Instructor Bios:

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Emily Delano is an artist based in central Vermont. Growing up in a family of artists and craftsman, Emily developed a strong hunger for creativity and a passion for creating things with her hands. Emily has experience working in many different mediums, ceramics, jewelry and woodworking to name a few, but her true passion remains deeply rooted in stained glass. Having worked in stained glass for over ten years, Emily finds great happiness teaching and mentoring students off all ages and abilities out of her studio in Barre Vermont.

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Stephanie Drews-Sheldon recently moved to Vermont and creates commissioned and gallery furniture pieces, as well as small production work. She earned her MFA in Wood Design from East Carolina State University where she taught design and wood design classes. Stephanie spent 12 years working at an independent school in Washington D.C. teaching and creating art, woodworking, and ceramic curricula for all ages.

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Kristina Gosh is an interdisciplinary teaching artist, curriculum designer, and art activist based in Chicago and Vermont. Her creative practice twists together digital and analog imagery, and explores the dichotomies of everyday life through installation, digital collage, social performance, writing, sculptural painting and yoga. Kristina taught at Columbia College Chicago for five years where she was on faculty in the television department and an arts integrationist and after-school instructor at the Center for Community Arts Partnerships. Her work has been exhibited at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Center for Book & Paper Arts, The Chicago Humanities Festival, and Art on Track Chicago-a mobile performance art festival on a CTA train. Kristina holds a double BA in Studio Art & French from the University of Vermont and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts & Media from Columbia College Chicago.

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Renée Mitchell is a creator and teacher of art who enjoys sharing her love for the natural world through mixed media.  For over twenty years she has taught classes in collage, painting, glass fusing and fiber arts to mixed age groups of various skill levels. Hailing most recently from Massachusetts where she earned her Masters of Education in Arts & Learning, Renée is excited to bring her unique skills and passion for creating art to her new Vermont hometown of Stowe.

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Joe Smith is a native Vermonter currently residing in the small town of Hyde Park. Smith recently received his B.A. in Art Education from Northern Vermont University. Most of Smith’s work derives from his personal journey growing up in a beautiful and rural area. Along with filmmaking, he is also interested in various forms of multimedia and design. His artwork has been exhibited in the Vermont Congressional Art Show and Johnson Studio Center. Smith takes pride in assisting young filmmakers in constructing their own visions and sense of life into their work. He is currently involved in social justice work and travels around the world to assist communities and explore their social, political, and cultural dynamics. Such travels have landed him in Detroit, Michigan, Managua, Nicaragua, and Zurich, Switzerland. Smith is honored to serve his local communities and has worked in a wide-variety of school settings, all which allow him to advocate for student voice and equity. 

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Rachael Wells is an artist and teacher from Stowe, Vermont. She recently graduated from The University of Vermont as a licensed teacher in Art and Special Education. While her primary focuses are in drawing and printmaking,  she also enjoys ceramics, painting, and jewelry-making. When Rachael isn't in the art room or her home studio, she is probably in the woods, hiking or skiing, or in her kitchen challenging herself with new recipes. Rachael has been a friend of The Helen Day Art Center since 2018 when she started here as a student intern. She has worked with students of all ages from a variety of backgrounds at HDAC, The Fleming Museum of Art, Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center, JFK Elementary School, and Champlain Valley Union High School. In the last year, Rachael enjoyed teaching art and literacy at Harwood Union High School and Middle School. Rachael is excited to start her new position as the art teacher at Thatcher Brook Primary School in August of 2021.

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