Sonoma Community Center
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SCC’s Ceramic Program coordinator. Forrest received a BFA from the New York State School of ceramics at Alfred University and and MFA from Utah State University. Forrest has been a resident artist at the Watershed Center for Ceramics in Newcastle, ME, and two years in residence at the Mendocino Arts Center. He is the co-founder of the Center for Ceramic Arts and Sebastian Ward Gallery in Berkeley, CA. His work is exhibited nationally, most recently at the Atrium Gallery in Muncie, Indiana, and Akar Gallery in Iowa City, IA.
received her BFA and MFA from the University of Georgia and attended the College of Marin. She taught ceramics in the Sonoma Unified School District, Froebel School in Sonoma, The School of Arts & Sciences, Marin Country Day School, the Dixie School District in Marin County, and the University of Georgia Adult Education Classes. Beverly is the potter at the LaHaye Art Center and has been learning from clay for over 35 years. She is a Sonoma Treasure Artist, a member of the Association of California Clay and Glass Artists, and Bolinas Craft Guild.
Michiko Kinoshita
began studying ceramics in her home country of Japan. She received her MFA from San Diego State University in CA. Through her studies, Michiko has developed a style of work that bridges both Japanese and American ceramic traditions. She has taught ceramics classes at San Diego State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, and the Louxing Academy of Fine Art in China. Her work has been exhibited throughout the US and abroad.
holds an MFA from the University of Washington in Ceramics, Painting, and Textiles, and a BS from San Jose State University in Interior Architecture. While residing in Seattle, she founded and directed The Factory of Visual Art for ten years and was an instructor at The Factory of Visual Art and University of Washington. Currently in Sonoma, Lin is a commissioner of the City of Sonoma’s Cultural and Fine Arts Commission and actively works with the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art as a member of the Exhibition Committee, an ARTS mentor, and Art History Coordinator. Her paintings, ceramics, and textiles are in private and public collections and museums nationally. Lin has just been named Sonoma Treasure Artist for 2009-2010.
David Williams
David “Doctor of Dance” Williams has been a competitive dancer and professional instructor since 2001. He enjoys proficiency in a number of dances, but his main focus and passion is in Salsa Dancing.
Cliff Hugo
Cliff comes to us with 35 yrs experience as a teacher, a studio musician in Los Angeles and has toured worldwide and recorded with Ray Charles, Supertramp and Melissa Manchester to name a few.
Bene Rather-Taylor
Never without a hoop in hand, Bene has been passionately sharing her love of hoopdance since the beginning of the year. She hand-makes all her hoops and has hosted weekly playshops in the Sonoma Plaza throughout the summer. She has travelled internationally to study flow arts and performs with her fire hoop and fire poi at restaurants and private events both locally and regionally.
Sandy Frank
holds a BA from The Academy of Art in Illustration and a BFA form the University of San Francisco. She has studiod sculpture with master sculptors that include Manuel Neri, and Peter Rubino. Sandy has also been a part of the San Francisco Sculpture Co-OP and The Nicasio Sculpture Group in Marin.
Sandy has taught art to all ages over the last 25 years at home and abroad including The Hills Project, a non-profit that keeps art alive in the inner city schools of San Francisco. Her work has been published and shown in private and public collections.
Teddy Elston
received her BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, and has been a full-time studio artist since 1965. Her work has been exhibited throughout the world and is held in private and public collections.
Nina Antze
is a botanical artist and quilt maker living in Sonoma County. She has a degree in Fine Art from San Francisco State University and a Certificate in Botanical Illustration from the New York Botanical Gardens. Her quilts have won numerous awards and her botanical paintings have been exhibited in New York and at the Huntington Library Art Collections and Gardens. She works in colored pencil, graphite, and watercolor.
William Smith
received his BFA in printmaking from Sonoma State University and MFA from West Virginia University. He has taught lithography and drawing at SSU and currently teaches drawing and printmaking at Santa Rosa Junior College. He has led numerous monotype workshops and worked as master printer with artists at Aurobora Press in San Francisco in 1995.
A native-born German, Brigitte brings two decades of education and experience to her work as a printmaker. She is a graduate of both the School of Art and Art Therapy in Munich, Germany. She later studied Printmaking at Santa Cruz Junior College and specifically, Mono Print at Il Bisonte in Italy. She has exhibited throughout Germany and the US and has been featured in various major art periodicals.
Mary Neuer-Lee
has been a metal artist since 1969 and is a certified Level Two PMC Instructor and a member of the PMC Guild. She has her own production line of sterling silver and copper hand-wrought ornaments and jewelry, and has shown in many galleries including Shidoni Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; Eureka Gallery, NY; Wolfards Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA; Earthworks, Sonoma; and The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park. Mary has a jewelers Certificate from Santa Rosa Junior College and Revere Jeweler’s Academy in San Francisco.
Shotsie Gorman
originally from Paterson, New Jersey, Shotsie is a self-educated, multi-talented world traveler, tattoo researcher, life-student, poet and artist. His preferred media span poetry, ceramic, sculpture, tattoo, furniture making, and more. He is a lecturer on the art and history of tattooing, and in 1998 he won the Allen Ginsburg Prize for poetry. Shotsie’s first collection of poetry and companion spoken word CD The Black Marks He Made was released by Proteus Press of Albany, NY.
is a professional actress with more than 25 years experience. She has acted on stage, in commercials, television dramas and three films. She is a member of three actor’s unions. Nellie served as Assistant Director for five student productions at Sonoma Country Day School. She has taught many acting classes for young people in Santa Rosa and San Francisco.
was born and raised in Ann Arbor Michigan and received a BFA from Eastern Michigan University. Shortly after receiving her degree, she was inspired to move to San Francisco and pursue a life filled with dancing and sculpture. Through learning Freestyle Footbag, a beautiful and unusual dance discipline, Carol has traveled to and performed in many countries and throughout the United States earning 9 world championship titles. Throughout her travels as a performer, Carol has managed to keep the visual arts as a vital part of her daily experience. She creates sculptures that are intended to personify movement and are influenced by her history in dance. Carol has enjoyed various opportunities to teach ceramic sculpture, and her work has been featured in a number of publications including three of the “500” series by Lark Books, three different volumes of “American Art Collectors” by Alcove Books, “Best of America; Pottery and Woodwork” a Kennedy Promotion, and “Teapots Today” a Schiffer Publication.
Ann Fursman Nix, MA, CHHT
was a professional artist for 25 years before turning to consciousness work. She holds a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology and is a certified Clinical Hypno-therapist. Ann’s passion is using art as a tool for transformation.
Deborah Hill, MA, MFT
is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She brings insights gained through 19 years of private practice to her work with women in transition. Deborah currently facilitates bereavement groups at Willmar Center.
Kate Leland
has 30+ years of professional teaching experience in Ballet and Musical Theater. Her dance career has taken her from performing professionally in Los Angeles, New York City, and National Tours to teaching and choreographing in the Bay Area. Her extensive ballet background includes training in Chechetti and Royal Academy as well as teacher training in the Vaganova, Paris Opera, and Bournonville Ballet Techniques. Miss Kate has choreographed and/or directed My Fair Lady, Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Brigadoon, Oklahoma, Evita, Godspell, Guys and Dolls, and Grand Hotel.
is recognized internationally as a Breathexperience teacher and trainer in professional and personal growth programs, workshops, classes, and individual hands-on (breath dialogue) sessions. She has recently participated as a soloist and group dancer in “Odem—Breath Moves Body, Soul, and Spirit”, a breath dance experience at the U.C. Berkeley Art Museum, and one of the breathexperience practitioners in a research study at UCSF which showed beneficial results for patients with chronic low back pain. She has been a presenter at U.S. Association for Body Psychotherapy national conferences, is an author, education consultant, and artist.
Don Gillaspie, RN
has practiced Yang style Tai Chi Chuan (TCC), as taught by Cheng Man-ch’ing, for 33 years. He is a certified instructor and a senior student of Benjamin Lo. He currently teaches in Marin and Sonoma and in an RN with Hospice by the Bay.
Cynthia Tarr has amazed audiences as a live performer and studio musician in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Cynthia’s accomplishments include creating and recording songs with Keb’ Mo’, Manhattan Transfer and Dori Caymmi, among others. Cynthia has utilized her dual vocation as a singer and a healer to teach and inspire in both casual and corporate settings.
Jon has been a guitar player and teacher for over 40 years.Jon has taught his popular Electric Blues class in Sonoma since 2000. He has multiple degrees in music, including a BA in Jazz Guitar, and is working on his Orff Schulwerk Certification. Jon has a full-time job as a music teacher at Marin County School.
has a BS in education with a minor in Theater Arts. She has had extensive theater experience in all aspects of the art. She was a high school speech coach for the interpretive events in Jackson Hole and has produced several school productions during her teaching years.
received her B.A. in sustainable agricultural methods from Hampshire College. She has developed and maintained numerous backyard gardens for valley residents. Currently she operates Quarter Acre Farm in Sonoma, where she grows vegetables and sells everything she produces at the Friday morning farmers market and to Mondo Restaurant.
has been dancing for over 50 years, as performer on stage, in Ballroom and Latin dance competitions, as choreographer, and in “Learn To Dance” instructional videos. He has a passion for teaching, and also uses his well-honed skills to instruct Blind and Visually impaired people, to tap and social dance. Gene is known for making learning to dance fun and easy, even if you think you have two left feet.