Artist Mentors
Arts Impact is privileged to have a team of highly qualified Artist Mentors as the heart of the teacher training program. Artist Mentors bring a wealth of experience and education to their work with teachers and students and in their individual art disciplines. Artist Mentors are trained in concept-based education, performance-based assessments, and coaching strategies to support a common approach to teacher professional development. In addition to teaching at the Summer Institutes, Artist Mentors provide the one-on-one school year mentorships, as well as the supplemental workshops offered throughout the year.
Rachel Atkins
Rachel Atkins, Theater Artist Mentor, is the Scriptwriter and Education Director for Living Voices, the educational theatre company with whom she has eleven different multi-media shows in ongoing national tours. Rachel has adapted numerous productions for Book-It Repertory Theatre’s mainstage and touring seasons, and was an Annex Theatre Hothouse playwright. Her plays have also been seen locally at Seattle Children’s Theatre, The Empty Space and 14/48: The World’s Quickest Theatre Festival. She currently works as a master teaching artist for Seattle Repertory Theatre and Book-It Repertory Theatre, and is a member of the Washington State Arts Commission Teaching Artist Roster. Previously, she was the Scriptwriter/Dramaturge and Director of Education for Ardeo Theatre Project in St. Julien l’Ars, France. Rachel has over sixteen years of writing, teaching and directing experience, working with preK-12 students and teachers in Seattle, New York and France. She graduated from Dartmouth College and holds her Masters in Educational Theatre from New York University. Rachel joined Arts Impact in 2008.
Meredith Essex
Meredith Essex, Visual Artist Mentor, is a visual artist who has exhibited her art throughout the region for over 25 years. She has inspired many diverse people to discover their creative selves and find confidence in making and teaching art. She has a long history as a teaching artist, teacher trainer and mentor, and teaching artist trainer. She serves several organizations including the Washington State Arts Commission, ArtsEd Washington, and Port Townsend’s P.T.Artscape. She has written arts/arts-infused curriculum materials for the Lake Washington, Enumclaw, South Kitsap, and Tacoma school districts as well as the Idaho Commission on the Arts, Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass, and the Washington State History Museum. She also teaches Elementary Visual Arts in the Masters in Education program at University of Puget Sound. She has been with Arts Impact since 1999.
Debbie Gilbert
Debbie Gilbert, Dance Artist Mentor, is the Co-Artistic Director of the Whistlestop Dance Company. Whistlestop has earned a reputation for excellence in creating dance experiences for people of all ages and abilities. The Dance Educators Association of Washington awarded Whistlestop its 1996 Honor Award for outstanding contribution to dance education in Washington schools. Gilbert performs, choreographs, and teaches students, educators, and teaching artists both nationally and internationally. She has developed training courses and manuals for the arts, has presented at national and international conferences, and has served on the Arts Implementation Task Force (OSPI/WSAC) and the Arts Endorsement Committee (OSPI). Ms. Gilbert has also written dance curriculum for the Washington Alliance for Better Schools, and the Seattle and Anacortes School Districts. In 2009, she was a keynote co-presenter for the UW Jackson School of International Studies K-12 Mosaic. She also performs with the Tickle Tune Typhoon and Light Motion Dance Company, showcasing wheelchair and stand-up dancers. She is the Project Director for Whistlestop’s Dancing Math, Dancing Science, Dancing Music, and Dancing Times and Cultures Programs. Debbie has been with Arts Impact since 2003.
Carol Gould
Carol Gould, Visual Artist Mentor, has been a teaching artist in the Snoqualmie Valley for 20 years. She enjoys the challenge of working with students from age 6 to 66 in her pottery studio, classroom positions and teaching teachers to deepen learning and understanding through the arts. Carol joined Arts Impact in 2010.
Kelda Martensen
Kelda Martensen, Visual Artist Mentor, maintains a studio practice focused in the paper, book and print arts and serves as an arts educator and artist mentor in the community. Kelda teaches drawing, printmaking and bookmaking classes at Pratt Fine Arts, Moshier, and Sev Shoon Art Centers; as well as courses at Central Washington University, North and South Seattle Community Colleges. Kelda has lived and studied in Ireland, South Africa, Japan and Germany. Her work investigates travel and our global community. Kelda’s work has been shown across the United States and Europe and is currently represented by the Seattle Art Museum Gallery. She received her MFA in Visual Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. Kelda joined Arts Impact in 2010.
Kim Newall
Kim Newall, Visual Artist Mentor, has a passion for drawing, painting, print-making and sculpture. She received her BFA in sculpture from the University of Washington, and has taught at Edmonds and Shoreline Community Colleges, and most recently at Seattle's Gage Academy. She has been a teaching artist with the Washington State Arts Commission Artist-in-Residence Program for 20 years, creating opportunities for children and teachers to jump into the visual arts through drawing, painting, and ceramics. She is a co-designer for the Draw S'mart visual arts curriculum in the Mt. Baker School District and offers professional development workshops in the Seattle, Bethel, Northshore and Edmonds school districts. Kim has directed the Vashon Island Artists in the Schools Program, and was the Studio Instructor and Program Director for Artists Unlimited, providing arts instruction and professional development to artists with disabilities. For the past 17 years Kim has designed and implemented a comprehensive visual arts program for all grade levels at Laurelhurst Elementary School in Seattle, and she continues to visit schools throughout western Washington to establish the arts in the classroom.
Joanne Petroff
Joanne Petroff, Dance Artist Mentor, is co-founder and co-artistic director of Whistlestop Dance Company. In addition to her work as a performing artist and choreographer, she has co-authored several dance education publications and is a sought-after presenter for professional development workshops and educational conferences. She is currently on the Washington State Arts Commission Artist-In-Residence roster, a member of the Powerful Schools teaching team. Joanne performs with Light Motion, a dance company established to develop the artistic expressions of both disabled and non-disabled artists. She has been instrumental in bringing integrated wheelchair dance to the forefront of new trends in dance. Joanne has been with Arts Impact since 2003.
Dave Quicksall
Dave Quicksall, Theater Artist Mentor, received a BA in Theater at the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to receive an MFA in acting at UCLA. Dave has worked in the professional theater as an actor, director, and writer for ACT, the 5th Avenue, Intiman, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, and Book-It Repertory Theatre. Dave has worked as a Teaching Artist in Theater for the past 10 years, including the Science Theater department at the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley. Dave received extensive training and experience in aesthetic education under the tutelage of Eric Booth at the Nashville Institute for the Arts. Dave was a teaching artist with the Wolftrap Center in Washington DC. While in Seattle, Dave has worked as a teaching artist for Powerful Schools Coalition, Intiman’s “Living History,” the Seattle Children's Theatre and the Seattle Shakespeare Company with K-12 students. Dave has been with Arts Impact since 2002.
Natalie Ramsey
Natalie Ramsey, Visual Arts Mentor, began her art career drawing trees and painting the seascapes of Puget Sound. Fascinated by the architecture and density of the Emerald City nearby, she moved to the city to pursue a career in art. She majored in fine art at the University of Washington and transferred to Parson's school of Design in New York where she studied painting and sculpture. Upon returning to Seattle she entered a teacher certification program and completed her studies with a Master's in Education from Antioch University. For the last 20 years, Natalie has been teaching art and interdisciplinary curriculum in public and private schools, museums and enrichment programs. Natalie also worked with pre-service teachers, guiding them in school internships and teaching classes on Interdisciplinary Curriculum and the Arts. At her studio in the Central District, Natalie paints architectural portraits of local homes and landmarks, writes and illustrates childrens books and teaches art classes.
Gary Reed
Gary Reed, Dance Artist Mentor, is a dancer and a creative movement specialist with over 30 years experience teaching dance to all ages. He began teaching in 1977 with the NEA Artist in Schools program in Ohio, South Dakota, and California. He graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance in 1978, where he studied teaching techniques with Shirley Ririe, Ann Riordan, and Joan Kingston. He has been a rostered Teaching Dance Artist with the Washington State Arts Commission for the past 22 years, and has also worked with Very Special Arts, Washington. He co-authored EALR based dance curriculums for Washington Alliance for Better Schools (co-sponsored by WSAC) and Anacortes School District. Gary danced with Co Motion Dance Company for 15 years and worked with many nationally known choreographers. He has performed works by Doris Humphrey, Jose Limon, Clay Taliafero, Wade Madsen, Jesse Jaramillo, Lee Anne Hartley, and has performed with various local theaters including the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle. Gary choreographs and performs with Tickle Tune Typhoon, a nationally recognized children's music group. He is a co-producer of Against the Grain/Men In Dance, which is a biannual showcase featuring the art of men dancing. Gary joined Arts Impact in 2008.
Gail Sehlhorst
Gail Sehlhorst, Theater Artist Mentor, has a BFA in Acting from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts and a M.Ed. from the University of Washington in Curriculum and Instruction: Language, Literacy, and Culture. She has been working as a teaching artist with students and teachers K-12 for the last 11 years with ACT Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre and Seattle Repertory Theatre. For 7 years, Gail was the Education Director for Book-It Repertory Theatre’s Arts Education Program, Book-It All Over. During that time, she grew the program from a performing touring company to a comprehensive arts education program that includes school residencies, teacher professional development, and a student matinee series. Gail’s focus as a teaching artist is to develop curricula and programs that integrate drama and literacy with classroom content, as well as teacher professional development to incorporate theatre into the classroom. In addition to her work as a teaching artist, Gail is a consultant for arts-based program evaluation and curriculum design and is a Teaching Associate in the College of Education at the University of Washington. Gail joined Arts Impact in 2006.