Fine Arts for Children and Teens - FACT Santa Fe

Julia has been the Executive Director of Fine Arts for Children & Teens (FACT) since January of 2000. She brings over 21 years of non-profit management and program development experience to her work with FACT, as well as a deep and abiding passion for the arts and the creative process. She received her B.A. in Literature, with Honors, from Purchase College, Purchase, NY, in 1984. She is a board member of the New Mexico Arts Education Advisory Council and of the New Mexico Alliance for Arts Education. In 2008, she completed the Documentary Studies Program at the College of Santa Fe cultivating her long-standing interest in photography and storytelling. Julia returned from a 10-month leave of absence from FACT in July of 2010 after receiving her Masters in Education from Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.

Melanie Garcia joined FACT in May 2010. She has over 10 years experience in accounting. During the past years she has financially managed non-profit organizations, a daycare, after-school programs and businesses such as interior design, property management, law, and restaurants. After 5 years of working independently, she is excited to be back in the non-profit field. With two children of her own, she values an organization that dedicates its resources to the enlightenment and development of children. She lives in Santa Fe with her high school sweetheart, Mike and their two boys, Dacien and Xavier. Melanie has a love for the arts and enjoys gardening, reading, and going fishing and camping with her family.

Elizabeth Crumpler joined the FACT team in July of 2011 with more than 10 years of experience working with children and teenagers in diverse settings ranging from after school programs to wilderness camps. Born and raised in North Carolina, Elizabeth holds a B.A. in Journalism and History with a minor in Art History from the University of North Carolina. She moved to New Mexico in the summer of 2007 to work as an instructor for the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum's Art and Leadership Program for Girls, and quickly fell in love with New Mexico, its communities and its youth. Elizabeth worked as Program Manager of Girls Inc. of Santa Fe for three years before joining FACT. She is a dedicated and passionate dancer, and studies traditional and contemporary West African and Haitian dance.

Santini has been educating both children and adults about fine art and the techniques of design and printmaking for the last fourteen years. Her experience with all ages has enabled her to grow as an instructor and artist. Santini has been an art and printmaking instructor at art centers and studios throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has instructed on-site at elementary and middle schools in New Jersey through the Printmaking Council of New Jersey. Santini was also an Adjunct Professor at Northampton Community College where she taught Visual Communications.

A working watercolor artist with exhibits in Monterey Bay, California, Santa Fe and collections from coast to coast, Melinda has been at FACT since 2001. She received her B.F.A from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and has worked for 20 years as an art educator for children and adults in community and private art programs. Melinda was the founder and director of After School Artists, a visual-arts program for elementary-school children emphasizing using art-making and the creative process to build self-esteem. She is working toward her K-12 state teaching certification at the Santa Fe Community College. Melinda says she discovered the joys of color and design in her grandmother's drapery studio and was inspired to decorate and embellish her world ever since.

Robin joined FACT in 2007 as an instructor, but has served as a volunteer in our studios for three years. He has lived and worked in Santa Fe as a visual artist for 20 years and is a certified expressive arts therapist ( C.E.A.T.). Robin is currently completing an Associates degree in Human Services with a concentration in the arts at Santa Fe Community College.

Barbara Becker is an Australian artist and teacher who has returned to New Mexico after living in Tasmania. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Printmaking from the University of NSW in Sydney, as well an additional 4 year Bachelor of Education (Art). Barbara holds a current New Mexico Teacher's License and has over 20 years experience, working with students from Elementary to Tertiary level. Her own work, which has been exhibited both in the US and Australia, reflects her interest in travel, diverse cultures and children's literature. As a keen horsewoman, Barbara regularly competes in shows and holds a National Accreditation as an Equestrian coach.

Rebecca Chornenky moved to Santa Fe in 1999 to study restorative justice-based conflict resolution with the NM Center for Dispute Resolution, where she worked as a mediator, educator, and program coordinator. She has been providing dance instruction to incarcerated youth since 2002 through Outside In and teaches hip hop dance in other capacities in Santa Fe. She studied at Oberlin College before earning a B.A. in Studio Arts and a minor in Moving Image Arts from College of Santa Fe. Acknowledging that youth are one of our most valuable investments, she is inspired daily by the creative exuberance and vitality they express within the context of arts education.

Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Jonathan Cohen received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Art Education from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. He holds a New Mexico teaching certificate in secondary education with an endorsement in visual arts. Over the past 15 years Jonathan has taught art in a number of public and private settings for children of all ages. His passion for landscape and architectural rendering has led him to create paintings and murals for a wide range of private and institutional clients, and collections. Jonathan enjoys exploring New Mexico's hills and mountains and searching out new subject matter. He lives in Santa Fe with his wife Rubina.

Born in Japan, Yuli Nishimura grew up in Hong Kong and England and studied Fine Arts in London before she moved to New Mexico in 1998. She holds a B.F.A from College of Santa Fe, an M.F.A in Sculpture from Arizona State University and a New Mexico Teaching License in K-8. Yuli has worked with diverse groups of students in both age and cultural backgrounds, and taught visual art, history and languages in both US and Mexico. She is a stone carver and has worked with stone such as marble, limestone and alabaster for more than a decade. Her interests also include piano playing, dancing, riding motorcycle and soaking in hot springs.

Allyson Packer is a visual artist with a passion for working with others and a belief in the power of art to transform individuals and communities. She completed her BFA at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and has worked as an instructor at the VSA North Fourth Art Center in Albuquerque and the MICA Community Arts Collaborative in Baltimore, MD. Packer sees engagement with her community to be an important part of her artistic practice and often finds inspiration in every day interactions outside the studio. She has shown nationally and in 2011 was selected as an Artist in Residence at the McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC.

Sheila Miles has been a professional artist for over 40 years. Her education includes certification in International Bachelorette Diploma Program and Middle Years Program, Masters Degree in Painting, and Masters in Drawing, Purdue University, and full residency at Hans Hoffman School of Art, Provincetown, MA. Her awards and Achievements are numerous and include: Roster artist for the NM Arts in Public Arts Purchase Program and West Coast Artist Pool, San Francisco Arts Commission for Public Arts Program, recipient of the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Fellowship, ($20,000), Missoula International Airport Commission (competition, ($7500) and Individual Artist Fellowship, Montana Arts Council. She has exhibited in over 100 one person shows and 300 group exhibitions and has over 100 works in Public Collections such as Federal Reserve Bank Minneapolis, MN, Montana Museum of Art and Culture (University of Montana), University of Joensuu, Rantasalmi, Finland, Missoula Museum of the Arts, Missoula (15 works), and Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA (two works). She also has hundreds of works in private collections. She has over 35 years teaching experience Artist in the Schools (MT Arts Council) in one room schoolhouses on the prairies and on reservations throughout Montana and with the "Stories Project" (NEA). She is presently Chair, Visual Arts and IB Art Teacher, at Desert Academy, Santa Fe, NM. She has also been an Adjunct instructor at three Universities, and 15 years experience in Museums including Curator of Art, Yellowstone Art Museum, and as a Museum Director (Provincetown Museum). She has also taught at Santa Fe Art Institute and in after school programs for the YMCA and for 7 years with the Flagship Program in public schools for Kids at Risk (Missoula Museum of Arts).

Patricia Cloud, President
Sr. Associate, Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations

Carmen Lopez, Vice President
Associate, Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations

Manuel Monasterio, Secretary
UBS Branch Manager & VP-Investments

Duncan McBranch, Treasurer
LANL, Deputy Principal Associate Director

Frieda Burnes
Attorney, Simons Firm

Page Allen
Artist, Writer

Julia Fullerton
Founder, Paper Jules Design Company

Deborah Trouw
Financial Advisor Waddel & Reed/FACT parent

Dolly Naranjo-Neikrug
Former Principal, Santa Clara Pueblo Day School

Michael Namingha
Artist, Gallery Owner

Peter Lovato
Director of Events & Catering Hilton Santa Fe Golf Resort & Spa at Buffalo Thunder

Shawn Katz
Senior Vice President, Rosemont Realty

Steve Bone, J.D., CLU, CWCC
President, Wealth Management Resources

Cliff Cisneros
Principal, Holy Cross School

Adelma Hnasko
Arts Education Specialist/Consultant

Dottie Indyke
Executive Director, Creativity for Peace; Arts and Culture Writer

Lou Levin, Ph.D.
Family and Child Psychologist

Nathaniel Owings
Owner, Owings-Dewey Fine Art

Karan Ruhlen
Owner, Karan Ruhlen Gallery

Cyndy Tanner
Marketing Director, The Santa Fe Catalogue

Arlyn Vik
Retired Business Executive & Realtor

Karla Winterowd
Owner, Winterowd Fine Arts

Laura Widmar
Gallery Director, Owings-Dewey Fine Art

Chris Nail
Darkroom Technician, College of Santa Fe