Reba Askari

Discipline(s): Theatre

Teaching Philosophy: I see theatre as an opportunity to present challenging material and give students an empathetic understanding of the world in which they live. Theatre offers a lens through which all curricula can be presented, interpreted, and evaluated. By focusing on the process of play creation rather than a final outcome, drama simulates a world where students can become experts, decision makers and problem solvers. My approach to literacy offers students a spatial relationship to words and opportunities to take ownership of original text. My work is inspired by Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of Experts, Process Drama of Jonothan Neelands, Augusto Boal, Ken Ludwig’s approach to Shakespeare and Anne Bogart’s Viewpoints. I teach to multiple intelligences, have experience with all developmental levels and offer opportunities for everyone to be engaged as an active participant in the creative process.

Janoah Bailin

Discipline(s):  Circus, Physical Theatre, Dance 

Teaching Philosophy: At its core, juggling is the interaction between bodies and props. I teach by activating a variety of paths to successful juggling — creative exploration, basic patterns that practice ambidextrous coordination and activate both hemispheres of the brain, movement invention and performance. In this way my classes are open to all bodies and abilities, learning through: exploration, repetition, challenges and games. My teaching style is encouraging and supportive, searching for the motions that define each student’s personal expression.

Ian Bannon

Discipline(s): Puppetry, Physical Theater, Ensemble Devising

Teaching Philosophy: I bring over a decade of experience and boundless energy to the classroom. I teach one-off workshops but revel in long-term projects that support curriculum. Each workshop is tailored to the needs of the students I serve, enabling them to explore their world, express their thoughts, and demonstrate their learning through puppetry. The form can be used in myriad ways: enabling students to imagine and realize the impossible through the magic of shadows, requiring students to work intensely in tight quarters with their peers, devising original material along a theme, adapting curriculum into performance, providing an emotionally-safe distance to process difficult material...the opportunities are endless!

Shawna Barnes

Discipline(s): Visual Arts

Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy centers on the experience of creating. Through investigation, trial and error, and the act of creation; I believe that we can unlock untapped potential. I am an advocate for using creative outlets as an integral part of a self-care regimen and appropriate recovery/well-being treatment plans. I love working with people of all ages and abilities, helping them discover new ways to accomplish tasks often taken for granted. I specialize in helping find and create adaptive solutions for people with disabilities that enable them to participate in an inclusive environment. Andy - my service dog - and I are always happy to bring service dog etiquette conversations to the classroom as a part of our art class.

Karen Brooks

Discipline(s): Paper Art, Sculpture and Book Arts

Teaching Philosophy: Paper art is having a resurgence as a medium. In a highly technological age, it provides a “hands on” experience to students. My way of paper art making involves moving and blending elements throughout the process of creating a piece, which enhances the practice of spontaneity and improvisation. This allows divergent ideas to emerge. I have seen those who lacked confidence find creative courage as they built and rearranged elements and were inspired to make new forms to add to a piece. This is what I most love about working in paper, and why I enjoy sharing my approach to this medium with others.

Robin Brooks

Discipline(s): Drawing, Painting, Collage, Mixed Media Explorations, Group Mural, Puppets, Found Object Assemblage

Teaching Philosophy: When working with children or adults, I try to help each person discover their creative potential and make a connection to the world of art.  My approach to teaching starts with exploring materials, both traditional art materials like paint and clay as well as found or recycled materials.  I draw my inspiration as a teacher from several sources--the Reggio Emilia early childhood community, the Choice-Based art education network, and the Mindfulness in Education movement.  All of these groups encourage reflective practice and growth and learning on the part of the teacher.

Scot Cannon

Discipline(s): Music, Mime, Songwriting, Music Recording, Character Education

Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy is one of inclusion. Every child responds to music, mime, movement, telling stories and positive reinforcement. My songwriting residencies are a combination of all those. All my work is based on the speech problems I had growing up.  The inability to express myself led me to the arts to find a way to communicate. In my residencies I want to give the children the same feelings of wonder I had the first time I played an instrument, wrote a song, heard myself sing and shared my stories with others. We all work together to find the subject, write the words, turn them into lyrics, practice and make a recording. Where we end up is how far the children want to go.

Nicole Cardano

Discipline(s): Drama, and Improvisational Theatre

Teaching Philosophy: I work with improvisational games, scripted drama or in developing original pieces with the students. Our theater projects connect to curriculum while nurturing social skills. Play is a key element to human interaction. This form of communication is deeply rooted in society through folk games. Exposure to theater through school is proven to enhance student achievement. Success of engaging hard to reach students has been a consistent development in teaching theater and improvisation.

Squidge Liljeblad Davis

Discipline(s): Clay, Pottery, and Sculpture

Teaching Philosophy: I am a studio artist with many decades of experience working as an Arts Commission supported visiting artist in schools. Working primarily in silence with clay and simple tools - teacher and students side by side, creating - makes it possible for me to structure an experience that allows for much more one-on-one attention to each child, each student able to follow inner guidance in expressing personal and individual sculpture and pottery. I teach ancient methods still used by indigenous peoples making it possible to support classroom lesson plans on animals and their bio regions, ancient and indigenous cultures, history of Maine; since we are working with clay and art as the first written language of our species, the list of applications is endless. I finish our time together with with each student, who is bursting to speak of what they have found great success in creating, writing. Their writing - some are poets, some essayists, some story tellers - is as splendid as their sculptures. In addition to students and their teachers having a wonderful, both restorative and creative time, the Learning Results goals are furthered with each student having success, expanded attention span, communication both visually and in writing while creating in a process that allows for maximum individual self direction. For me, this is a great joy and a great privilege.

Rob Duquette

Discipline(s): Kindness, World Music and Songwriting

Teaching Philosophy: I introduce students to, and teach specific skills to handle the contemporary assault on their senses. I want these skills to be in place before the more serious issues hit them during their teenage years. Resilience, compassion, kindness, gratitude, sense of purpose, loving oneself, safe touch and peer mistreatment are all themes that all my programs address in different manners.

Kal Elmore

Discipline(s):Printmaking

Teaching Philosophy: Whether teaching or making art, the creative process leads to learning on many levels. I am prepared to collaborate with teachers to develop lessons that help students experience a new media, a new technique, and/or a different way of thinking about visual art. The lessons may be partnered with literacy, science, history, or math, to enhance learning opportunities for students. It is the teacher’s role to create an environment where learning can take place, by providing encouragement, guidance, and reinforcement as needed. These lead to generating ideas, making connections, and solving visual problems.

Leland Faulkner

Discipline(s): Theatre, Film

Teaching Philosophy: My most basic artistic and educational mission is to remind people that they are surrounded with wonder at all times. I like to enlighten by entertaining with visual artistry, simple stories and objects brought to life through magic and movement, and in the process evoke wonder. On another level my mission is to bring diverse groups together by devising and presenting performances that share elements of physical theatre, international culture, and individual imagination. Character, Mime, and Story seem to cross cultural boundaries either by bringing narratives to life in live performance, or by performing universal material that crosses boundaries by using humor.  My performances and teachings take elements from my artistic work and provide accessibility to physical theatre in a school environment.  Seeing live theatre as a young boy was a magical experience, and I want to make that thrill reoccur in the heart of another generation.

Gibson Fay-Leblanc

Discipline(s): Poetry, Fiction and Nonfiction Writing

Teaching Philosophy: Because I didn’t discover my interest in poetry and creative writing until my twenties, I understand the boredom and fear with which many students approach putting words on the page. I love finding unconventional ways into writing and believe that the biggest thing young writers need is encouragement. If they find a story they have to tell, they will, with help, learn whatever technical skills they need to learn to tell it.