arts. Each is a practicing artist in painting and drawing, dance, theater, photography or music. Local artists with an interest in urban education are encouraged to meet with CAPE staff to explore the teaching and learning rewards of sharing their knowledge. More than 50 teaching artists are currently involved with CAPE programs. For more information, contact info @ capeweb.org.

VISUAL

DRAMA

DANCE

MUSIC

OTHER

VISUAL

 

Michelle Alba

Michelle is a freelance photographer and teaching artist. As an educator she has worked with Arts at the Center at Chicago Teacher Center and Dramagirls through Redmoon Theatre.

Lise Haller Baggesen

Lise is a studio artist, educator and curator. She has taught and curated exhibitions in The Netherlands and Denmark. Her paintings, installations and drawings have been exhibited in the Municipal Museum of the Hague, the MoMu fashion museum in Antwerp, and the Chinese European Art Center in Xiamen, as well as in numerous galleries in Amsterdam. To learn more about Lise, visit her website.

Marne Benjamin

Marne is a visual artist and a muralist based in Chicago. She has collaborated with Daley Academy teachers on a Family Heritage Project. Her murals can be viewed throughout Chicago, including at Churchill Park.

Marty Burns

Marty holds an MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; In 2009 she received the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Visual Arts. Marty is a Teaching Artist at the Hyde Park Art Center, The Lab School, Marwen, and Intuit.

Guillermo Delgado

Guillermo is a self-taught visual artist living in Chicago. He has spent the last 20 years creating his own art and engaging communities in the creative and empowering processes of art exploration. To learn more about Guillermo, visit his website.

William Estrada

William is a studio artist with many years of teaching artist experience. Besides working with CAPE, William is a resident artist at Telpochcalli School and teaches visual arts classes at Marwen and ART.

Adam Farcus

Adam received his M.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, B.F.A. from Illinois State University, and A.A. from Joliet Junior College.  Adam’s work has been exhibited at Gallery 400; University Galleries, Normal, IL; Hyde Park Arts Center; The Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids; and the Miami Bridge Art Fair, Miami.

Ricardo Gonzalez

Ricardo is a practicing visual artist from the south suburbs/south chicago.  Gonzalez creates art based on community empowerment, urban pop culture, portraiture, and street art. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricillustrator/sets/72157622913412898/

Saya Hillman

Saya is a digital media artist who has taught video production and photography in numerous Chicago Public Schools. She owns Mac ‘n Cheese Productions through which she produces films and DVDs for individuals and organizations. Her first film, Dating Rubik’s Cube, won Best Short Documentary at the Illinois International Film Festival.

Jasemine Kronbeck

Jasemine is a video/audio/digital artist based in Chicago. She has taught digital arts and visual communication at Westwood College, and media arts at Afterschool Matters and Pros Arts Studio.

Tim Nickodemus

Tim is a visual artist with a practice focused on painting and drawing. Tim has participated in shows and residencies in Oregon, Washington, Minnesota as well as here in Chicago. He recently received his MFA in Studio Arts from University of Illinois at Chicago in May of 2011.

Patricia Okulinski

Patricia Okulinski is a visual and teaching artist with a background in fashion design. Her work has been exhibited locally at The Barrio Fest, Belmont Arts and Music Festival, Chicago Reggae Festival, Venus Collective, Chicago Market Days, Enkare Fashion Submerge and Imagine 2008 & 2009.

Mayra C. Palafox

Mayra is a Chicago based artist and ecologist. She participated in a Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots conservation project in Tanzania and has led conservation workshops with indigenous communities in Peru. She is currently the main printmaking teacher at Little Black Pearl where she integrates ecology and arts.

Juan-Carlos Perez

Juan-Carlos is a visual artist who has been a teaching artist at numerous schools, community centers and park districts throughout Chicago, as well as projects in Detroit and West Africa. His many mural projects are exhibited around the city.

Mikey Peterson

Mikey Peterson is a video-audio artist and singer-songwriter. His videos have been shown at festivals around the world. Peterson also records and performs as a solo musician and with his band The Trust. To learn more about Mikey, visit his website.

Niema Qureshi

Niema is a conceptual artist who works with mixed media to create installations and sculpture. She has exhibited her work in Chicago, New York and London. Niema also works as an educator at Marwen and prior to that she worked as a museum educator at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Jessica Rodrigue

Jessica received her MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago.  Her work has been exhibited at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art, and the Hyde Park Art Center.  Jessica has taught photography for Maine College of Art’s youth programs and continuing studies department.

Margy Stover

Margy is a visual artist and educator. In her work she often references aspects of design and architecture. She is a teaching artist with Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation and Trust and is the Visual Arts Department Chair at Chicago Academy for the Arts.

Carl Sweets

Carl is a photographer who works with still, video and digital photography. He focuses students on the sciences, careers in the technological sector, and optics. His images are calculated and staged, exploring the idea of proof. To learn more about Carl, visit his website.

Ellen Tritschler

Ellen is a visual artist and educator.

Megan Williamson

Megan is a painter with over 20 years of teaching artist experience. She is a recipient of three artist grants from the City of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited throughout the US, Italy, and Canada. To learn more about Megan, visit her website.

Allison Yasukawa

Allison is a multidisciplinary visual artist and educator. In her work, she questions the ways in which cultural conventions are imprinted on the body. She holds an MFA in Studio Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is currently pursuing an MA in TESOL/Applied Linguistics. To learn more about Allison, visit her website.

Mirtes Zwierzynski

Mirtes is a visual artist and muralist whose works can be seen in North and South America as well as in Europe.  Actively engaged in arts education activities, Mirtes creates and implements public art programs focused on urban development and education.

DRAMA

 

Brittany Davis

Brittany has been an actor in Chicago since the 1990s. She has performed improv, in musicals, and in independent films. In 2007, she received a Black Theater Alliance Award for Best Ensemble for MPAACT’s world premiere of Blaxploitation 2: You Know How We Deux.

Kevin Douglas

Kevin is an actor, playwright and stand-up comic. A product of the Theatre School at DePaul University, he is a member of MPAACT and has performed in many stage productions across the US and Canada. Kevin has performed at Chicago theatres including Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, and Lookingglass Theatre, where he is an Artistic Associate. To learn more about Kevin, visit his website.

Sarah Goeden

Sarah is an actor who has performed with Redmoon, The Neofuturists and may other local theatre companies. She has received two Joseph Jefferson nominations and was listed in New City’s Top 5 Female Performances of 2008. Currently, she is the Director of CAST’s summer youth theatre program and a company member and teacher for Barrel of Monkeys.

Eddie Jordan III

Eddie is an MPAACT company member who has worked in many arts–in–education initiatives including Bronzeville Academic Center and Williams Elementary School. In addition to MPAACT acting credits, Eddie’s other credits include A Black History Mystery (Studio One Productions) and Fear of a Hood (Sansculottes).

Reggie Lawrence

Reggie is an actor and playwright who has written and performed many stage productions and regularly appears on Chicago stages including Steppenwolf Theatre and Victory Gardens Theatre. Reggie is also Executive Director of MPAACT.

Carla Stillwell

Carla Stillwell has been working as a poet, playwright, actor and director for over 20 years. A member of MPAACT, she continues partnerships with Steppenwolf Theatre and Victory Gardens Theatre. Through the Chicago Community Trust she led Global Girls, a 3-year arts initiative designed to introduce theatre to at risk youth.

Eric Walker

Eric was trained at The St. Louis Black Rep Theater through the acting internship program. He has worked at National Black Theatre in Harlem, Ujamma Black Theatre, Playwrights Theatre NY, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and various off Broadway productions. To learn more about Eric, visit his website.

Ashley Winston

Ashley is a teaching artist and actor.  She makes regular stage appearances throughout Chicago and has performed with the Chicago Children’s Theatre. She has taught drama and dance through CCT, Poeactry, and Free Street Theatre.

Lennal Sati Word

Lennal has been working in Chicago theater for over a decade. His talents include producing, directing, writing, designing and performing. Lennal is a member of the Maat Production Association for Afrikan Centred Theater. He also hosted an online political talk radio show called The Hidden News Hour with Sati Word.”

DANCE

Zineb Chraibi

Zineb Chraibi was a member of Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre and has taught dance at Conservatory of Dance at Barat College and Joel Hall Dance Center. She is currently on the faculty at Dance Center of Columbia College and Chicago High School for the Arts.

Jazmin Corona

Jazmin is an actor and dancer with both stage and on screen credits. She performed in Para Carmen with Collaboraction/Goodman Theatre’s Latino Theatre Festival and The Sun Always Shines for the Cool at Urban Theatre Company, and danced with Ballet Folklorico Tepehuani Nelli.

Lindsay DeLooze

Lindsay has danced with many companies including SHARP Dance Company, Brian Sanders/JUNK, and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company before joining Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. She is also on faculty at several dance studios in Chicago.

Erinn Groeltz

Erinn is a dancer and member of Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre 2.

Nadia Oussenko

Nadia Oussenko is a choreographer, filmmaker, photographer, and dancer. Nadia has performed throughout Chicago and has also screened video works in Salt Lake City; Manchester, England; and Durham, NC.

Dicko Yanogo

Dicko was born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. She is trained in both African traditional dance and contemporary dance. Yanogo has performed with the Ballet National of Burkina Faso and toured Africa, Europe, and the US with the company Salia Ni Seydou.

MUSIC

Charley Barbera

Charley is a percussionist who specializes in Afro-Caribbean song and drums. Barbera runs the Manigua Academy, a music studio. His teaching artist work revolves around exploring the music of the African diaspora.

Nick Jaffe

Nick is a teaching artist, writer, musician, audio engineer, certified K-8 teacher and Chief Editor of The Teaching Artist Journal.  Nick has played guitar with artists including Common, Ice Cube, Bobby Brown, Estelle, and Syleena Johnson. Studio credits include national TV campaigns and sessions as a guitarist and producer for many hip hop, soul and r&b artists. To learn more about Nick, visit his website.

Ronnie Malley

Ronnie is a Chicago based musician and is trained in Middle Eastern music. He performs internationally and is also involved with local acts such as Lamajamal and Mucca Pazza to name a few. Ronnie also teaches Music of the Middle East at the Old Town School of Music.

Jamie Topper

Jamie Topper is a Chicago-based percussionist and educator who specializes in Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern rhythmic traditions. She has been a teaching artist for over 10 years. Most recently she worked for the Music National Service as MusicianCorps Fellow and Leader for the Chicago team.

OTHER

Mike Bancroft

Mike is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and community activist. He is the founder and director of Co-op Image, a youth arts education non-profit based out of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. To learn more about Mike, visit his website.

Kay Dawson

Kay is a textile artist. She is an Associate Professor in Art and Design at Chicago State University, teaching all the fiber arts and weaving courses including natural dyeing, felting, quilting, tapestry, and most forms of weaving.

Michelle Green

Michelle is a film editor, a CAPE research assistant, and an arts educator investigating the ways in which democratic digital media and collaborative artmaking can empower young people and their communities.

Anni Holm

Anni is a conceptual artist working with photography, installation, performance, and collaborative art. She has performed and exhibited her work at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, as well as in New York, Minneapolis, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and Norway. To learn more about Anni, visit her website.

Jessica Hudson

Jessica is an artist who merges dance, theatre, photography (projected image), object (prop) construction and physical theatre. She has collaborated with numerous local theater companies. She is also a teaching artist with Hubbard Street Dance Center and is on the Illinois Arts Council teaching artist roster.

Chuck Jones

Chuck makes embroidery and videos while sitting on his couch or while sitting on a bench at his daughter’s preschool. You can see his work at www.babygorilla.com

Heather Jurewicz

Heather is a multidisciplinary artist, working in video, audio, sculpture and installation. She has taught media arts in a number of schools and community based organizations throughout Chicago through Street-Level Youth Media.

Maya Marshall

Maya is a Chicago based poet/teaching artist.  She has conducted workshops in the Midwest, Southwest and South America.

Victoria Martinez

Victoria is an interdisciplinary artist working in soft sculpture, installation and collage. She is interested in interacting and utilizing what is available from the urban environment. To learn more about Victoria, visit victoria-martinez.com

Erica Mott

Erica Mott is a choreographer, installation/visual performance maker, and cultural organizer who, through a variety of body-based sculptural forms (mask, costume, object), transforms discarded materials and disregarded spaces into sacred objects and sites. To learn more about Erica, visit her website.

Mikey Rioux

Mikey is Artistic Director of Chicago Dance Crash. He is a performance artist, choreographer, filmmaker, photographer, printmaker, painter, noise maker, trouble maker and teacher. michaelrioux.com

Kyra Termini

Kyra received her BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute.  She works in fabric arts and often explores performance through her work.

Luis Valadez

Luis is a poet, musician, and performer.  His writings have been published in many journals and he performs regularly throughout Chicago. Luis is also an AmeriCorp Vista Supervisor with CPS.  To learn more about Luis, visit his website.

Georgia Wall

Georgia is a Chicago based performance and video artist. She received her BA from Oberlin College and her MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011.

Jessi Walsh

Jessi is an interdisciplinary artist combining performance, studio practice, digital, and installation.  Jessi has held several teaching artist residencies throughout the US and has exhibited regionally. She also teaches art classes at Hyde Park Art Center. To learn more about Jessi, visit her website.

Meredith Zielke is a socially critical and community oriented filmmaker, photographer, educator and media literacy activist. She has undertaken topics such as collective memory and body identity in Crypto-Judaic history (“The Jettisoned”), the effective process of dialogue in confronting the Israel/Palestine conflict (“Zeitouna”), prismatic notions of body in Ecuador (“La Curación”) and alternatives in Detroit public education (“Our School”).

 


 

 


 

 

Waters School after school students learn from teaching artist Juan Carlos Perez.

Students at James B. McPherson Elementary School worked with installation artist Mike Bancroft of Co-op Image Group to create imaginary machines as part of their International Baccalaureate studies.

 

Teaching artist William Estrada instructs students at Telpochcalli Community Arts Elementary School.