Oral histories and film work, Camp Boujdour, Saharawi Refugee Camp, Algeria
Teaching Artists
Nadege DeBrosse, teaching artist, has a background in in art & design education and art therapy. She is also a practicing artist.
Refki Gollopeni directs the International Art Colony Festari and the Animation Film Festival in Suhareka. Refki’s paintings are in numerous private and public collections and his graphic design work has been recognized by the National Bank of Kosovo, first place for a poster recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of Albania. Refki is the arts education at Fellbach-Haus Centre for Creative Education.
Ann Holt current creative work is collaborative and focuses on social justice issues- one project is a participatory observation involving the documentation and archiving of the material history of Arts Action Group; another project looks at the impact of online pedagogic encounters with social justice art.
Cindy Maguire Working with a range of media, Maguire’s primary focus in her own art is collage and printmaking. In addition to creating work as a solo artist, she also designs and produces community-based collaborative art with children and youth. Her collaborative work has been exhibited in Los Angeles and the New York City Metro area as well as internationally.
Rob McCallum is an Art and Design Education educator and the Director of Creative Art Start, an after-school and summer arts program for K-8 children and youth. His current creative passion is art, technology and STEAM. He also designs and produces community-based collaborative art with children and youth. His collaborative work has been exhibited in the US and internationally.
Dan McElroy teaching artist, has a background in graphic design and is a designer and artist working in photography, video and graphic design.
Anita Ramshaj is a Graphic Designer/Illustrator/App Designer/Artist /Activist /Painter/Feminist based in Suhareka, Kosovo. Anita studied Graphic Design & Multimedia at Kolegji AAB. Anita started out as a student at the Center for Creative Education Fellbach Haus in Suhareka and continued as one of our teaching artists. Ramshaj is a practicing design creative.
Brian Testa is a New York-based Artist Educator. Testa was awarded Special Congressional Recognition in 2014. In 2019 he earned a BFA in Art & Design Education, from Adelphi University. Testa earned his MA in Art Education from the University of Florida in 2022. As an artist, Testa is interested in the non-duality of human beings and the Earth. His body of artistic work (BrianTesta.com) translates this relationship through plein-air paintings and large-scale oil-based monotypes. Testa is a strong advocate for community-based art, collaborative art-making, and promoting peace, compassion, and love across and within art and education. Testa currently teaches art through the Liberty Partnership Program at Adelphi University.
Shpend Zeqiraj is a graduate of of the Fakulteti i Ndërtimtarisë dhe Arkitekturës, Pristina, Kosovo. Shpend started out as a student at the Center for Creative Education Fellbach Haus in Suhareka and continued as one of our teaching artists. He is now a practicing architect/artist in Switzerland.
Art Therapists
Emilija Mecelicaite was born in Lithuania and has spent many living in between the UK, Norway, Spain and Lithuania. She received her MA in Art Therapy from The University of Hertfordshire (2018) and MA in Philosophy from The University of Glasgow (2014). Emilija facilitates individual and group art therapy sessions. She has experience working with adults in an addiction treatment centre, and with children in community and school settings. Emilija sees art as a universal tool for communication and expression, with powerful healing potential. She is passionate about work in communities; creating safe space for others’ inner journey of self-knowledge, connection and empowerment. In her own art Emilija uses clay, inks, watercolours, oil pastels and pens. She often allows materials to lead, later discovering and highlighting forms that arise. Thus, chaos moves into structure, and mess into meaning.
Janine Simpson, MA, holds a degree in Art Psychotherapy from the University of Hertfordshire. Janine has 10 years’ experience working with Looked After Children in a London based charity specialising in residential care and therapeutic engagement. In her consultancy role, Janine uses art therapy theory and practice to facilitate art-based reflective practice sessions for children’s workers and home managers. Passionate about mental health and wellbeing Janine has two years’ experience as a neophyte art therapist in NHS adult community mental health services and later NHS forensic services. As a director of her own art therapy business and winner of the Santander ‘Flare’ Business Awards for ‘Best Business Idea’ Janine brings creative business acumen to the global ArtAction Group. Janine believes in ‘wellbeing for all’ and promotes a collaborative, side by side approach when working with individuals, communities and organisations on a local and global scale. In her spare time these themes continue in her work as an abstract expressionist artist where intersubjective theories are explored visually in a painted series named ‘The Space Between’.
Dance, Mindfulness & Movement
Desireè Irene Moore has over a decade of experience teaching and is a certified fitness instructor and certified Trauma informed Breathwork Facilitator. Based in Southern California, she brings mindfulness and movement through dance, and tumbling for girls and boys ages 3+. Her Gifted Kids program offers weekly enrichment at early education centers, after school programs, community centers and other workshops. Desireè is also involved in community events promoting mental health + wellness.
Teaching Artist and Art Therapy Alumni
Taking a walk to meet the community, Ilavalai, Sri Lanka
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Hannah Allen, art, photography
Tatiana Bermeo, art Violeta Camarero, art therapy Agnieszka Chrzanowska-Małys, art Rebecca Davis, theatre art Julian Darragjati, creative writing Enas Elmohands, film, art Bec Everett, film, art Sofia Fazal, art, social media Ana Marva Fernández, art Sarah Franzino, art Shpend Gollopeni, art Jerry Genao, art Dana Helwick, art Lara Hnizdo, film. art Rebecca Holland, art therapy Naqiya Hussain, art |
Meghan Jones, art therapy
Melisa Kreku, art Shannon Kopune, art Molly Lemay, art Zana Lukaj, photography Barrie Maguire, Sr., art Karen Maguire, mindfulness Humbu Mamphiswana, community art therapy Debbie Newman, art Claire Partridge, art Alisa Ray, community art therapy Katarzyna Rosłon-Mazgaj, art Julia Smith, poetry, photography Sasha Spare, art Zoe Strong, art therapy |
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