STUDIO COYOTE TEACHING ARTISTS
WILLOW HEATH (she/her)
WILLOW HEATH has been exhibiting her paintings in galleries for fifteen years. Her visual art is composed mostly of vivid portraiture pieces, each displaying a keen eye for detail and love of saturated color. She is currently working on illustrating and writing her childhood tales and teaching illustration and painting courses at Gage Academy of Art, Coyote, and many Seattle public schools. She has been teaching for over a decade. www.willowheath.com
AARON POZOS (She/THEY)
AARON POZOS is a non-binary artist, printmaker, photographer, fibers artist, and whichever new process intrigues them at the moment. Currently they are located in Seattle, WA though they are originally from San Antonio, TX and hold a BFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an MFA in Printmaking from the University of North Texas (go mean green). Major themes in their artworks include material aspects of contemporary political culture from a leftist perspective and the anxieties of our unstable present and future. Their quilts explore ideas and thoughts that bring us comfort in these troubling times. In addition to teaching and creating art they work at a frame shop as a woodworker where they make fine art walnut frames. www.pozosprints.com
AVA WADLEIGH (she/her)
AVA WADLEIGH has been illustrating, painting, and participating in general artistic tomfoolery in the Tacoma Seattle area her whole life and teaching since 2018. Ava enjoys working in any medium she can get her hands on, as well as playing piano and acting. She is a firm believer in creative practices fueling growth and developing problem-solving skills, and aims to impart all the knowledge she has collected to her students. Ava has worked on several creative projects for institutions like the Tacoma School of the Arts and Lemay Car Museum and is currently studying at Western Washington University to receive her BFA and a minor in music.
CYPRESS MANNING (they/them)
CYPRESS MANNING is a queer + trans writer, artist, and educator from Taos, New Mexico. They received their MFA in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College in 2019, and are a current Hugo House Fellow (2022-2023). For Cypress, writing is a process of self-making, a way of engaging with/in community, and a powerful practice of embodiment for all people, young and old. They are in a two-person cribbage league with their mom, and live in Seattle with their partner where they teach creative writing.
ELOISA AGUIRRE (they/she/elle/ella)
ELOISA AGUIRRE is a community organizer, artist, and educator. As a gender queer, Brown immigrant from Mexico, they are committed to the abolition of all systems of oppression. Their academic work centers Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples and their curricula are based on the teachings of bell hooks and Paulo Freire. They recently presented their pedagogical reflections at the Inaugural bell hooks Symposium and joined the Latin American Philosophy of Education Society as an Editorial Collective. Eloisa is also starting their Master's Degree in Social & Cultural Foundations program at the University of Washington College of Education, Autumn 2023. Drawing from thorough Social Emotional training, they facilitate robotics, digital art and philosophical learning spaces with youth in Seattle, and work towards building community everywhere they go with anti-racist and intersectionality frameworks. Check-out her work here: https://aguirreelote.wixsite.com/website
JAMES COFFIN (he/him)
JAMES COFFIN is a multidisciplinary artist obsessed with visual art, design, and music. He strives to find the link between different creative practices to strengthen one another, and tries to balance as many disciplines as he can! James has worked in comics, entertainment design, and illustration; he has also played drums in many different musical settings. When not sketching at zoos and museums, he spends free time reading comics, rehearsing music, and playing 6-hour geeky board games.
KAMYAR MOHSENIN (he/him)
KAMYAR MOHSENIN is an award winning multimedia artist, filmmaker, and educator based in Seattle, Washington by way of Santa Cruz, California. Teaching art for 7+ years, Kamyar designs holistic and imaginative curriculums for students to explore creative expression and storytelling. Kamyar currently works with Coyote Central, Northwest Film Forum, Seattle Girls School, and other public/private schools in Washington. ww.kamyarmohsenin.art
LESLIE THYAGARAJAN (he/him)
LESLIE THYAGARAJANI is an artist who has been creating, performing, and teaching special styles of artworks in virtually all mediums. He learned magic from East Indian snake charmers and a British trickster and mixes both east and west in his teaching and performing. His talents include Origami, Puppetry, Cartooning, 3D, plus his original invention of the art of “Filterism”. His film, Magic Verite, is popular among all ages.
MARIA ZAMORA (she/her)
MARIA ZAMORA is an Interdisciplinary Visual Artist born in Merida, Venezuela, who now resides in Seattle. Maria received a BA with Honors from University of Washington in 2020. With vibrant and contrasting colors, she creates energetic compositions that bring to life memories of the tropical fauna and flora of Venezuela. Maria finds joy in experimenting with different mediums such as screen printing, painting, and drawing. While expanding her practice in screen printing, she explored the world of textile design as an apprentice at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, creating repeat patterns that encapsulate the splendor of the natural world.
NATHAN BROCKETT (he/him)
NATHAN BROCKETT is a multidisciplinary artist and teacher. Originally from Austin TX, Nathan been living in Seattle for nearly a decade now. He splits his time between cooking and making theatre professionally, as well as teaching both mediums. He has been cooking at the Watershed Pub and Kitchen in Northgate for the last 7 years. Nathan is a founding member of the laboratory theatre collective filament: a collab lab with which he produces original works that engage audiences on a multisensory level. Nathan attended the Austin Waldorf School K-12, and graduated from St. Edwards University in 2011 with a BA in performance. In 2020 he was a participant in the first International Sensory Lab created by Oily Cart Theatre in the UK.
RENDON RAMSEY (he/him)
RENDON RAMSEY has been an actor since 1992 and an acting teacher since 2002. He was a continuous core Theatre faculty member at Idyllwild Arts Academy from 2006 to 2021 and continued as an online instructor in 2022. Rendon has coached privately online and in person for many years, helping students gain acceptance to some of the top theatre programs in the U.S. and abroad, including N.Y.U. Tisch, USC, UCLA, Juilliard, Carnegie Melon, AMDA, CalArts, Royal Conservatory of Scotland, among others and to prepare for auditions with major production companies including Netflix and Amazon; this private coaching is a growing focus of his work. In addition, Rendon has taught many different workshops and scene study courses and directed numerous Mainstageproductions and Labs at the high school and college level. Rendon co-created and co- chaired the very popular devised theatre course “Two-Headed Monster: Writing and Performing for the Stage” for the IAA summer program. After a brief hiatus and a move to Seattle, Rendon has joined Seattle Shakespeare Company as a Teaching Artist and is thrilled to be a new part of the Coyote Arts family. A director and award -winning actor, Rendon has worked from Seattle to Los Angeles and surrounding areas for 25+years. He holds an MFA in Acting (California Institute of the Arts), an AA in Acting (American Academy of Dramatic Arts), and a BA in Speech Communication (University of Washington); he is a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA, and was recently listed as a Teaching Artist in Marquis’ Who’s Who in America. Rendon lives in Seattle with his wife, Katy, and daughter, Olivia. RendonRamsey.com
ZORN TAYLOR (he/him)
ZORN B. TAYLOR is a portrait photogapher. As an artist, his attention is focused on how community is created and nurtured and grown. His work describes the beautiful, expanding community in which he finds himself and imagines how it could become even richer. He is a believer in the beloved community and imagines a community that manifests through the actions we take to love, the words we use to describe that love, and the narratives we weave about these relationships. https://zornimages.com/
CAITLIN TRUONG (she/her)
CAITLIN TRUONG is an architectural designer, public artist, ceramicist, film photographer, and graphic designer born and raised in South Seattle. Her art has been featured in galleries and shows across Seattle where her work explores her Asian-American experience and the diaspora relationship to identity, otherness, and belonging. Caitlin graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelors of Art in Architectural Design with Departmental Honors and a double minor in Art History and Environmental Science & Terrestrial Resource Management. Caitlin is passionate about teaching because she wants to empower youth from similar backgrounds and communities as her to inspire them to create and change the world.
ARLO VAN LIEW (they/he)
ARLO VAN LIEW is a painter from Seattle. They have taught art to young people in California, New Hampshire, and are excited to return to Coyote Central, where they took art classes growing up!
CATHERINE PALPALLATOC (she/they)
CATHERINE PALPALLATOC is a born and raised Seattleite. After years on the retail floor and an education in arts and design from UW, she returned to school to study apparel design at Seattle Central College. She has worked in many aspects of the industry- from apparel appraisal and merchandising at Goodwill, to production sewing, to costuming, and most recently fashion designer. Her objective as a teaching artist is to inspire kids to find their creative voice in fashion, whether it's a simple hobby, or a serious vocation. When she's not designing, she finds creative inspiration in vintage and thrift stores, out in nature, and people watching while enjoying a coffee/boba in the city. Her spare creative moments are spent in the kitchen, as she's a bonafide foodie.
DYTRICH NGUYEN (they/them)
Dytrich Nguyen is a multidisciplinary artist With a B. Mus. From Cornish College of the Arts practicing music, writing, design, and photography. As an experienced software developer, they explore integrating technology and art to find new pathways for artistic expression and storytelling. Their past artworks focus on introspective, personal narratives reflecting on identity, and creating representation for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
GAVIN REUB (he/him)
GAVIN REUB is Artistic Director of The Seagull Project where he has directed works at ACT Theatre, the Ilkhom Theatre in Tashkent Uzbekistan, has been awarded the 2015 Gregory Award for Outstanding Production and the Seattle Times Footlight Award for The Three SIsters. Gavin is the Director of Creative Development for Umbrella Project, which promotes new plays. He graduated from the Univ. of WA and was a member of the 2014 Lincoln Center Directors Lab.
ISSA WEGMÜLLER is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Seattle, Washington. Issa’s interests include drawing, painting, music, sound, and animation. Graduating with a BFA in Studio Art from Cal Poly in 2020, Issa currently works as a practicing artist, teacher, caregiver, and studio assistant.
LINDA J. CHASTINE (she her)
LINDA J. CHASTINE, also known by LC in community and Linda Jannell by her grandmother Linda Lee, is a descendant of enslaved Africans in the Southern United States and the Caribbean nation of Jamaica.
LC is honored to serve in the lineage of liberation work. Facilitating spaces for learning + sharing herbal wisdom, ancestral cooking, root working, and decolonized and intersectional critique. She aims to educate, care for, and restore familial and community culture and wellness through these pathways. LC is a community builder at heart and works mainly with Queer the Land to facilitate opportunities for QT2BIPOC folx to reconnect with the land, with their ancestors, and ultimately with themselves.
Trained as a Social Worker, LC is conquering new yet familiar territory through a journey of study and practice of Indigenous movement and meditation, like Kemetic Yoga. Alchemizing the gifts of this universe to transcend current realities, returning to a place of groundedness and flow. LC has a natural presence and energy of assuredness. She is trusted in the community as a person who can ground situations into order in times of chaos and stands firm in her values, which guides her in the journey toward liberation.
NICOLE MCKERNAN (she/her)
NICOLE MCKERNAN received her Bachelor in Architectural Design and Master of Architecture degrees from the University of Washington. Her focus on residential design for the past ten years has honed her appreciation of craft and the impacts of design on health, sustainability, and vitality. Her passion is to create and change the spaces that we spend most of our lives in to be more functional, beautiful, and impactful. While residential design is her primary focus, she likes to explore urban planning and neighborhood-scale projects that support local communities. Outside of architecture, Nicole constantly seeks out new skill sets and to create things by hand, with time spent sewing clothes, making shoes and furniture, gardening, and recently (re)learning film photography.
VIRGINIA EASTHOPE (she/they)
VIRGINIA EASTHOPE never considered herself a visual artist until she began cartooning for her college newspaper, the Michigan Daily. Since then - she's received MFA, been the primary designer for multiple zines, had prints shown in galleries, and now works as a freelance animator, illustrator, and printmaker in Seattle, WA. Virginia is innately creative, loves writing music, and will try her hand at anything crafty. As a seasoned camp counselor with a strong background in youth arts programming, Virginia is excited to empower young people to consider themselves artists too.
SARAH LAVIN (she/her)
SARAH FANSLER-LAVIN is energized by the spirited exchange of expression and ideas. She is a metal worker, sculptor and installation artist and has always worked with her hands; gardening, farming, fabricating. She took her first metal working class at Pratt Fine Art Center nearly 25 years ago and went on to get a certificate in Welding/Fabrication at South Seattle Community College specializing in non-ferrous metals and blacksmithing. She has been a metalworker in various industrial and artistic capacities ever since. Sara has taught art programs in SE Seattle high school and middle schools and recently returned to Pratt to teach forging and welding. She maintains a shop/art practice on her family farm amongst the goats in Woodinville, Wa.
ANDREW BELL (he/him)
ANDREW BELL is a filmmaker, writer, and educator from the Pacific Northwest. His latest short film, Wellness Check, is on its festival run and his past work can be found streaming on CryptTV, ShortsTV, and screening at festivals around the world. He holds an MFA from Columbia University and is currently filming his first feature film in Upstate New York.
GENE KEMPER (he/they)
GENE KEMPER is a lifelong artist who has been passionate about metal sculpture from a young age. He is inspired every day by the innovations of the natural world in creating solutions to every problem, and the human ingenuity of craftsmanship through the ages to do the same. They have lived all over the country but have spent the last 7 years working in and building makerspaces around the Sound and he hopes one day to run his own. At his home in Tacoma he collects tools and scraps that might come in handy for their creative and practical projects in metals, wood, ceramics, leather, and any other media useful at the time.
JACOB NEVILLE (he/him)
JACOB NEVILLE is a Seattle native who grew up attending Coyote Central classes. Jacob has recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest with a passion for inspiring the next generation. He recently graduated from Pitzer College where he had the opportunity to create multiple documentaries as he finished a BA in Media Studies and a minor in History. With his projects, he always looks to break down the typically rigid and inherently unbalanced relationship between filmmaker and subject. By doing this, he emphasizes the impact of sharing a story when collaboration, respect, and compassion are taken into account by all parties involved in the project. He is excited to guide his Coyote students to think critically about their relationship with the camera, their peers, and themselves when engaging in the creative process.
JESS MARIE GRIFFITH (she/her)
JESS MARIE GRIFFITH is the third generation of artists and designers in her family. She received her degree and studied in Seattle and New York. Trained as a mixed-media artist, she merged art and design through leather craft. Her leatherwork sold in indie-boutiques nationwide. For several years she has been a teaching youth and adults her experience. As an educator, she believes art and the handmade can be therapeutic for our everyday lives. Jess lives in Burien, WA, with her artist partner, son, two cats, and three chickens.
KATHERINE JANA (she/her)
KAT JANA (she/her) is a Seattle playwright, director, actor, comedian and podcaster but most importantly a chubby clown! She has been generating non stop new work with her plays, films and oddball spirit. She’s a co-host of Not Like Other Podcasts, a playwright of her first play Manic Pixie Middle Aged Man and a director in her film debut Filth I Was Fed. She has earned a BFA with an emphasis in Original Work from Cornish College of the Arts in the fall of 2020. Growing up she felt like she never saw her body type represented on stage which caused her to feel as if she didn't deserve to be seen. This has ignited a fire in her to teach the young generation of children and artists that you can create, act and be seen no matter the body they have. She wants to create a safe space for kids to explore their authenticity and vulnerability within art and in themselves. As well as giving the tools to help write, direct, act, play, voice act, do improv and improve their self confidence. Kat is honored to be a part of the Coyote Central Team!
MAYA SMILEY (she/they)
MAYA SMILEY is excited to be a clay/ceramics artist teacher at Coyote Central and hopes to cultivate a space where creativity and experimentation is encouraged, and that the students have fun while learning.
NIKKI JABORA-BARBER (she/her)
NIKKI JABBORA-BARBER, queer Seattle-based printmaker and teaching artist, was born in Bellingham, WA to an Anglo-Swedish father and Lebanese-German mother. She focuses on the way people communicate feelings, culture cues, and emotional safety through botanical symbols and depictions of flora and fauna. She graduated from the University of Washington with an Interdisciplinary Visual Arts degree with a focus in printmaking and a separate Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences. She primarily teaches printmaking at Pratt Fine Art Center, Seattle Artist League, Pilchuck Glass School, and other art schools in the Seattle area. She is represented by MESH Fine Art in Chicago, IL. Nikki regularly leads community engagement projects, including with the Seattle Art Museum and Bellevue Art Museum. She sits on the advisory board for Seattle Print Arts and coordinates juried shows, in partnership with Davidson Galleries. Nikki balances making and selling her hand-pulled fine art prints; photographing works on paper for Davidson Galleries; and teaching community art classes. https://www.nikkibarberart.com
TESSA HULLS (she/her)
TESSA HULLS is a multidisciplinary chef, artist, writer, and adventurer whose cooking exploits have carried her from science research stations in Antarctica, to boats in remote Alaska, to wilderness lodges deep in the backcountry of national parks. She has cooked for artist residencies, dinner theaters, and various social experiments, and her artistic career has received grants from The Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture, and the Robert B. McMillen Foundation. She is the recipient of the Washington Artist Trust Arts Innovator Award, and after spending almost a decade finishing her debut graphic novel, Feeding Ghosts, she is thrilled to get back in the kitchen!
MEGAN SANDICO (she/her)
MEGAN SANDICO is a Seattle educator, with experience in elementary school classrooms, as well as in dance and drama education. She grew up in Mill Creek, WA and she holds a B.A degree in Educational Studies from Western Governors University. She is currently attending grad school at Western Governors University, where she is working to become a certified elementary school teacher. Megan has worked in dance education for 10 years, teaching at Dance Elite, Rhythm and Soul Dance Studio, The Studios, as well as teaching various independent dance workshops for kids and adults. Megan has been in various dance companies as well, including Third Shift Dance, Black Floor Collective, and Breed. She has trained/taught in styles such as ballet, musical theater, jazz, contemporary, tap, and modern dance.
ROBBIN CLEMENTE (he/him)
ROBBIN CLEMENTE, aka DJ Neebor, has been creating music since a he was very young, inspired by his grandfather, a jazz band leader that migrated his family from the Philippines. Robbin started as a bell boy at 5 and picked up various instruments along the way. His musical journey is as colorful as his professional experiences, having spun for a dance troop in Boston that won the Best of Boston Award, to working professionally in night clubs in NY, CA, and MA. He is currently the DJ for Lone Wolf and Kub, a father son rap duo, sWordsCool, a rap trio consisting of Julie-C, Suntonio Bandanaz, and Ready Ron Beats. He was the touring DJ for Black Stax in 2011. He currently is the live sound engineer and Tech Manager for 206 Zulu in the famous Washington Hall, and Technical Manager for Washington Asian Pacific Islander Community in Service, a non-profit dedicated to promoting healthy after school music programs in King County. He enjoys sharing knowledge with youth when he gets the chance.
Nala THOMAS (she/they)
NALA THOMAS was born and raised in Southern Louisiana and migrated to Washington state in 2017 in search of opportunity and education. During her year of service at AmeriCorps teaching at Federal Way Public Schools, they fell in love with cooking in community. Chef Nala is a graduate of Seattle Central Culinary Academy and her life mission is to connect people back with the Earth and each other through shared food and experiences. She enjoys eating all kinds of foods but loves cooking East and West African, Palestinian, Brazilian, Korean, Southeast Asian, and Creole/Cajun foods!
ANGELA FLOWERS (she/her)
ANGELA FLOWERS earned a degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Seattle. Well-versed in fabrics, weave, form, angle, texture, sculpture, and color composition, she has specialized in costume designing and sewing. She’s worked for community shoots and for regional theaters including Teatro ZinZanni. Her teaching includes many problem-solving sessions with young people designing challenging fashion.
AUTUMN COX (she/her)
AUTUMN COX is a freelance Unity developer and game development teacher. With a bachelor's degree in Animation and Game Development, she has skills in both Unity and Blender 3D, giving her an excellent understanding for where artistic and technical skills meet. To see more and find all the links to her works, go to her website she wrote with React.js: https://kookanova.com/
COLTON SAMPSON (he/they)
COLTON SAMPSON is a new media artist, creating work in the space between art and technology. Well-versed in 3D modeling, projection mapping, 3D printing, augmented reality, and sculpting. he is always looking for new tools to better connect people to each other. His work distinguishes itself by connecting the disparate relationship between the built environment and the natural world. Earning a Studio Art BFA from Western Washington in 2022 in his short career he has been awarded an international residency and shown his work in regional festivals and galleries. https://coltonjsampson.myportfolio.com
EVANA ENABULELE (they/them)
Meet EVANA ENABULELE, a core member and dedicated advocate at Queer The Land (QTL), focused on fostering safe and inclusive community spaces. With 11 years of experience in community center management, Evana excels in organizing impactful community events and activities. Featured in the book "Nourish," Evana contributes recipes that showcase their Southern and Nigerian culinary heritage. They played a crucial role in acquiring a 12-bedroom house for QTL, advancing their mission to provide stable, affordable housing. Based in Tukwila, Evana is an avid gardener and herbalist, passionate about sustainable living. They create their own herbal products, demonstrating a commitment to eco-friendly practices and community wellbeing.
FELISHA BARNES (she/her)
Bio coming soon!
FRANCESCA UDESCHINI (they/them)
FRANCESCA UDESCHINI is a nonbinary, Italian American, interdisciplinary artist based in Seattle, WA. They received a BFA in Painting from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze in Florence, Italy, and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Francesca’s practice is rooted in spending time outdoors observing nature and reflecting on their own place within it. They experiment with a variety of techniques including cyanotype, digital photography, printmaking, moldmaking, and more recently, making paper and cordage from invasive plant species. Their work centers on themes of mortality, transformation, and impermanence in connection with human experience.
HANNAH HIRSEKORN (she/her)
HANNAH HIRSEKORN is a fabricator, herbalist, teacher, interspecies social practice artist, enthusiast of cowboy style fonts, educator, seed collector and lover of bones. Her curiosity in natural phenomena combined with an investment in the health of the planet have been the driving forces for her ecological and community focused art practice and has guided her overall approach to life.
KAARI WALLERICH (she/her)
KAARI WALLERICH grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has been surrounded by art, design, architecticture and the performing arts for the entirety of her life. Of Scandinavian descent, Kaari was fortunate enough to travel with her family often to Europe. Travel influenced her aesthetic as an artist and informed her deep appreciation for spatial design and planning. As a former architectural assistant, product developer, and interior designer she has years of experience in the field. Her interiors work has been published and she is the recipient of the Charlotte Field grant in Design. Her enthusiasm for architecture is palpable. Kaari is inspired by her students and their ability to translate ideas in to three dimensional spaces. She is motivated by the power of inclusivity, freedom of expression and works to promote a respectful environment for all.
KELLI PERLETTI (she/they)
KELLI M PERLETTI is a photographer and photographic educator originating from the Pacific Northwest. Her bodies of work utilize a variety of analogical, experimental, and alternative processes, often fusing together processes to explore the fragility of existence, humanity, and identity. Kelli began her photographic education in secondary school, graduating in 2012 from Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and receiving her Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Studio Arts College International, Florence, Italy, 2020. In between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Kelli lived, volunteered, and worked in Central America. She continues to stay actively involved with Maya Q’eqchi’ communities in rural Guatemala both personally and as the Vice President of Next Step Equal Education (a Non-Profit Organization that works collaboratively with indigenous communities to improve education locally). Since 2020, Kelli has resided on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People, teaching both Photography and Graphic Design at the High School level and workshops internationally during breaks. Their curriculum is a hybrid of digital, analog and experimental methods and focuses on teaching ethics and best practices in both subjects. Her students have gone on to place in State Photo competitions, win scholarships and have their photographs printed on Jones Soda bottles.
MADELEINE EICHE (she/her)
MADELEINE EICHE has been a designer & artist for 20 years, focusing on printed matter, packaging, typography, & illustration. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design / Letterform, her work distinguishes itself with bold, unexpected materials & color combinations as well as various mediums. Through collaboration with a diverse range of industries & clients, Madeleine explores function, encourages interaction, and successfully differentiates narratives through the visualization of her designwork. www.madeleineeiche.com
GUEST ARTISTS
ALLYSON BROWN (she/her)
Allyson received her MFA in Acting from the U. of WA School of Drama in 2018, after earning her BA in Drama from Spelman College. Her professional credits include Bulrusher (Intiman Theatre,) Citizen: An American Lyric (Sound Theatre,) Skeleton Crew and Milk Like Sugar (Arts West Playhouse) and The Tempest (Seattle Shakespeare Co.) She is a gifted teaching artist and mentor, encouraging youth to tap into their greatness. In 2017, she was the lead teaching artist for Coyote’s Hit the Streets public performance in which youth sang, danced, and performed their original works – show stopping.
CHERY DELOSTRINOS (she/her)
CHERYL DELOSTRINOS has had the privilege of studying ballet, modern, hip hop, tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary dance for over 20 years. She has performed works for Au Collective, The Ailey School, Doug Varone and Dancers, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Pat Graney Company, Sonia Dawkins Prism, ABT Detroit, and the Chamber Dance Co. She is the Artistic Director of Au Collective, a Seattle based dance collective that centers POC artists, queer artists, and women artists at the forefront of everything they do.
JULIE LITTLE (she/her)
JULIE LITTLE has been teaching the culinary arts for 15 years. She is a chef/instructor at the Blue Ribbon Culinary Center, and launched a food truck in Seattle, Jemil’s Big Easy, four years ago with fellow chef Jemil Aziz. She is also a partner in Terra Plata restaurant at Melrose Market in Seattle. Julie studied cooking in Thailand, Malaysia, Italy and France. She has also been on the Board and Advisory Committee with Coyote Central for many years.
ETIENNE CAKPO (he/him)
Etienne Cakpo is an award-winning professional dancer, choreographer and musician from Benin, West Africa. He is specialized in instruction and performance of traditional African dance from Benin as well as contemporary African dance styles, and has been building his dance repertoire for over thirty years. He is director of Gansango Music & Dance, a dance company in Washington State. Gansango works closely with public libraries, schools and independent arts agencies locally and nationally to make performance of dance and music from Africa available to a wide range of audiences, including young children.
ANDY PETERSON (he/him)
ANDREW PETERSON combines his background in engineering, electronics, and art to create multi-disciplinary workshops that rely on creativity and problem solving. He has received generous funding for his projects from the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, and Artist Trust. He taught arts programs with SEEDArts, Sanctuary Arts Center, Urban Impact, WA State University, as well as Seattle Pacific University, Northwest School & Coyote.
SWALEHA MASUDE (she/her)
SWALEHA MASUDE is a multimedia artist whose work focuses on the experience of womanhood as a Muslim immigrant. She graduated from the University of Washington with an Interdisciplinary Visual Arts degree with a focus in printmaking, and a BS in Human Computer Interaction. She has been teaching animation, video game design, and various other art classes with DigiPen Institute of Technology for the past four years and is excited about exploring creative problem solving. https://swalehamasude.com
EDGARD ORTEGA (he/they)
EDDY ORTEGA is a Creative Director for games and a Multidisciplinary Artist who is passionate about the intersections of digital art, education and culture. Having studied 3D animation and game design at Ringling College he's had the privilege of supporting artists and designers from all walks of life in the co-creation of digital worlds for VR games, films, and short stories. Through his career, Eddy has focused on cultivating a variety of disciplines as a way of better understanding how to collaborate with highly diverse teams. His passions include singing/songwriting, music production, watercolors, interactive programming, 3D art, photography, video editing and more. https://www.youtube.com/@eddyortegaa VR Game I produced: https://luna.funomena.com/
OTIENO TERRY (he/him)
OTIENO STEPHENS-TERRY is a singer, songwriter, producer and teaching artist who has worked with a variety of producers and musicians, including Owuor Arunga, Sol, Gabriel Teodros and Amos Miller. He has also been a mentor and teaching artist for the 4Culture Creative Justice Program and the EMP Hip Hop Artist Residency.
ELON WAGONER (he/him)
ELON WAGONER completed his chef's training at the Seattle Culinary Academy before working in fine restaurants and inns in CA, NY, and Alaska. He returned to Seattle to become the banquet chef at the Seattle Culinary Academy. He has recently been the executive chef at University House in Issaquah. Many years age he taught cooking classes for Coyote when adequate kitchens were hard to come by, and he made it work as a gifted teacher.
COCO ALLRED (she/her)
COCO ALLRED is a visual artist and teacher who believes play is central to learning, building curiosity and making a world that empowers young people to see themselves as stewards of possibility. She's taught students ranging from elementary to college in mediums from paper puppetry to 2D scroller narrative video games. The work Coco finds most rewarding is developing curriculum for K-8 students that combines design thinking, embodied sculpture and play. Her goal is to co-design site-specific, interactive artworks, and projects with students that have a lasting impact on our community. Coco works with students to develop the habits of mind of a changemaker, and an awareness that everything designed can be redesigned. She asks students to articulate the values behind their work and envision how they want participants to feel. Positioning students as experts, Coco tries to match the realm of what they make to mediums they actively engage with like activity books, fashion, and games. You can see her work at www.cocoallred.com/About
ANN FASANO (she/her)
ANN FASANO has been doing hands-on explorations in art, science and play with young people since 2002. Her professional mediums include drawing, printmaking, sculpture, outsider art. She is now lead after-school enrichment teacher at The Bush School in Seattle.
JEMIL AZIZ (he/him)
JEMIL AZIZ is from New Orleans and has been THE Cajun chef at Seattle restaurants, including The Taste of New Orleans. A popular instructor as well, he has been teaching culinary skills at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School since 1997. Summer 2012 he hits the road – serving his mouthwatering fare out of his award-winning Cajun food truck, Jemil’s Big Easy – joining the Seattle‘s latest cool & hot food scene!
TONY ORDUNA (he/him)
TONY ORDUNA is a Dialtone U.S. National Champion and member of the 2012 Massive Monkees world championship crew, who has been a part of hip hop culture since his first class with DVOne at Coyote during his 6th grade. Embracing the break dancing style, he has traveled around the world for the last 11 years competing internationally, judging, and learning as much as he can about this dance and culture.
SANJANA BAJWA (she/her)
SANJANA BAJWA is a musician and teacher based in Seattle, Washington, originally from Davis, California. A graduate from the California Certificate of Merit Music Program, which is commonly equated to a college degree in music, she has extensive experience teaching guitar, piano, and music production. She works to foster a genuine love for music across culture and genre, with her primary focus being to cultivate musicality, passion, and creativity in all her students! Her previous experience working at the Music Factory in Seattle, as well as non profits in the South King County area, has influenced her teaching methods and she is excited to work with young musicians of all levels!
BRITT RYNEARSON (she/her)
BRITT RYNEARSON, a textile artist and fashion instructor, has taught at Coyote Central for a decade. She is deeply committed to the mission of Coyote and is now serving her third year on the board. Her undergraduate in fine art at Scripps College and her graduate work at Seattle University in arts leadership have shaped a career in creative practice and artful administration. Her current fashion design work is detailed here: www.araeform.com
JENNIFER BENNETT (she/her)
JENNIFER BENNETT is a jewelry artist whose production line is exhibited and sold nationally in many galleries and stores, and who shows locally at The Seattle Art Museum’s museum store, Kobo Gallery, and Venue Ballard. In addition to making and teaching jewelry, she creates large-scale, temporary sculpture evocative of her small- scale sensibility. www.dilucedesign.com
SHAUNYCE OMAR (she/her)
SHAUNYCE OMAR is a freelance teaching artist specializing in theatre and voice. She has taught student artists as young as 5 yrs old, to veteran performers 60+ years old. In addition to teaching, with 25+ years of experience in the entertainment industry, Shaunyce is a full time actress and voice-over talent. Her voice can be heard as the character “Madison Grant” in the STATE OF DECAY: LIFELINE video game and she has performed in 48 states and 4 countries. She also can be seen on various stages in the greater Seattle area as well as television and film.
LATWON ALLEN (he/him)
LATWON ALLEN became a serious dancer in his childhood, eventually focusing on tap and hip hop. He qualified to study in Master Classess with several tap greats including Savion Glover, Mia Jenkins, Jason Samuels Smith, and Dianne Walker. He’s performed in the Chicago Tap & LA Tap Festivals and has also focused intensely on hip hop to enrich both forms. He began teaching in 2008 at Northwest Tap Connection and since then, the Seattle Theatre Group for DANCE THIS. He currently teaches dance at Spectrum Dance Studio, Northwest Tap Connection, and in several public school programs through Ewajo Dance Studios.
*All teaching artists + staff are required to complete a background check prior to employment.