Anna Laura Falvey is originally from Long Beach, NY and has had a passion for theater-making and writing poetry since she could first climb up onto a stage or hold a pencil. Anna Laura graduated from Bard College with bachelor’s degrees in Classics and Written Arts with a specialty in Ancient Greek tragedy and poetry. She is a theater artist who uses poetry to reexamine and adapt classical texts, exploring themes of queer history and identity within her work.
Anna Laura also has experience in community-oriented teaching artistry through her work at Artists Striving to End Poverty and the International Rescue Committee. Anna Laura is looking forward to helping students to find joy in pursuit of their artistic voices through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Queens, NY!
Aux Girbach
Visual Artist
School Placement: PS/MS 122, Mamie Fay
Graduate of: Earlham College
Aux Girbach is originally from Baltimore and has had a lifelong interest in experimenting with ways to make art. This was sparked from studying theatre at a young age. Aux graduated from Earlham College with a bachelor’s degree in visual art. He is a multimedia artist who uses a combination of traditional and unconventional materials to understand memory, history, and phenomenology.
Aux also has experience in community art programming through his work at Wavehill Public Gardens as well as with the Smithsonian Institution and the Children’s Museum of the Arts in Manhattan. Aux is looking forward to being an enthusiastic and supportive force for creative education as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senor Resident Teaching Artist in Queens!
Zain Sandhu
Digital Media Artist
School Placement: TBD
Graduate of: Georgetown University
Zain Sandhu is originally from Washington, DC and has had a passion for filmmaking since his dad took him to see Star Wars in theaters at the ripe age of two. Zain graduated from Georgetown University with a dual bachelor’s degree in French and film and media studies. He is a digital media artist who uses the intersection of film and music to elevate the stories and perspectives of those who are traditionally underrepresented in the world of media and art.
Zain also has experience in teaching elementary and middle schoolers through his work with the DC Schools Program at Georgetown and his work at KID Museum, a STEM and art-based museum in Bethesda, MD. Zain is looking forward to creating an engaging and balanced learning environment for his students, as well as providing the space to engage with art as both a form of learning and as an outlet as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Queens!
Ana Shoemate
Visual Artist
Service Location: Greater Denver Area
School Placement: TBD
Graduate of: Skidmore College
Ana Shoemate is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota and has had a preoccupation with drawing and painting since elementary school. Ana graduated from Skidmore with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a concentration in international relations. She is a visual artist who uses drawing and painting to process world events and orient herself as a global citizen.
Ana also has experience in civil service through her work at the Congressional Office of Ilhan Omar as a Policy Intern. Ana is looking forward to serving her community through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Denver!
Betsy Zaubler
Theatre Artist
Service Location: Aspen Valley
School Placement: Basalt Middle School, Basalt Public Library
Graduate of: Wesleyan University
Betsy Zaubler is originally from Montclair, NJ, and has had a passion for theater since she was ten years old. Betsy graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in theater and American studies and a minor in African American studies. She is a theater artist who is interested in directing and playwriting, as well as the intersection of theatre, equity, and justice.
Betsy worked as an Academic Peer Advisor and mentored students at Wesleyan University. Additionally, she has mentored students with Eye to Eye, a national organization that pairs college students and middle school students with learning differences to use art to help reduce disability-related stigma and teach self-advocacy. Betsy is looking forward to serving as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in the Roaring Fork Valley and to helping her students to tell stories that matter to them!
Camille Backman
Musician
Service Location: Aspen Valley
School Placement: Crystal River Elementary
Graduate of: Oberlin College and Conservatory; Conservatoire Royale de Bruxelles
Camille Backman is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah and has had a passion for collaborative music-making and performance since she was six years old. Camille graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2018 earning a bachelor’s degree in violin performance with an emphasis in ethnomusicology and dance. In 2021, Camille received a master’s of violin degree in classical and contemporary performance from the Conservatoire Royale de Bruxelles. She is a musician who uses the violin and different forms of chamber music to explore collaboration across a multitude of art forms, empowering individuals to cultivate, nourish, and engage with their personal creativity.
Additionally, Camille has experience in community outreach through a myriad of organizations, including: Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls SLC, Ohio Salvation Army Learning Zone program, and Salt Lake City Crossroads Urban Center. Through these organizations she assumed the roles of keyboard instructor, band coach, and food pantry coordinator, acquiring skills such as communication, classroom management, and the power of collaborative arts. Camille is looking forward to deepening these skills and serving as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in the Roaring Fork Valley!
Conner McLeod
Musician
Service Location: Greater Denver Area
School Placement: Kearney Middle School
Graduate of: Duke University
Conner McLeod is originally from Miramar, Florida and has had a passion for music since he was three years old. Conner graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in music performance. He is a violist who uses music as an outlet to express emotion and connect with others.
Conner also has experience in mentoring young musicians through his work at various after-school art programs. Conner is looking forward to helping students fall in love with music as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Denver, Colorado!
Lucy Wimmer
Visual Artist
Service Location: Greater Denver Area
School Placement: Alsup Elementary
Graduate of: Sewanee: The University of the South
Lucy Wimmer is originally from Austin, Texas and has had a passion for photography since she first picked up a photography book at age eleven. Lucy graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South with a bachelor’s degree in art history and a minor in studio art. She is a visual artist who uses photography and quilting to explore themes of comfort, community, and ritual.
Additionally, Lucy has experience in teaching and community building through her work with the Zanmi Foto program in Haiti, as a photography teaching assistant at her university, and her involvement with the summer camp photography initiative of the Nashville International Center for Empowerment. Lucy is looking forward to sharing her love of visual literacy and creating as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Denver!
Vince Wong
Musician
Service Location: Greater Denver Area
School Placement: Kearney Middle School
Graduate of: DePaul University
Vince Wong is originally from Chicago, IL and has had a deep love for the arts since they were in elementary school. Vince graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in violin performance. They are an artist who believes that the arts are deeply representative of human experiences, and that these experiences can be expressed in any form – music, visual arts, movement, and more.
Vince also has experience in teaching and service through their work at Music for Kids in Chicago, an organization created to address the arts education gap by providing free lessons and resources for students with limited arts access. Vince is looking forward to continuing to spread the importance of arts education as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Denver, Colorado!
Abigail Reeth
Visual Artist
School Placement: William C. Longstreth School
Graduate of: Houghton College
Abigail Reeth is originally from Minneapolis, MN and has found joy in painting and writing for as long as she can remember. Abigail graduated from Houghton College with bachelor’s degrees in art and writing. She is a visual artist who uses painting and writing to find beauty in unexpected places and to build community.
Abigail also has experience working alongside children and communities through her service as a Global Mission Fellow at Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa, FL. Abigail is looking forward to sharing the joy she finds in art with children and communities through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Philadelphia!
Alex Williams
Musician
School Placement: Laura Waring School
Graduate of: University of Central Arkansas
Alex Williams is originally from West Memphis, Arkansas and has had a passion for playing and teaching music since her first year of middle school band in 2011. Alex graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education and a minor in interdisciplinary studies. She is a performing artist who uses music as a tool to help others discover inner joy and create a personal, sustainable relationship with music.
Alex has vast experience in teaching and service-oriented programs. She was the president of the UCA chapter of the National Association of Music Education and has volunteered at local public schools. Additionally, she participated in the Jamaican Field Service Project, an organization that establishes music programs in rural, Jamaican elementary schools. Finally, she was the music director of Community Connections, a non-profit organization that provides special needs students with extra-curricular activities. Alex is looking forward to enhancing her skills as an educator and helping students develop a personal connection with music through ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Philadelphia!
Peri Law
Visual Artist
School Placement: McCall Elementary
Graduate of: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Peri Law is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina and has had a passion for the visual arts since she was little. Both her love for art history and desire to pursue art as a career were sparked as a senior in high school. Peri graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art and art history. She is a visual artist who uses printmaking and mixed media to explore the liminality of multiracial identity, personal, cultural, and multigenerational memory, and the nuances of mental health.
Peri Law also has experience in curation and exhibition planning through her work at the Ackland Art Museum and the nonprofit VAE Raleigh where she co-curated an exhibition on the climate crisis. Peri is looking forward to growing as an educator and working towards creating equitable art opportunities as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Philadelphia!
Sabrina Truong
Digital Media Artist
Service Site: Swenson Arts & Technology High School
Graduate of: Columbus College of Art and Design
Sabrina Truong is originally from Cincinnati, OH and has had an interest in drawing for as long as she can remember. Sabrina graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in animation. She is an animator who uses films and illustrations to inspire deep thinking and empathy in her audience.
Sabrina has experience in tutoring and counseling through her work with STEM-U and the International Church of Christ. Sabrina is looking forward to serving and growing as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Philadelphia, PA!
Sophie Rogers
Visual Artist
School Placement: S. Solis-Cohen School
Graduate of Carleton College
Sophie Rogers is from Woodstock, IL and has been a printmaker since they learned to carve and stamp potatoes in the third grade. Sophie graduated from Carleton College with a bachelor’s degree in studio arts. These days, their prints, drawings, and sculptures are about memory and how time can feel very slippery.
Sophie’s art practice has always involved teaching, especially after being an America Reads and Counts tutor in the Northfield Public Schools. Sophie is excited about wearing their art teacher wardrobe and is looking forward to taking chances, making mistakes, and getting messy as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Philly!
Adam Perez
Visual Artist, Photographer
Service Location: Moore County, NC
School Placement: Crain’s Creek Middle School
Graduate of: University of North Carolina Greensboro
Adam Perez is originally from West Virginia and has had a passionate dedication to photography since his early years in high school. Adam graduated from The University of North Carolina Greensboro with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in photography. He is a photographic artist who uses historical photographic processes to examine the intersection between the Old South, the New South, Appalachia, and the continued impact this tension has, particularly within the Appalachian regions of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Adam also has experience in teaching, woodworking, and installation through his work both as UNCG Student Faculty, as well as supporting his own independent practice which has allowed him to exhibit nationally throughout the United States in places such as Houston and New York City. Adam is looking forward to helping his students learn, grow, laugh, and succeed both in and out of the classroom with ArtistYear as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Moore County!
James Wheeler
Theatre Artist
Service Location: Lee County
School Placement: WB Wicker Elementary
Graduate of: Augustana College
James Wheeler is originally from Amenia, New York and has had a passion for theatre since the sixth grade. James graduated from Augustana College with a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts, communication studies, and sociology. He is a people-oriented performer and director who uses theatre to help people find their artistic potential and maybe pick up a new passion along the way.
Additionally, James has worked with elementary and middle school students at the North East Community Center in Millerton, NY, where staff would facilitate outdoor activities, provide homework help, and chaperone educational field trips. James is looking forward to sharing his love for theatre with a new generation of students as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in Lee County, North Carolina!
McKelynn Barber
Dancer
Service Location: Moore County
School Placement: Aberdeen Elementary
Graduate of: Utah Tech University
McKelynn Barber is originally from Salt Lake City, UT, and has had a love for dance since the age of three. McKelynn graduated from Utah Tech University in southern Utah with a bachelor’s degree in dance and a minor in philosophy and humanities. She is a dance artist who uses movement as a mode of research, seeking to embody, create, and participate in works that allow her to gain a greater understanding of herself and others.
McKelynn has experience in leadership, centering the needs of others, and advocating for inclusivity, which was highlighted in the participation of Utah Tech University’s Multicultural and Inclusion Student Association. McKelynn is looking forward to the opportunity to shift ideas surrounding who belongs in dance, what dance is, and experiencing the infinite creativity of those she will have the opportunity to meet in her service year. She is excited to serve as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Senior Resident Teaching Artist in North Carolina!
