Welcoming Our New Rostered Teaching Artists
Erie Arts & Culture recently welcomed four new rostered teaching artists through an annual application, review, and training process. These creatives have all demonstrated passion and knowledge around their respective artforms and a desire to share those talents with all ages by leading teaching artist residencies throughout the six-county service region.
We asked each individual what it means to be a rostered teaching artist - why they choose to pursue this opportunity, what their background and experience is, and what they are most excited about as they start working with students and community members of all ages. Their insights are as engaging and varied as the art forms they represent.
Mikel Prester | Musician
Q: In 150 words or less, tell us about your background, specialty, training, and/or experience.
A: I am a trained and disciplined musician with 40 years of experience. My background is in blues and jazz. Alto sax is the main axe that I grind. Growing up in the Bethel A.M.E. Church in Meadville, PA, I also have a relationship with gospel. I have always had a love affair with music and I always did music in school, participating in P.M.E.A., jazz band, marching band, etc. I went to Philadelphia for music, got my degree, taught, played in Philadelphia and then moved to New York City, where I taught and played for 20 years. I had many bands and played many clubs and did a lot of tours (a performance resume is available upon request). I came back to Pennsylvania and eventually became a Rostered Teaching Artist for Erie Arts and Culture.
Q: How would you describe your teaching philosophy?
A: I always seek to present residencies that help, heal, and promote forward movement of cultural engagement, exchange, and understanding.
Q: What led you to want to become a Teaching Artist?
A: Erie Arts & Culture and the Teaching Artist program epitomizes many of the artistic and cultural principles that I personally am about - being in and of the community, making a point to address all of the community, and presenting a robust and rich artistic experience to the community.
Q: Tell us more about your dream residency - what does it look like and who does it include working with?
A: Currently, I am doing work in setting up a community-based residency in Meadville that focuses on Blues, Jazz, the Black Experience and America.
Q: How can individuals follow you or learn more about your work?
A: You can check out my sound at reverbnation.com/MIKELPRESTER.
Jessie Simmons | Ceramicist
Q: In 150 words or less, tell us about your background, specialty, training, and/or experience.
A: I am a full-time ceramic artist and instructor living and working in Erie, PA. After graduating with a BFA in Ceramics from Alfred University’s School of Art and Design, I have applied myself in teaching classrooms and at various pottery studios across the country. Currently, I am the Studio Coordinator and Ceramics Instructor at Erie ClaySpace. As a rostered Teaching Artist with Erie Arts & Culture and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, I will work to bring quality art experiences to as many populations as possible within our region.
Q: How would you describe your teaching philosophy?
A: My focus is to foster a positive and encouraging environment where students can learn about the ceramic process by doing, by experimenting, by failing, and then trying again. My mission is to help students to build their artistic practice and accomplish their goals by helping them to become aware of their own gifts, sensibilities, and unique voice.
Q: What led you to want to become a Teaching Artist?
A: I have witnessed firsthand how a creative process can affect people in ways that are fun, challenging, and profound. Art-making is so much more than a finished piece; that is just the icing on the cake. It is an experience that keeps you in the present moment, pushes you to trust yourself, poses you to make intentional decisions, and demands you to take risks that either make victories or mistakes. Clay especially is a fantastic medium for events like these to happen. Any occasion I can share that with others, I will.
Q: Tell us more about your dream residency - what does it look like and who does it include working with?
A: I am interested in pursuing opportunities that celebrate and support the creative life of all people, whether that be in the classroom or within the community. I particularly enjoy working with groups that are new to the ceramic process or don’t particularly identify themselves as artists. It is exciting to expose those individuals to possibilities while they create ceramic sculptures, functional pottery, or just play with the mud. Oftentimes this includes reframing their beliefs about what they are capable of and what the limits are on their creativity.
Q: How can individuals follow you or learn more about your work?
A: You can find me in the throwing pots in the studio at Erie Clayspace or online at www.jsclay.com.
Sara Fisher | Comedian & Improv Artist
Q: In 150 words or less, tell us about your background, specialty, training, and/or experience.
A: I discovered Improv at Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City. I studied Music Improv Comedy at The Second City Chicago Training Center. I’ve combined Improv Comedy and Contact Improv Movement into my teaching initiative "Joy Improv", which seeks to provide training for people of all abilities.
Q: How would you describe your teaching philosophy?
A: My foundation is inclusivity through celebrating the unique abilities of each student. My philosophy is "Improv as Life" as we discover that the lessons in improv can apply to our everyday lives.
Q: What led you to want to become a Teaching Artist?
A: I desire to build community through facilitating safe, encouraging places of creative learning.
Q: Tell us more about your dream residency - what does it look like and who does it include working with?
A: I am open to working with various groups who are interested in creative expression through the playful art of Improv; adults or young adults with little to no theater experience, to artists looking to hone their craft. A dream community residency would be with women who are working toward emotional rehabilitation. A dream school residency would be working with teens in the inner city of Erie. I am interested in fostering an environment where students can explore their own creative voices.
Q: How can individuals follow you or learn more about your work?
A: For Upcoming Improv workshops and classes you may follow me on Instagram: @Joyimprov. You may learn more about my creative writing and photography through my blog: https://bethanymorning.blogspot.com
Antonio Howard | Muralist/Painter
Q: In 150 words or less, tell us about your background, specialty, training, and/or experience.
A: Prison is where I developed my artistic talents. I'm a shelf-taught artist—that’s not a typo. Shelf-taught because what didn’t come naturally as a developing artist emerged through guidance from instructional books purchased with money earned from the sale of my paintings. But my development as just an artist ended after my release from prison. I’ve since chosen to make community murals my specialty. That training is still ongoing and involves attending webinars offered by Erie Arts and Culture, interacting with and working alongside other artists, consulting with my mentors, and saying yes to opportunities that challenge me to become better. In the short while I’ve been actively working toward becoming a community muralist I’ve created and/or been involved with the creation of seven murals in the span of one year within the city of Erie.
Q: How would you describe your teaching philosophy?
A: My teaching philosophy involves creating environments that facilitate healing and connection through process and then teaching people to unlearn what holds them back. It involves valuing mistakes over perfect; execution and process over the final product.
Q: What led you to want to become a Teaching Artist?
A: What led me to become a Teaching Artist through Erie Arts and Culture was, 1 - the possibility that I could even be one while saddled with a criminal background, and 2 - the conversation surrounding that possibility. I owe Patrick Fisher, Director of Erie Arts & Culture, the credit for both the possibility and the conversation.
Q: Tell us more about your dream residency - what does it look like and who does it include working with?
A: The details of my dream residency are constantly evolving. However, each iteration of it involves common elements like working alongside my wife and muse, Sarah Howard, and the broader community in conjunction with those impacted by the criminal legal system. At its most basic level, my dream residency involves providing an experience that builds meaningful connections that people want to be a part of and recreate.
Q: How can individuals follow you or learn more about your work?
A: You may learn more about me and my work through Social Media:
Facebook | Antonio Howard
Instagram | Antonio Howard (@antoniohoward_artist)
Applications are closed until the spring of 2022, but we welcome a conversation with you in the meantime!
Interested in learning more about becoming a TA? Schedule a meeting with our Director of Public Impact, Laurel Mitchell at [email protected].
