Fresh From The Lab

Facilitated by: Miriam Saperstein
Monday, December 15, 6-7:45pm EST
Virtual on Zoom  

In this hands-on workshop, led by Miriam Saperstein, of Philly-based collective Hook & Loop, teaching artists will learn how to identify and plan for students’ access needs with a focus on visual descriptions, art interpretation strategies, and the communication of visual information. Through a series of guided activities and prompts, you’ll learn the difference between alt text and image descriptions, gain visual analysis frameworks to help you decode and contextualize information, and practice communicating about visual materials. The skills learned in this workshop, while focused on the interpreting and communicating layered meanings found in visual art, can also be applied to other teaching tools such as revision and editing, peer feedback, and interpretation of images and non-visual art forms.

Join teaching artists and educators Kaliko Kaauamo, Makalani Franco-Francis, and Kilihune Ka‘aihue for a discussion-based workshop designed for teaching artists and creatives seeking to craft lessons deeply grounded in place. Together, we’ll explore tools and strategies to build lessons that honor the brilliance of indigenous experts, uplift community voices, and invite genuine cultural connection.

Facilitators Kaliko Kaauamo, Makalani Franco-Francis, and Kilihune Ka‘aihue offer decades of experience as Hawaiian cultural practitioners and educators. Kaauamo, a Hawai‘i-based educator and community organizer, brings her deep commitment to culturally responsive teaching to this session, offering practical tools to strengthen connection, storytelling, and belonging in any learning environment. Franco-Francis, a cultural practitioner and teaching artist born and raised in Maui, comes with cultural knowledge and personal experiences of inspiring students to connect with land, culture, and spirit of aloha through story telling/theater. And Ka‘aihue, a lifelong hula practitioner, interdisciplinary artist, and educator from Kailua, ‘O‘ahu, joins the workshop with insights on cultivating balance, identity, and connection.

Facilitated by: Ro Adler

Tuesday, January 27 | 6:30–8pm

Online via Zoom

As teaching artists, we wear many hats—educator, artist, and often, guest in another’s classroom. This interactive session offers space to unpack what it means to balance these roles with intention and authenticity. Together, we’ll problem-solve, build a shared toolkit of strategies and interventions, and support each other in leading with our integrity as educators.

Facilitator Ro Adler is a Bartol Certified Trauma-Informed interdisciplinary artist who makes paintings, prints, digital designs, large-scale protest art, and site-specific ecological community art. Their work is about the relationships between people and land. Ro teaches, facilitates, develops art education programs, and builds art for actions. Ro is committed to young people and educators, and works to empower them with resources to create social change and build confidence in their own visionary imagination.

Facilitated by: David A. Gaines

Wednesday, February 11 | 6:30–8pm
Online via Zoom

Many students approach poetry with hesitation—unsure how to read, write, or even relate to it. This workshop reframes poetry as a tool for empathy, imagination, and discovery, accessible to everyone. Through generative exercises and conversation, you’ll learn how to use poetry to open creative and emotional space in the classroom, helping students see themselves reflected in the work and in one another.

Bartol Certified Trauma Informed writer, director, actor, and educator, David A. Gaines, blends storytelling and social commentary to illuminate the human experience. His teaching practice focuses on empowering students to find their voices through writing and performance. In this session, Gaines will guide you in developing prompts, discussions, and classroom practices that make poetry relevant, liberating, and deeply personal, whether your students identify as poets or not.

Facilitated by: Rowena Federico Finn
Monday, February 23 | 7–9pm
Online via Zoom

Strong lessons start with clear intentions. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn to design lessons that engage, inspire, and meet your teaching goals. Beginning with the outcomes you want to achieve, we’ll work backwards to break down every part of your program. Participants will map learning objectives, identify assessment strategies, and explore how to weave creative exploration into structured lesson frameworks. You’ll leave with a personalized lesson plan template and the confidence to design sessions that balance artistry and pedagogy.

Facilitator Rowena Federico Finn, a visual artist, educator, and Virginia Commission for the Arts Teaching Artist, draws from her experience bridging studio practice and classroom structure. Her work centers on creative planning as an art form in itself; an act of intention, reflection, and imagination. Finn’s approach offers both clarity and creativity, empowering teaching artists to plan with purpose while leaving room for discovery.