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Teachers

Annie Bell

Annie Bell is also a new addition to our Arts Center family. She will be teaching several of our art classes for all skill levels. Annie graduated from the University of Arts in Philadelphia with her BFA in Photography. Annie also studied Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. She owns and operates Bell Creative doing web design, print and virtual advertising, marketing, and public relations for her clients. She has also been a photography instructor for Colorado Mountain College.

Stephanie Burton

Stephanie Burton is also a new addition to our Arts Center family and will be taking over our Hip-Hop Dance program and Ball Room Dance class. Stephanie has been dancing for 16 years, focusing on Ballet, Hip-Hop, Ball Room, Tap, Lyrical, Clogging, and Jazz. She coached the Edinburgh High School Varsity Cheerleading Team as well as the Edinburgh High School Dance Team. Stephanie has helped teach Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Clogging, Hip-Hop, Ball Room and Gymnastics at the Dance Plus Studios of Edinburgh for two years. Stephanie graduated Ivy Tech State College in Indiana with her Associates of Paramedic Science and is currently a certified paramedic. Stephanie recently moved to our area with her two daughters, 2yrs and 10 months old, and says she looks forward to raising her family in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Judy Davis

Nurture your inner potter with a Wheel Throwing class, Hand Building class, or a Coil class. Sling some mud around and learn to throw a pot, not a tantrum, with this easy-going teacher, Judy Davis. This teacher will really get your wheels spinning. She puts a spin on everything and gets a glazed look on her face at the mention of fire. With her talented hands fresh from a mud treatment, sheÕs always ready to roll (clay that is). She is constantly adding new masterpieces to her display in the gallery and tourists carry her pottery to points unknown across the globe. If you want to nurture your inner potter, Judy Davis is the instructor to consult. Judy has been teaching for us for 6 years and kids and adults alike love her clay classes. She gets ÒAll Fired UpÓ and shows kids how to throw pots and glaze them beautifully. She is patient, quiet, and a joy to be around. And she can bring out the "Clay Dog" in anyone! ItÕs never too late to take a class in pottery. She is a great addition to the talented staff at the Center for the Arts. She is an awesome potter in her own right and teaches all ages and all levels of proficiency. You will learn easily from her straightforward style.

Laurren Elshof

Laurren is a graduate of Glenwood Springs High School, class of 2006 and our Senior Dance Company. She attended to the Art Institute of Colorado where she studied Interior Design for a year and is an accomplished artist, a "Renaissance gal." She has now come back to teach our beginner dance students. She is a teacher whose passion and love of dance influences and inspires all the students she teaches. A beautiful and joyful dancer, Laurren will also perform with our Senior Dance Company this year. She has a strong background in ballet, tap and jazz. She has trained in dance from a very young age and has taught at the Rifle Dance Academy. We are thrilled to have her back!

Amethyst Franklin

Amethyst is also a member of our Senior Dance Company. She graduated from high school last year and works at the Village Smithy. Amethyst teaches dance in our after-school outreach program at Glenwood Elementary School. Amethyst is a natural born dancer wih trmendous ability and talent. She loves hip hop, modern, ballet and jazz. She's outgoing, confident, a brilliant dancer and teacher. We are excited to have her in our dance department.

Kimberly Harbour

Kimberly Harbour is also a new addition to the Arts Center Family. Kimberly, a mother of three, has extensive experience in teaching art and childcare. Kimberly graduated from Vermont College with a Masters of Arts in Art Therapy. She also completed a Masters of Arts in Special Education from the University of New Mexico. Kimberly has extensive experience teaching special education, as she has taught in Connecticut and New Mexico and has instructed "Mommy and Me" classes here in Glenwood Springs. Kimberly hopes to enhance our students creativity and self-confidence through art and music.

Melody Hartman

Melody Hartman is our Drama, Guitar, and Voice teacher. She is well versed in Children's Theatre and loves to teach kids how to act, play the guitar and sing. She has a tremendously beautiful voice and everyone stops what they're doing just to hear her sing. Her gentle approach and individual attention brings high achievement and satisfying results in her students' skill levels after only a short time. Do you have an actor, singer, or musician in your family? Sign them up for a great summer class! Melody will also be facilitating our Summer Theatre Camp in August. Sign up early. Melody has been in the valley for 10 years, teaching guitar and performing folk, blues and standards in various venues in Vail, Glenwood Springs, and Aspen. Melody performs at restaurants, day care centers, and local retirement homes. At Valley View Hospital, she has been a part of the Holistic Harmony music program for 2 years. She spent half her life in Europe, singing and playing guitar in restaurants and clubs, and performed at German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's inauguration ball. She teaches beginning guitar from ages 10 to 110, with an enthusiasm and joy that encourages young and old alike. Melody doesn't just teach how to play chords; she also teaches how to train the ear to the instrument, how to care for the instrument, and how to tune and string the guitar.

Jessica Kidd

A gem of a personality, this teacher definitely shines as a craftsperson and artist. She has been our full time Silversmithing instructor for fours years and we love watching her students turn out contemporary, original pieces... even after their first semester. Her sense of humor is a wonderful asset as she teaches people to hammer, cut, melt, polish, and twist silver into amazing creations. Jessica's own extensive body of work has a whimsical quality, as her jewelry features pleated silver, winding into graceful curves and coils. Her designs are stunning. Stop by and see instructor Jessica KiddÕs work in the Art Center's gift shop or take a class and make all your own silver jewelry.

Alex Loter

Alex is a member of our Senior Dance Company. She is a senior in high school. To describe Alex, is to describe grace, poise and beauty. She is the quintessential ballerina, but also loves tap, jazz and modern. She is teaching our intermediate ballet and tap students. She loves to choreograph and is excited about the pieces she is putting together for Dancers Dancing. She also has trained in dance from a very young age and has taught at the Rifle Dance Academy. We have a feeling that Alex will find great success in a dance career. Keep an eye on her!

Alison Limoges

Alison Limoges is a new addition to our Arts Center family. She is teaching classes in both art and pottery including Mud Puppies and Pre-School Art. Alison graduated cum laude from State University of New York with a B.A. in Liberal Arts English. She also graduated cum laude from the University of West Florida with an M.A. in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Alison has worked as a high school teacher for the gifted and talented and Service Learning Classes for the Roaring Fork School District. Alison was also the instructor of Principles and Methods, Secondary Education for the University of Colorado, Boulder as part of the ÒRoaring Fork Teacher Education Project.Ó

Aarin Meager-Benson

A Naturopathic doctor who teaches Middle Eastern dance as a source of feminine strength, Aarin strives to make her class environment warm, supportive, non-intimidating, and respectful. She believes her students are impressed by how much fun belly dance is, as well as being an intense workout. "It is amazing how quickly the mind and body change. I love watching my students transform from disliking their body to celebrating its beauty," reflects Aarin. Belly dance is for everybody. Women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and levels of proficiency are always welcome to join. Her classes focus on basic simple movements and building core strength. Concentrating on abdominal, back, arm, and leg strengthening through pilates and belly dance is a large portion of her class series. Aarin will serve as director of the upcoming Goddess Hafla to be held Saturday, September 15.

Terry Muldoon

Terry is our Pre-School Art teacher. Terry is also one of our "Wild Women". She loves working with our youngest students, teaching them concepts of form and color. Terry takes them on a creative journey, not only instructing her young pupils about the different forms of art, but also giving them glimpses into the lives of artists who popularized the many styles of art. She is bright, whimsical, and a joy. She has been with us only a short time, but has already captured the hearts of her students. When she is not creating or teaching art, Terry is a lab nurse at Glenwood Medical Associates. Her soft touch serves her well in that profession too!

Laurie Pearce

Laurie is a ball of energy, a teacher who teaches her students the art of self confidence and respect for other dancers. This session she will teach the advanced classes and along with Maurine Taufer, she will teach Sr. and Jr. Dance Company members. Laurie has a strong background in ballet, tap and jazz. She received a degree in dance from Stephens College and participated in Dance and Musical Theatre Departments with an emphasis in Ballet and Tap. She has taught dance for many years and is excited to be teaching here at the Center for the Arts. We are all impressed with her extensive list of dance credentials. You can help your child learn to excel in dance... and in life, when you register them for dance classes at the Center for the Arts. All ages and levels are welcome.

Emily Salner

Emily Salner is also a new addition to the Arts Center Family. Emily will be teaching some of our pottery classes this summer. She has her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and a double minor in Communications and French from the University of Denver. Emily has interned for several art galleries, including the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts in Aurora, Colorado and Rule Gallery in Denver.

Stephanie Smith

Stephanie Smith, also a new addition to the Arts Center Family, will be teaching our acting and drama classes. Stephanie graduated from Concordia College in Portland, Oregan with her B.A. of Arts degree in Elementary Education and a Minor in Art. Stephanie has taught elementary and middle school art at the Garden School in New Castle for 11 years and formerly taught Elementary School in Hawaii and Wisconsin.

Maurine Taufer

Maurine taught, directed and choreographed in a variety of dance programs for 22 years. Maurine moved to Glenwood Springs in 1981, and taught dance and fitness classes for 15 years at Colorado Mountain College, where she was recognized for her teaching, and at the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts, working with students ages 2 to 70. She directed and choreographed for numerous dance performances locally, and her dance students have performed in school presentations; at the Wheeler Opera House; at the Denver Children's Museum; at the "Dance and the Child International Conference." Maurine was a founding board member of the Glenwood Springs Arts Council, a board member of the Glenwood Springs Dance Festival, and she was one of the directors who created the annual spring production Dancers Dancing. Her training in children's dance is from the teacher training program at the Children's Dance Theatre at the University of Utah. After a few years away from teaching dance, Maurine is pleased to again offer dance classes at the Center for the Arts. She teaches dance for confidence, flexibility, agility and body awareness, while experiencing the joy of dance as a means of self expression. She loves to mix ages of performers to enhance her choreography. She brings a fresh approach to the world of dance and choreography.

Brad Vierheller

Brad Vierheller is also a new addition to the Arts Center family and will be teaching our vocal and piano classes. Brad graduated from Adams State College with his B.A. of Arts with a secondary degree in Vocal Music Education. Vocal music has always been a passion of his. Brad has taught private voice lessons, as well as choir classes throughout Colorado, and holds a teacher's license from the state of Colorado. He was a member of the All-State Choir in Colorado his senior year of high school. He has performed with the Pueblo Symphony, the Denver Symphony, Symphony in the Valley, and the Aspen Choral Society. Brad is also an accomplished piano player.