Teaching Artists

These are some of the teaching artists who have worked with North Coast Arts Integration Project, Create Humboldt, or Arts & Creativity Initiative.

Haley Davis-Visual Artist

Haley Davis is a Teaching Artist who teaches art through many venues. Outside of her work for the County Office of Education as a Teaching Artist, she works at Playhouse Arts in an Artist in Schools program teaching Mask Making, and Shadow Puppetry, and also works at the Morris Graves Museum teaching fine art classes. Haley believes  dynamic art education is capable of increasing empathy, innovation, and creativity in culture. Haley first moved to California from Maui Hawaii in 2011 to study fine art at South Lake Tahoe Community College, then moved to Humboldt in 2015 and graduated from Humboldt State University's Art Education Program in 2017. She sees education as both a life long pursuit and part of her art practice. 

Alice B. Lincoln-Cook: Artist Residency in Beading

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Native American from the Karuk Tribe, Alice Lincoln-Cook was born and raised in Oregon and has spent many summers in Forks of Salmon, CA, close to her reservation. She has made jewelry since 1980. Her work is beautifully crafted with traditional materials such as Dentalium, Abalone Shells, Pine Nuts, Porcupine Quills, and braided Bear Grass along with contemporary elements. She also makes medicine basket and medallion necklaces. She has taught her children, nieces & nephews basket weaving and jewelry making so they can carry on the traditions. Alice spends her summers attending traditional festivals, and winter months at Native American Conferences.

Daniel Alejandro Gómez: Artist Residency in Ballet Folklórico

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Daniel Alejandro Gómez is an active member of HSU’s Ballet Folklórico de Humboldt dance group and has been performing with them since 2013. As a member of the Ballet Folklórico de Humboldt, he helps spread the culture of México through music and dance throughout Humboldt County at different events. Daniel aspires to teach and to show through performance that ballet folklórico is not just an art, it also tells a story. He currently attends Humboldt State University majoring in Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies and minoring in Dance.

Lyndsey Battle: Artist Residency in ​Math + Folk Dance & Music

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Lyndsey Battle is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and DJ on local free-form radio station KHUM. She produced, arranged, organized, played on, and wrote songs for Growing up Humboldt, a children's album for local families through the First 5 Music and Movement grant which included contributions from over 30 local musicians. Additionally has taught ukulele at Redwood Coast Montessori and continues to teach students of all ages to play a variety of stringed instruments. She currently plays in several local bands including The Lyndsey Battle Project, Daily Driver, and the Striped Pig Stringband, and helps facilitate barn dances all over Humboldt County.

Lela Annatto: Artist Residency in Science + Dance

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Lela Annatto earned an Interdisciplinary Dance Studies BA from Humboldt State University, where she received Kennedy Center Honors for her dance collaboration in Urinetown: The Musical and the Outstanding Student Award for Excellence in Fine Arts 2008. From then until now she has been prompting students of all ages to dance with an open heart and mind. Most recently she has taught Creative Dance for the Classroom at HSU, 300 pre-school through 5th graders at Arcata Elementary School as the Dance Specialist. She continues to teach, perform and choreograph locally.

Sarah McKinney: Artist Residency, Science + Musical Theatre

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Sarah McKinney is a performer, playwright, director, and teacher. Her degrees include a BA in Theater Arts from Loyola University Chicago, an MA in Theater Production from HSU, and an MFA in Ensemble Physical Theater from Dell’Arte International. Sarah is a Kundalini Yoga and Montessori trained teacher who spent 6 years teaching math, geometry, creative writing, yoga, and drama at the Montessori Family School in El Cerrito, CA.  She is currently co-director of Apprentice Entertainment, an after-school arts and events planning program for high school students. http://www.arcataplayhouse.org/apprentice_entertainment

Lauren Zika: Artist Residency, Science + Musical Theatre

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Lauren Zika will graduate this May from Humboldt State University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and minors in both Theatre Arts and German. At HSU, she has been involved in six productions, from acting to property design to soundboard operation. Outside of school, she seeks to bridge the gap between theatre and the larger world through theatre of the oppressed, social activist theatre, and environmental theatre. Lauren is overjoyed by the opportunity to work directly with NCAIP. It is her deep belief that accessibility to art forms should be a basic human right.

Sarah Peters: Artist Residency, Language Arts + Theatre

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Sarah Peters serves as Project Coordinator for NCAIP. She is currently developing The Mysterious Magical Brandishers of Magic, a three-person clown play, which performed in Edmonton, Canada and will be in this year’s New York Clown Festival. Sarah has been an instructor at HSU and Dell’Arte and she has performed and directed at theatres including Dell'Arte, The Arcata Playhouse, Well Arts Institute (OR), Milagro Theatre (OR), and Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program (Los Angeles). She is a graduate of the Dell’Arte MFA program, and holds a BFA in acting from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

James Hildebrandt: Artist Residency, Science + Shadow Puppets

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James Hildebrandt was born and raised just outside Chicago, Illinois. He studied painting and lithography at Harper College and later at the University of Minnesota at the Minneapolis campus. During that time he volunteered at May Day parades building puppets and props for The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater. Since moving to the area several years ago, James has worked with many constellations of kids and adults to build theatrical sets, giant puppets and shadow plays. His own company, Black Cat Shadows, has performed in festivals, cabarets and giant outdoor spectacles.

Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi: Visiting Artist, Traditional African Storytelling

Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi is a graduate of Theory X Theatre Initiative’s three-year acting program in Harare, and Dell-Arte International in Blue Lake, CA. He coordinated the Annual Young Africa Arts Festival and worked as Arts Coordinator for Young Africa Chitungwiza. Since 2009, he has led weekly poetry, Theatre of the Oppressed and puppetry training sessions for underprivileged children in Harare. 
Tafadzwa Bob aspires to create inspiring works that are innovative and functional and bring about social transformation.

Heidi Swedberg & Daniel Ward: Visiting Artists, The Sukey Jump Band

The Sukey Jump Band has a simple mission- to share the joy making music brings with all ages.  That’s how we came by the name SUKEY JUMP!  In the “old days” people would gather and sing, dance, holler and laugh at gatherings known as play parties or sukey jumps. Musicians would play, leading songs everyone could enjoy and participate in, whether they danced to a call, following directions or just stomped and jumped. Songs often familiar, inviting response and welcoming chorus. Visit The Sukey Jump Band http://sukeyjumpmusic.com/

Michael Dayvid: Visiting Artist, School Singalong with the student band

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A solo singer, songwriter, guitarist, and entertainer, Michael Dayvid has been producing and performing original and non-original music for nearly 7 years.
He has independently released 2 EP recordings, each with 5 original songs: his debut "First Takes" (2010) was recorded in one take only; his latest release "Tea & Secrets" (2016) was recorded and co-produced by Dominic Romano. Michael performs regularly at several locations in Humboldt County, California, including Cher-Ae Heights Casino Restaurant in Trinidad, The Wine Spot in Old Town Eureka, and Wildberries Marketplace in Arcata. On the web at at http://www.michaeldayvid.com/