LASC Teachers Bios

	NATALIE BAXTER is a Lexington native who studied video and film production at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN and is currently seeking her MFA in Studio Art at UK. Natalie is a former LASC student who has also taught art classes to children in Colorado, Tennessee and Montana.
	Dan Neil Barnes earned his BA in Human Environmental Design from the University of Kentucky. After studying stained glass from Laura Hallock here in Lexington, Dan began creating his own original designs combining light, color and texture. He has been awarded top honors for his beautiful and unique stained glass.
	JULIE BLACKBURN graduated with a BS degree from the University of Kentucky and has been working within the Lexington art community for nine years. She uses her imagination and creativity to bring forth fun and innovative ways for kids to enjoy art with science.
	FRANK BOYER is a local artist/ musician who has been teaching at the LASC since 1989. In that time he has created many classes, programs, and events for diverse populations from preschool to adults. He is currently an instructor for the UK Donovan Scholars program and continues his love and exploration of computer generated art, music, and all things creative.
	MELINDA BOYER is a folklore herbalist, horticulturalist, and nature lover. Since 1987 she has taught all populations of children and adults an infusion of art, ecology, and history. She is owner of New Day Herb and Native Plant Farm and nursery manager of the Friends of Griffith Woods restoration nursery.
	SONJA BROOKS is a visual artist who creates collages, mixed media constructions and jewelry incorporating a variety of new, repurposed and reused materials. Combining her love of art experimentation and early childhood education, she teaches many creative art workshops for children in the region. As Education Program Director of Sisohpromatem Art Foundation, Inc, a local nonprofit that nurtures the development of youth through participation in the arts, she organizes arts programs to encourage free-expression, self-confidence and critical thinking. In addition, Sonja provides professional development programs for teachers in her role as Teacher Outreach Coordinator for The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky.
	HILARY BROWN is a Tennessee native who has just completed her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Kentucky. She enjoys using traditional photography in new and interesting ways, and looks forward to working with kids and adults alike in all things photographic!
	Katherine Bullock is in her fifth year at the LASC as the center’s Educational Outreach Coordinator. She holds a BA in Art Education from Asbury College and previously taught elementary art in North Carolina and environmental education at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary in Lexington. Katherine enjoys highlighting connections between the arts and sciences in any program she develops or presents, from outreach programs in the community to the Discovery Exhibit here at the LASC.
	ROBERTA BURNES earned her B.S. with Distinction in Environmental Education at Ohio State University. Since then she has worked as a naturalist, educator, & artist in a variety of informal educational settings including the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, Living Arts & Science Center, and The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky.
	KEVIN CLAPP is a local artist and cartoonist. He has spent most of his life discovering the possibilities behind the expression that visual media has to offer. He has currently earned his Masters of Fine Arts degree from Northern Illinois University, with an emphasis in printmaking.
	JENNY CONATSER just graduated from the University of Kentucky with a BA in art studio. She likes to explore both realistic and abstract subject matter through mixed media and painting. Jenny loves art and loves to share her art with others.
	ADAM CRAFT received his BS in Art Education at the University of Kentucky in December of last year. He has since been a substitute teacher in Fayette County, awaiting his certification so he can teach art full time. Adam loves art, writing, and science, and looks forward to combining those elements in his classes at the LASC.
	K. CRANE is a board certified art therapist with an MA in Art Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her primary mediums are textiles, oil bar, and wax. She currently lives in Lexington with her husband and two Boston Terriers.
	Kate Davis-Rosenbaum is a mom, an artist and a part-time assistant in a Montessori classroom. She earned a B.A. in Visual Art from Eckerd College, an M.F.A. in Printmaking from Univ. of Georgia, and taught drawing, painting, and art history for 15 years at Midway College. She is passionate about the visual arts, art history, family, friends and pets.
	Crimson Duvall has a BFA in painting and ceramics from Eastern Kentucky University and her MFA in studio art from the University of Kentucky. She lives in Richmond, KY with her husband and three children (which she gets the most inspiration for her artwork)! She enjoys making coiled ceramic sculptures, pottery, paintings and installations that explore worlds that exsist in her imagination.
	DONNA LYNN EADS was raised on a farm outside of Lexington, KY. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and a minor in Art History from the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC. She is a local exhibiting artist and loves creating.
	BRUCE FRANK is a photographic artist who exhibits his work in galleries and museums throughout the country. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Florida State University, has been a graphic designer for 30 years, and has taught design and Photoshop classes at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. He is a juried member of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen and of the Kentucky Arts Council's Visual Arts at the Market program.
	MELISSA GILLETTE has six years experience working as a camp counselor and director for the YMCA. From Louisville, Melissa is a Marketing and Spanish major at UK and recently spent a month studying Spanish in Costa Rica. Melissa is also a Marketing Asst. for the LASC.
	GARRETT GRADDY spent her childhood summers making art at LASC, and this will be her tenth summer teaching there. She studied Theater at Yale, Religion at Harvard and teaches Geography and Honors at the University of Kentucky. Garrett lives in Lexington with her husband and daughter, while making excursions to nearby farms, forests, gardens, gorges, and hollows.
	DEBBIE HARNER has an M.A. in elementary education and over 20 years of teaching experience. She currently has her own tutoring business for elementary students in central Kentucky. Debbie also teaches science field trips and educational outreach programs for the LASC.
	MARTY HENTON has a BA in Art education from Purdue University and an MA in Art Education from Western Kentucky. She served as director of LASC for 23 years and now teaches art education and supervises student teachers in the Art Department at the University of Kentucky and at LASC.
	NATALIE HENTON graduated in 2006 from The University of South Carolina in Anthropology and Geography. She has traveled to Argentina and hopes to continue her travels wherever they may take her before attending graduate school. This is her fifth year of teaching at the Living Arts and Science Center and she loves it.
	DUANE KEATON lives in Nicholasville with his wife and son. He is the art teacher at Southern Middle School and has been teaching summer classes at LASC for the past 5 years.
	BOB KELLY is an award winning architect and artist with degrees from UK, Syracuse, and McGill University. His experience ranges from hands-on construction to a Ph.D. in architectural history and theory. He currently teaches architectural history and design at UK. His two daughters have enjoyed many years of great classes at LASC - so he decided it was time to teach one himself.
	CYNTHIA RYAN KELLY earned an MFA in painting and printmaking from UK in 1995, including a session at the Marchutz School of Painting in Aix-en-Provence, France. She is the recipient of two Kentucky Foundation for Women grants. Currently she is creating paintings for her exhibit "Stories About Mountaintop Removal" and teaching art to all ages, including her two children who are now 13 and 11.
	CHRISTINE KUHN is a professional artist, educator and activist specializing in the use of art as a means of personal growth and self-understanding and as a powerful tool for community building and empowerment.
	DONGFENG LI received his Master of Art Education in 1994 and MFA in painting & drawing in 2005. He has been teaching Chinese painting, drawing, painting and watercolor for more than 10 years in the U.S. and conducting many painting workshops nationally since 1996. He is an Assistant Professor of Art at Morehead State University.
	RACHEL LINDLE has a BA in Early Elementary Education with an emphasis in the creative arts from the University of Kentucky and is currently working towards a MA in Art Education. Rachel enjoys painting, photography, ceramics, knitting, crocheting, and mosaics. She believes that creativity and fun are vital when mixing art with children.
	STEVEN LITTRELL is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a BS degree in Architecture. He loves working in digital formats as well as traditional mediums. He is currently the Program Assistant and Webmaster for the LASC.
	PAUL LOVELACE studied philosophy and theater at Hampden-Sydney, environmental ethics and education at Harvard, and education policy at UK—playing soccer all the while. Paul is excited to return to LASC and offer classes incorporating theatre, visual art, science and physical education.
	Heather Lyons is the Executive Director of the LASC. Previously, she was an independent filmmaker and an artist-in-residence for over 10 years in schools throughout Kentucky. She is looking forward to this opportunity to get back in the classroom with students!
	ERICA MEUSER has a BFA in printmaking and painting, which she earned while studying with the late UK professor Ross Zirkle. Her work is a reflection of who she is; a woman, mother and an emotional watcher of life around her.
	RACHEL MILLER graduated in 2007 with a BA in Art Education and Art Studio from UK. She enjoys ceramics, and drawing. Rachel loves creating things and sharing her love of the arts with children.
	Aimee Monahan is an artist and mother with a background in early childhood education. During three years in Florida she began producing beautifully unique sculptures comprised mostly of wire and beads that she has exhibited in galleries and shows. Aimee looks forward to sharing her ideas with students!
	STEVIE MOORE earned a BA in Art from U.K in 2005 and currently has a studio at the Artists Attic in Victorian Square. He focuses on nature related artwork in traditional and digital media. Stevie loves teaching and has taught for 7 years at the LASC. Stevie’s interests include aviation, aquariums, nature, art, and history.
	Elissa Morley grew up in Cocoa Beach, Florida and attended Asbury College and the Slade School of Fine Art in London, England. She has lived in Lexington for the last 5 years, teaching Art courses at Georgetown College and Eastern Kentucky University..
	MARY L. NEHRING is a graduate from UK with a BFA in fibers. She enjoys all types of fiber related art, but her big love is putting color on fabric and yarn. Finding new ways to use the old craft, quilting, is another of her obsessions.
	Amy Olson is a bilingual children/teen librarian, singer, writer and storyteller. Her two chapters, "Using Music as a Tool for Improving Preliteracy in Children" and "Breaking though Cultural Barriers: Using Latin American Folktales in Literacy and Library Programming" will be published in a textbook Fall, 2010. Originally from Chicago, Amy has performed throughout Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, and South Carolina at conferences, festivals, libraries, and schools. Amy tailors her class' experiences to fit the individual participants so that everyone can learn while having fun.
	Will Overbeck studied natural history illustration at the Field Museum and earned his BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He supports ecological restoration through the use of native plants to enhance nature preserves. His paintings, drawings, and sculptures can be viewed occasionally in Lexington. He currently is attending EKU for an M.S. in Biology.
	Elaine Quave received her Master of Fine Art from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia PA. Elaine has worked for Penland School of Craft in NC, Pilchuck School of Glass in WA, Interlochen Arts Camp in MI, and the SC Governor’s School for the Arts in her home town of Greenville, SC. Elaine is also the new Gallery Director at the LASC.
	LAURA RAY has a BA in Art Education and a BFA in Art Studio from the University of Kentucky. She loves exploring different media with her students. She loves teaching!
	FARHAD REZAEI is a local mixed media visual artist, and multi instrumentalist, musician and composer. Farhad has studied Music and Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky and performs in several musical and performing bands. He has done several art exhibitions and installations in Lexington!
	SEBREE RIZZO has a BA in Psychology and Art Education, as well as an MA in Art Education from the University of Kentucky. Right now she is focusing on printmaking and bookmaking, using mixed media. She is currently teaching art at Morton Middle School and SCAPA at Bluegrass.
	BETH ROSDATTER worked for 10 years as a production hand weaver before going back to school and re-tooling as a philosopher. She has taught fiber arts in various local kids programs and at the college level.
	Tricia Spencer received an MFA in 2002 and an MS in Art Education in 200 from Radford University in Virginia and a BA from the University of Wyoming. In 1994 she studied metalsmithing at Artes Plasticas in Taxco, Mexico and later studied at the Instituto Cultural in Oaxaca. She has been a visiting artist at the Kemper Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO; Lawrence Art Center in Lawrence, KS; Kansas City Art Institute; University of Wyoming Art Museum in Laramie, WY; KAUAI Academy for Creative Arts in Kauai, Hawaii; and has taught at Houston Central Community College, the University of Kentucky, and at Radford University. To see more of Tricia Spencer's work and that of her students please go to: www.artworksts.blogspot.com and www.artistictrekkers.blogspot.com
	AMY WELLS-BARNHILL has been teaching at the LASC for six years now! She has her BA in Studio Art from Transylvania and a Masters in Art Education from Georgetown University. When not teaching art she can be found eating, painting, and scootering around town.
	Marcus Wilkerson is a native of Louisville, KY and is the founder of a musical/multidisciplinary program called, Rebuilding Through Rhythm. Currently, he presents his program in a variety of schools across Kentucky and directs the Lexington Children’s Drum Choir.
	Molly Costich Wilson has a BFA from Auburn University in drawing and painting and a Masters in Art Education from the University of Kentucky. She is a locally exhibiting artist, has taught at LASC for 19 years, and is the LASC’s Art Education Coordinator.
	KRIIS ZEPS has a BA in Elementary Education and an A.M.S. Montessori graduate studies degree. She has taught in private Montessori Schools and public elementary schools over the past 20 years. She enjoys encouraging children to explore, learn and create using a variety of hands-on materials.