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August 30, 2023
2023 TATI Participants
Hilda Abla - Lebanese-Armenian artist Hildos, born Hilda Abla moved to NYC in 2013 and where she pursued her artist and teaching artist career. She started as a teaching Assistant at an Art studio, then an Educator at the Brooklyn Children’ Museum, a STEAM educator and currently as a Teaching Artist with Illuminart and Brooklyn Arts Council. This diverse work experience gave her the knowledge and tools to navigate and provide better teaching services to students. Driven by making a difference and helping students in underserved communities and not believe in one size fits all she adapts lessons plans to the students’ needs and help them develop their skills and grow their potential. She is also a positive body image activist and convey this message through her art
Tagan Rios - Hi. I am Tagan Rios. I have taught ceramics in the NYC DOE for twenty five years. I came to NY in the 90's to study at Cooper Union. I currently teach high school ceramics at The Global Learning Collaborative. I am very excited for this opportunity to improve my teaching practice.
Todd Woodard serves as a Theatre Teaching Artist for Lincoln Center Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Broadway Teaching Group, and DreamYard, the Bronx's largest arts organization. He engages young people of a wide range of strengths and challenges in building acting skills, play performance, devising theatre, and a drama-based approach to improving English language fluency. He utilizes theatre techniques and experience to promote community, teamwork, enhancement of social-emotional skills and the empowerment of student voices. He earned a Master's Degree in Educational Theatre from the City College of New York, and trained as an actor at Atlantic Theater Company and with Terry Schreiber. Todd grew up in both Liverpool, NY and New York City, and currently lives with his 2 beautiful kids and sweet dog in South Orange, NJ.
Karen Margolis - My name is Karen Margolis and I am currently working full time as an artist, across mixed media -- installation, sculpture, ceramics and compositions on paper. My art is conceptually based and process driven explorations of the beauty in imperfection. My work has been exhibited internationally in galleries and museums. I designed a mosaic installation for the 86 Street Subway station , N line, Brooklyn, through MTA Arts & Design. Originally from New Jersey, I currently live in Manhattan and work in Brooklyn. I have taught studio art to visually impaired and blind teenagers through the Lighthouse for the Blind and adults with Cerebral Palsy at the Cerebral Palsy Center, instructing how to communicate through form, materials and process.
Marcela Artunduaga is a Queens-based Theater Artist originally from Colombia. Marcela holds a Bachelor's Degree in Dramatic Arts from Universidad del Valle. She has been involved in theater since 2010, first in Cali, her native city, and, recently, in New York City. Marcela has developed and implemented workshops with children and youth (pre-k, elementary, middle, and high school). Her work as a Teaching Artist is centered on community-based theater. Here, the student-participant is the center of the encounters, and the creative process allows space for critical thinking, imagination, and movement. Marcela explores multiple intelligences for theater creation and aims for an ongoing reflection throughout the process. She is currently pursuing her MA in Applied Theater from CUNY SPS.
Robert Reddington (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based theatre-maker, educator, and arts administrator. Robert is a graduate of SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts with a dual major in Theatre & Performance (Acting) and Arts Management. Robert is pursuing his Master’s in Educational Theatre (NYS K-12th Grade Certification) at City College. Robert is currently a teaching artist with NJPAC, Arts Horizons, and Brooklyn Acting Lab. Robert’s teaching artistry is rooted in applied theatre and draws from Augusto Boal’s pedagogy as a tool for community building, self-exploration, and civic engagement.
Magdalena Delaluz - My name is Magdalena Delaluz. I am an art teacher at P469 The Bronx School for Continuous Learners. This is my first year teaching art and I love it. So far I have focused on hands on projects and used materials such as crayons, paint, modeling clay, various craft and recyclable materials etc. When creating instruction I focus on the individual abilities of my students and differentiate my lessons to meet the needs of all of my students.
Ana Lopez Vasquez - Born in Puerto Rico and currently living in Montreal and New York City. AnaVito creates oil and mixed-media paintings which the reflect the strength and frailty of the human connection. The resulting creations are figurative in nature and allow her to experiment with new materials and techniques. Her paintings allow the viewer to create their own story with the information the images provide. AnaVito received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinctions at Concordia University in Montreal in 2022, a Bachelor of Arts from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in 2002, a Juris Doctor from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico in 2010. AnaVito teaches at the Point Saint Charles Art School in Montreal. Her pieces can be found in private collections in Puerto Rico and the United States.
Joann Westgate - Hi my name is Joann Westgate and I live in New Jersey by the shore. I was born in Brooklyn and attended schools in Staten Island. I was a Reading Buddy volunteer for 7 years with Family and Children’s Service and I shared my love of reading and illustrations with students at local schools. Currently I am studying watercolor at the Art Students League in NYC and I sketch the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History. I enjoy painting illustrations of animals in their natural habitats and some of these pictures are displayed at the Ronald McDonald House in New Brunswick and Long Branch New Jersey.
Meredith Arcari Luciano - Certified teacher Meredith Arcari Luciano is a Teaching Artist and Master Gardener. Her goal as a Teaching Artist is to give access to the arts to all students in every community and to create inclusive programs that provide an opportunity for each individual to tell their stories and connect to their artwork while also integrating higher-order thinking within her programs. After becoming a Master Gardener in 2013, her work also focuses on rebuilding the soil, redistributing and preserving native flora and fauna, and providing nature-based programs to show others how to enrich the environment in their neighborhood. In addition to her love for educating and gardening, she is a Painter, Photographer, and Entrepreneur running her small business from her home with her two girls in Hartford County.
Erroll Davidson Jr. - Hi my name is Erroll, and I am from the Bronx. My pronouns are he/him/his. I enjoy painting abstract art and acrylic paint pouring. I am a special education teacher leader and continuous learner. I love international travels.
Karla Slack - Born and raised in Mexico City. She has 30+ years of experience teaching Mexican Dance to kids and adults. She has a degree in PE Teacher, certified as Zumba instructor, Percussionist of Mexican music and Mexican crafts Teacher. She is the Director of Alma de Mexico music and dance Company. She is a member of the International Council of Dance UNESCO.
Tricia Riske - Hello, my name is Tricia Riske, I live in Manhattan. Currently, I am teaching Architecture and Mask Making through Marquis Studios. In the past, I have taught all forms of Visual Art to elementary and middle school. Ceramics is the art form which I enjoy and have a studio. Before moving to New York in 2018, I was a scenic artist for Disney for 10 years. There we painted anything artistic for the park whether it was murals, props, signs, walls and ride vehicles. I look forward to the training from the TATI Institute.
Chanelle Patrick - Hi I’m Chanelle Patrick. I’m 38 years old and I’m from Chicago. I’ve been living in New York since 2016 with my son. I’ve been in education for almost 15 years. The art that I teach is Performing Arts. Currently I work as a Substitute with a District 75 school called Hungerford. This school services special needs and medically fragile middle school and high school students. I love to dance. I am also a fitness instructor with LA fitness.
Charly Hamann - Charly is from Jupiter, Florida and has been living in New York City for four years. Before moving to Manhattan she received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory. Alongside teaching theatre, she’s an actor, songwriter and performs on the cabaret scene in NYC. She is a Master’s candidate at the City College of New York studying Theatre Education and is on track to graduate this coming May. She is so excited to be working with Marquis Studio’s Teaching Artist Training Institute!
Ali Hardy - Ali is a NYC based creative working at the intersection of art and advocacy. Using theatre for the bulk of her advocacy, Ali has created multiple theatrical performances about a wide variety of social justice issues, with a current focus on immunocompromised artists. Ali has spoken on panels about chronic illness and disability inclusion in the arts and has led workshops for a number of organizations on how to tell your story. Ali is passionate about creating trauma informed, consent based rehearsal spaces and is training to become an Intimacy Director. Ali is the co-founder of Reckless Theatrics, an art collective with a mission of inclusion, intersectionality, and using art for social justice. As a teaching artist, Ali’s niche lies in accessibility and creating safe spaces. She hopes that those who take her class feel empowered to speak up for what they need and to tell the stories that are important to them.
Esther Song Jun (she/her) is a Korean-American Art Teacher and Artist. She received her BFA in 2015 from Cornell University and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Art Education at The City College of New York. Her teaching and studio practice are motivated by her past, her culture, her experiences with trauma and mental health, and her Christian faith. Jun’s primary tools are graphite and text and her work often includes writing and narrative.
Rasheeda Johnson - I’m Rasheeda Johnson, an artist self-taught teaching artist living in Brooklyn, NY. After doing teaching arts as a side gig for 20+ years, I decided to make it my main career in March of 2022. I’ve worked for various organizations; most recently, I’ve facilitated art programs for Bronx Arts Ensemble, DIVAS for Social Justice, illuminart and the Brooklyn Museum. I’m also a practicing artist having worked mainly as a portrait artist but am currently working on a paper sculpture project. I work and teach in many mediums including painting/drawing, mural arts, sculpture, street art and more. I’m very proud of my accomplishments thus far as a teaching artist and look forward to honing my teaching skills with TATI.
Michel Mok - My name is Michel Mok. I was born and live in Manhattan. I teach music full time at an elementary school in Brooklyn. I play guitar and sing in a rock and roll band. Music is my life!
