*denotes member of the Teaching Artist Leadership Council

*denotes member of the Teaching Artist Leadership Council

Who’s Who 

Association for Visual 

Artists (AVA) 

Contact: Christa Mannarino, Director 

30 Frazier Avenue 

Chattanooga, TN 37405 

(423) 265-4282 

ava@chattanooga.net 

Visual Arts 

Arts 

Organizations 

Arts & Education Council 

Contact: Laurel Eldridge 

3069 Broad Street Suite 2 

Chattanooga, TN 37408-3056 

(423) 267-1218 or 1-800-267-4232 

leldridge@artsedcouncil.org 

www.artsedcouncil.org 

Dance, Literary Arts, Music, Theatre 

and Media, Visual Arts 

The Arts & Education Council (AEC) 

provides unique opportunities for life-long 

learning and participation in the arts for 

all members of the community. The jewel 

of AEC programming is the Conference 

on Southern Literature and its outreach 

programs, including Young Southern 

Student Writers, Classroom Residencies, 

and Professional Development Workshop 

in Creative Writing. Other programs 

include Theatre Express, Future 

Focus Literacy Through Photography, 

Independent Film Series, Culture Fest, 

Chattanooga Festival of Writers, and 

Back Row Film Series. Through its 

ever-growing school outreach programs, 

the AEC reaches approximately 15,000 

students, teachers, and families per year. 

The Association for Visual Artists is 

dedicated to the promotion and support 

of original visual art and the artists 

who create it through creation and 

exhibition; education and outreach; and 

appreciation and participation. School 

outreach includes connecting students 

with professional artists through Visual 

Art Residency programs that range in 

length from one week to one semester. 

Such programs include AVA’s Building 

Pride Sculpture Program where students 

work with an artist to create and produce 

a sculpture for permanent installation 

on the school campus. Student artwork 

is also presented year-round in AVA’s 

Landis Student Gallery and is open to all 

grade levels. Speakers are also available 

for all-school gatherings. 

Ballet Tennessee 

Contact: Anna Baker-Van Cura, 

Artistic Director 

3202 Kelly’s Ferry Road 


(423) 821-2055 

anna@ballettennessee.org 

www.ballettennessee.org 

Dance 

Ballet Tennessee provides quality 

dance in performance and instruction 

to Chattanooga and surrounding 

areas, making dance accessible to 

people of all ages, races, and economic 

levels. Ballet Tennessee is a regional 

company of professional dancers and 

dedicated professional-track students. 

Performances include a unique blend of 

classical ballet and contemporary works. 

In Dance Alive, Talent Identification 

Program, outreach classes, and Artist 

Residencies, children learn life skills 

through dance. Master classes and 

workshops bring renowned artists and 

national standards of artistry. Founders 

Anna and Barry VanCura are recognized 

for their leadership and expertise as 

artists and educators. 

Chattanooga African 

American Museum and 

Bessie Smith Hall 

Contact: Vilma S. Fields, Director 

200 East Martin Luther King Blvd. 

P.O. Box 11493 


(423) 266-8658 

CAAM1@bellsouth.net 

The museum is focused on the historical 

and cultural experiences of the African- 

Americans of Chattanooga. The museum 

offers an extensive educational program 

that includes African and African- 

American history and culture, a variety 

of workshops, music and art, performing 

artists, volunteer programs, special 

festival celebrations of African-American 

culture, and works in collaboration with 

community and school organizations. 

Chattanooga Audubon 

Society 

Contact: Jane Rollins, Education 

Program Director 

900 N. Sanctuary Road 


(423) 892-1499 

caudubons@aol.com 

www.audubonchattanooga.org 

Music, Visual Arts 

A private, non-profit organization 

dedicated to conserving natural and 

historical resources, promoting education 

in all phases of environmental, cultural, 

and natural history, and encouraging 

wise stewardship of the natural resources 

in the Chattanooga area. Additional 

school programs are available. Check our 

website “School Programs.”

Chattanooga Ballet 

Contact: Bob Willie, General 

Director 

P.O. Box 6175 

Chattanooga TN 37401 

(423) 870-1518 

thewillies2@yahoo.com 

www.chattanoogaballet.org 

Dance 

Composed of a professional 

company, children’s company, 

and a training school of dance, 

Chattanooga Ballet is officially 

in residence at the University of 

Tennessee at Chattanooga. With 

dance education at the base of its 

mission, it uses its performance 

resources to bring elements of 

dance to school children with 

hands-on lecture demonstrations 

and full-length concerts. 

Chattanooga Boys Choir 

Contact: Dawn Oakes 

4315-B Brainerd Road 


(423) 622-3033 

doakes@cbchoir.org 

Music 

Founded in 1954, the Chattanooga 

Boys Choir is the oldest boys choir 

in the southeast. The CBC has 

performed across the country and 

in nineteen different countries 

around the world. Most recently, 

the CBC has represented our 

community at the World Festival 

of Singing for Men and Boys in 

the Czech Republic (2004), and at 

Carnegie Hall in New York City 

(2005) and the Piccolo Spoleto 

Festival in Charleston, South 

Carolina (2006). The CBC is 

comprised of over 130 boys ages 

8 to 18 representing more than 

50 public, private, and parochial 

schools in Chattanooga and 

Northwest Georgia. 

Chattanooga Girls Choir 

Contact: LuAnn Holder, Artistic Director 

P.O. Box 6036 


(423) 629-6188 

office@chattanoogirlschoir.com 

www.chatttanoogagirlschoir.com 

Music 

The Chattanooga Girls Choir offers 

quality instruction in choral music 

through public performance for girls in 

grades four through twelve. The four 

ensembles of the CGC are open to young 

women in the greater Chattanooga 

area by audition. In addition to home 

concerts, the CGC is available for school 

and community performances and events 

and takes a yearly summer tour, both 

domestic and international. 

Chattanooga Regional 

History Museum 

400 Chestnut Street 


(423) 265-3247 

www.chattanoogahistory.com 

The Chattanooga Regional History 

Museum promotes and sustains the 

appreciation of the Chattanooga 

region’s history and cultural heritage by 

attracting, entertaining, and educating 

guests with exciting programs, exhibits, 

and collections with a special focus on the 

unique stories, archives, and collections 

of the people who have made this place. 

Chattanooga Symphony 

& Opera 

Contact: Steve Tonkinson, Education & 

Outreach Coordinator 



(423) 267-8583, ext. 112 

stonkinson@chattanoogasymphony.org 

www.chattanoogasymphony.org 

Music 

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera as a 

combined company has been in existence 

for over twenty years. Maestro Robert 

Bernhardt has a national reputation as a 

talented conductor and speaker and has 

appeared as conductor of the Boston Pops 

Orchestra several times. The musicians 

of the orchestra represent a rich and 

varied background of experience and 

many of the players also perform with 

other orchestras in Atlanta, Birmingham 

and Nashville. The CSO ensemble 

musicians and Diane Owens are very 

talented local performers who bring music 

to young and old alike that is of the very 

highest quality possible in Chattanooga. 

Chattanooga Symphony & 

Opera Youth Orchestras 

Kathy W. Goforth, Manager 

423-267-9011 

csoyomanager@bellsouth.net 

www.chattanoogasymphony.org 

Music 

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera 

Youth Orchestras (CSO YO) were 

founded in 1949 by local musicians and 

music teachers so that area strings, 

wind, and percussion students could 

have the opportunity to perform in a 

full orchestra. Originally called the 

Chattanooga Civic Training Orchestra, 

the group was renamed in 1985 to 

represent the Chattanooga Symphony 

and Opera’s involvement. Over the 

years, the CSO YO has grown from a 

single full orchestra to two full orchestras 

and two strings training orchestras 

comprised of music students from the 

tri-state area. 

Chattanooga Theatre Centre 

Contact: Chuck Tuttle 

400 River St. 


(423) 267-8538 

chuck@theatrecentre.com 

www.Theatrecentre.com 

Theatre 

Now in its 83rd season, the Chattanooga 

Theatre Centre has been providing 

quality theatre experiences for young 

people for the last 27 years. Its Artistin-Residency 

program brings theatre 

into classrooms of all grade levels. Its 

Youth Theatre produces plays with and 

for young people that are entertaining, 

inspiring, and educational. The 

professional experts at the Chattanooga 

Theatre Centre serve as a valuable 

resource to teachers and educators 

interested in providing theatre 

experiences to their students.

Who’s Who 

City of Chattanooga 

Pipe Band 

Contact: Robert W. Scott, President 

1709 East Brow Rd. 

Walden, TN 37377 

(423) 886-1023 

rbwscott@cocpb.org 

www.cocpb.org 

Music 

The City of Chattanooga Pipe Band is 

under the direction of Pipe Major Russ 

Spaulding. The COCPB competes at 

Highland games and competitions, 

representing the Chattanooga area. 

Since November of 1999, the band 

has advanced steadily and was ranked 

4th of (96) Grade-4 bands at the end 

of the 2004 season. The COCPB 

is considered one of the best pipe 

& drum bands in the Southeast. In 

order to “foster better understanding 

of all of the Scottish Arts,” the 

band performs at area functions 

professionally, with pageantry and 

dignity. Parades, festivals, school 

groups, and church services are some 

of the audiences that seek out the 

band’s services. 

CoPac 

Contacts: *Ann Law and Ann Shea 

1307 Dodds Ave. 


(423) 624-5347, ext. 2 

barkinglegs@chattanooga.org 

www.barkinglegs.org 

Dance 

CoPac is a nonprofit arts organization 

that has a long history of supporting 

dance in the Chattanooga community. 

CoPac’s staff is trained and certified 

to teach the BrainDance with over 

100 hours of work with BrainDance 

founder, Ann Greene Gilbert. The 

dance education staff is committed 

to applying the latest arts education 

research to their dance curricula and 

seeks to make dance a viable part of 

every student’s education. They are 

developing teaching methods and 

materials for K-12 and focus their 

residencies on using creative dance 

to offer opportunities to connect with 

life and learning. Ann Law has been 

a dance educator for over 20 years. 

She is currently working toward her 

Master’s degree in dance education 

from UNC-Greensboro. Ann Shea has 

a PhD. in dance from Texas Woman’s 

University. She has been on the 

dance faculty at Middle Tennessee 

State University and active in dance 

education for over 25 years. 

Creative Discovery Museum 

Contact: Jayne Griffin, Director of 

Education 



(423) 756-2738 

jog@cdmfun.org 

www.creativediscoverymuseum.org 

Literary Arts, Music, Visual Arts 

Creative Discovery Museum is a 

children’s museum designed especially for 

visitors ages 12 and under. It is a multidisciplinary, 

arts and sciences facility 

with exhibits that focus on many subjects: 

RiverPlay (water, boats, and movement), 

Little Yellow House (play area for 

children age 4 and under), Arts Alley 

(visual arts - painting, drawing, sculpture 

- and performing arts - music, movement 

and theatre), Excavation Station 

(Entomology, Paleontology, and Geology), 

Rooftop Fun Factory (simple machines), 

and the Inventors’ Clubhouse (math, 

physics and technology). It also houses 

changing temporary exhibits, which focus 

on childhood literacy, foreign cultures, 

art, and other educational topics. 

EA Productions 

9505 Pearson Road 

Harrison, TN 37341 

(423) 544-4970 

www.eam4christ.com 

education@eam4christ.com 

EA Productions is a part of EA 

Ministries, which is a non-profit 

organization. We travel to area schools 

and institutions teaching the basics 

of puppetry as an art form, as well as, 

performing with our puppetry troupe. 

Our staff has more than twenty years of 

collective experience in this field. It is our 

goal to help students use puppetry as an 

alternate form of expression. 

Houston Museum of 

Decorative Arts 

Contact: Tamara Salter, Education 

Coordinator 

201 High Street 


(423) 267-7167 

houston@chattanooga.net 

Literary Arts, Music, Theatre and 

Media, Visual Arts 

The Houston Museum houses 18th, 19th, 

and 20th century decorative art glass, 

porcelain, furniture, textiles and other 

fascinating objects collected by the late 

Anna Safley Houston. Outreach programs 

based on items in the collection reveal the 

human experience and cultural values of 

people in a specific area during a specific 

time. History, science, cultural, and 

art concepts are incorporated into the 

educational presentations and projects. 

Museum educator, Tam Salter, holds a 

BFA, a Master’s in Art Education, and 

is “HQ” TN teacher certified in art K-12. 

She has enjoyed teaching in schools, and 

community centers for the past 14 years. 

Hunter Museum of 

American Art 

Contact: Manager of School and Family 

Programs 

10 Bluff View 


(423) 752-2053 

www.huntermuseum.org 

Visual Arts 

The Hunter Museum of American Art 

offers your students a chance to extend 

the classroom experience to use art as 

a way to further their understanding of 

core concepts in social studies, language 

arts, science and math. Our permanent 

collection features paintings, sculpture 

and mixed media works that represent 

the best in American art though out time 

and our rotating temporary exhibitions 

allow you to experience exciting new 

works. Bring your students to the 

Hunter for a tour that links into your 

curriculum. To register, simply go 

to http://www.huntermuseum.org/ 

tourrequest.aspx and sign up online. 

While there, you can also find pre- and 

post-visit curriculum materials and links 

to Tennessee curriculum standards. 

Information on fees and an automatic 

confirmation of your visit once you have 

scheduled it will be found on the site as 

well. For information discounts to lead 

your own tours, please consider our 

teacher workshops to train teachers to 

lead their own tours. 

The MacDowell Club 

Contact: Jay Craven, President 

4706 Murray Hills Drive 


(423) 892-5476 

clarj@comcast.net 

Music 

The MacDowell Club was founded in 1916 

to honor the name of America’s foremost 

composer, Edward MacDowell, and 

to use its influence for higher musical 

standards in Chattanooga. In 1947, the 

Mae Temple Award was established to 

recognize annually a local young person 

for outstanding musical achievement. 

Meetings and programs are scheduled 

on the first Wednesday of each month, 

October through May (except January) 

at 10:30AM at Brainerd Baptist Church. 

Programs are free and open to the public. 

Secondary school music teachers 

interested in bringing students to a 

program should contact Mr. Craven at 

the number above for more information. 

Ripe and Ready Players 

Contact: Suzanne Carter at Alexian 

Brothers Senior Neighbors 

1000 Newby Street 


(423) 755-6110 

Suzanne@Ripeandreadyplayers.com 

www.ripeandreadyplayers.com 

Music, Theatre 

This troupe of older actors perform 

original vignettes and songs depicting 

the universality of shared ideas and 

situations which resonate with all age 

groups. The upbeat material is selected 

to fit various age groups, choosing from 

over 36 skits and songs developed over 

a span of their 20 years in existence. 

All age groups have seen and loved this 

group of diverse, energetic actors who 

illustrate that creativity only increases 

with age.

Teaching 

Artists 

Shaking Ray Levi Society 

Bob Stagner, Dennis Palmer 

P.O. Box 21534 


(423) 267-6688 or (423) 902-8021 

www.shakingray.com 

Music, Performance Art 

The Shaking Ray Levi Society 

(SRLS) is dedicated to serving 

the community by supporting, 

producing, and presenting diverse 

genres of music. For many years 

the SRLS has brought hands-on 

experience in the discipline, art, and 

practice of musical communication 

to area schools and educational 

venues of all varieties. Dennis 

Palmer and Bob Stagner, SRLS 

founding members, have affected 

the lives of countless children 

through their interactive methods 

of musical pedagogy. Workshops 

can be modified to suit any grade 

level, K-12, and offer students 

the opportunity to interact with 

the world of experimental and 

improvisational art forms, and 

explore divergent methods of 

creating sound. 

Skwalking Heads 

Productions 

1227 Highland Drive 


(423) 267-3452 

skwalking@hotmail.com 

www.skwalkingheads.com 

Dance, Theatre 

This Company was founded in 

order to produce and present 

innovative, artistic projects 

which foster community building 

through collaborations resulting 

in quality arts experiences for 

intergenerational populations. 

Utilizing a multidisciplinary 

approach, this artistic team has 

written, directed, designed and 

performed new and exciting 

works of art for audiences of all 

ages. Their outreach projects 

include performances in schools, 

community centers, festivals 

and conferences for educators. 

Skwalking Heads has produced 

Kapoot Clown Theater in ‘Clowns 

Around the World’, Tonkawa 

Theater Tribe of Chicago in 

‘Godspell’, and the original 

collaboration “Magic, Madness 

& Mayhem. 

Joel Baxley 

Southeast Center for Education in 

the Arts 

615 McCallie Avenue – Dept 6706 


(423) 425-4694 

joel-baxley@utc.edu 

www.utc.edu/SCEA 

Visual Art 

Joel is the director of visual art education 

at the Southeast Center for Education 

in the Arts. His diverse background 

as a visual artist includes set design, 

photography and commercial illustration 

in addition to the paintings and 

drawings he produces for exhibit. He 

holds a Tennessee teaching license with 

endorsements in visual art and English. 

He has taught in a variety of settings 

ranging from kindergarten to high 

school. Joel possesses a keen interest 

in the links between visual and verbal 

communication. His work with children 

seeks to explore rich, meaningful ways 

for them to make their thoughts and 

ideas known. 

Kevin Becker (The Story Guy) 

2728 Rio Grande Rd 


(423) 762-2907 

kbecker@gccsda.com 

www.mytimelesstales.com 

Literary Arts 

Kevin is a man on a mission. His 

mission is to communicate character 

building principles through Legendary 

Storytelling: Timeless Tales Teaching 

Truth. He is a gifted communicator who 

loves to laugh and have fun with children 

while making his stories come to life in the 

hearts and minds of his audience. Kevin 

regularly uses puppetry, magic tricks, 

humor, drama, music, and audience 

participation to make his audience beg for 

more. Having spoken to large audiences 

in three different countries and numerous 

states in America, he can adapt his stories 

to any audience. 

Jerry Bowman 

Skwalking Heads Productions 



(423) 267-3452 

jerbo51@hotmail.com 


Theatre 

Jerry Bowman is an actor, teaching 

artist, director, and an improviser. He 

specializes in mime and improvisational 

theater. Jerry has been teaching, 

directing and performing for the last 

16 years in Atlanta, Chicago, and 

Chattanooga. He is a founding member 

of Skwalking Heads Productions. 

Jerry is a member of the Chattanooga 

improve troupe “Chattanoodle”. Jerry 

has toured “The Classic Mime Show” to 

Tennessee schools from 2003 to 2006. He 

is currently touring an original musical, 

“Food Fight”, with Skwalking Heads for 

The Chattanooga Medical Alliance. 

Susanne Burgess 





(423) 425-5397 

susanne-burgess@utc.edu 


Music 

Susanne is the director of music 

education at the Southeast Center for 

Education in the Arts. She has taught 

general and choral music in public 

and private schools, conservatories, 

and community organizations. She is 

a member of the national music honor 

society Pi Kappa Lambda and a past 

president of the Memphis Chapter of the 

American Orff Schulwerk Association. 

Susanne has lead workshops for the 

American Orff Schulwerk Association, 

the National Association for the 

Education of Young Children, the Early 

Childhood Music and Movement 

Association, and the Music Educators 

National Conference.

J. Christopher 

Golden Wing Foundation and 

Legends by Lang 

3502 Wilcox Blvd. 


(423) 624-3313 

Literary Arts, Theatre and Media 

J. Christopher began telling stories 

as the character “Jon Cris” in 

1999. Through this charming and 

engaging character with an unusual 

African accent, children, parents 

and educators interact through the 

wonderful world of storytelling. J. 

Christopher is also the spokesperson 

and administrator for the Golden 

Wing Foundation and Legends by 

Lang, which were founded by former 

National Football League player and 

Super Bowl Captain, David Lang. 

These two organizations educate kids 

with the support of the NFL. Through 

these foundations, stories are shared 

that comprise real life situations and 

solutions to every day living. The 

stories are entertaining and teach 

about love and laughter and the 

freedom of enjoying yourself. 

Bobbie Brooks Crow 

616 North Parkdale Avenue 


(423) 899-0099 

Visual Arts 

Bobbie Crow graduated from UTC 

in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts 

degree in painting and sculpture. 

Currently she is studying for a degree 

in Anthropology. Her work has been 

exhibited locally and in Washington, 

DC. Her emphasis is on collaboration. 

For many years, she has been artist in 

residence in schools in this area and 

in Georgia, doing large collaborative 

pieces with the students as well 

as collaborating with the public at 

Riverbend, The Creative Discovery 

Museum, River Gallery outdoor 

festivals, and at Wesley Theological 

Seminary in Washington, DC, 

(emphasis on liturgical art). 

Miloslav P. Dunka 

2236 Dug Gap Rd. 

Dalton, GA 30720 

(706) 226-9970 

pradeltorno@pngusa.net 

Music 

Miloslav Dunka was born in Communist 

Czechoslovakia and although his father 

was a professional violinist, he was not 

allowed to participate in formal music 

study. He began teaching himself guitar 

at the age of 15 and played popular music 

as a lead guitarist of a rock group for 

several years. Since coming to the U.S. in 

1996, Dunka has studied classical guitar 

with Robert Hansel and music theory 

with Janette Sump and Paula Abernathy 

at Cadek Conservatory. He has also 

been studying with internationally 

renowned guitarist Mary Akerman of 

Atlanta for the past 3 years. He is a 

regular performer for the MacDowell 

Club and has also performed in Atlanta 

and Dalton. Dunka teaches classical 

guitar in his home studio as well as at 

the Creative Arts Guild in Dalton, GA 

and the Ridgedale School of Fine Arts in 

Chattanooga, TN. 

Olive B.”Lolly” Durant 

Down & Under Studios 

809 Kentucky Ave. 

Signal Mountain, TN 37377 

(423) 886-5755 or (423) 987-7592 

laluu@bellsouth.net 

Visual Arts 

Lolly Durant is an artist/artisan and 

arts educator who embarked on a 

mission of supporting and developing 

community arts in 1976. Lolly is a 

graduate of N.Y.U. in studio art/ 

education and Converse College 

for Women in Spartanburg, S.C. A 

founding member of the Association 

of Visual Artists (AVA), she taught at 

Chattanooga School for Liberal Arts and 

at Tyner High School and its successor, 

Tyner Academy of Math, Science, 

and Technology. Lolly was named an 

adjunct professor of art at Chattanooga 

State Technical Community College, 

where she teaches life drawing and 

art history. Her Down & Under 

studio is located in the Mountain Arts 

Community Center (MACC). 

Geri Forkner 

566 Randolph Fridley Rd. 

Sweetwater, TN 37874 

(423) 337-3958 or (423) 261-5168 

ggforkner@earthlink.net or geri@ 

weavingschool.com 

www.weavingschool.com 

Visual Arts 

A lifelong passion for fiber arts started 

when Geri’s grandmother taught her to 

knit in fourth grade. As an adult, she 

studied weaving and fiber arts at Georgia 

State University and traveled extensively 

in search of traditional weaving 

techniques. She has taught art to kids in 

schools and day camps in Atlanta, GA for 

many years. When Geri moved with her 

husband to his family farm in Tennessee, 

she opened Weaving Arts Studio in 

Tellico Plains. While still cherishing the 

old traditions and skills, she now revels 

in using fibers in innovative ways that 

move weaving up to art. 

Jeannie Hacker-Cerulean 

504 Stringer St. 


(423) 425-4374 or (423) 634-0287 

cerulean7@excite.com 

Theatre and Media 

Jeannie teaches theatre at UTC. She 

has a Master’s Degree in Directing for 

the Theatre from LSU and attended 

CALARTS as well. Over twenty years 

of teaching and theatre experience 

has given her the ability to work with 

many different groups and subject 

matters. Jeannie ran her own children’s 

community theatre in Taos, New 

Mexico, for 10 years. She is a native of 

Chattanooga and now resides here with 

her four children. 

Vicki Hayes Hardesty 

4 E. Daytona Drive 


(423) 331-3960 

vhardesty@catt.com 

Literary Arts 

Vicki has returned to the Chattanooga 

area after 25 years as a high school 

librarian in Ohio. She promotes the oral 

tradition of storytelling emphasizing 

the use of facial expressions and 

body language. Her presentations 

are a compatible enrichment vehicle 

for the literary arts standards. Vicki 

has told stories in schools, churches, 

and bookstores as well as at parks, 

fairs, coffeehouses, conferences, and 

workshops. Her presentations can be 

adapted to large or small audiences. 

Glenna Randolph Inman 

1615 Rustic Homes Lane 


(423) 886-7652 

grinman2@msn.com 

Literary Arts, Music, Theatre 

Glenna has been conducting residencies 

in storytelling, creative dramatics, and 

music for more than a decade. Her 

education in music and psychology, as 

well as, her experience in acting and 

directing, help to involve young children 

in the joy of learning through the arts. 

Kelletria (Kelle) Jolly 

3517 13th Avenue Apt B 


(423) 779-4855 

kelle@jollyboymusic.com 

www.jollyboymusic.com 

Music 

Kelletria Jolly is a vocal talent who has 

been performing various styles of music, 

such as classical, blues, folk, gospel, 

R&B, and jazz for over 13 years. Although 

Kelletria is a musical performer, she is 

very comfortable with all aspects of fine 

arts including dance, drama, and visual 

art. Her versatility as an educator and 

performer has been displayed on festival 

stages as well as in school classrooms. 

She enjoys showing audiences how to live 

as a life-long music learner.

Jane Jones 

6431 Brookmead Circle 

Hixson, TN 37343 

(423) 843-1240 

jrichejane@aol.com 

Literary and Visual Arts 

Jane Jones is a retired elementary 

teacher, retiring in May 2005, with 32 

years total teaching experience in the 

primary grades. Twenty six of these 

years were spent at Daisy Elementary, 

in Hamilton County, TN. She has 

a special interest in art education, 

especially integrating art into the 

curriculum. She holds a Master’s of 

Education in Guidance and Counseling 

from the University of Tennessee at 

Chattanooga and a Bachelor of Science 

in Elementary Education from Louisiana 

State University. She has attended 

SIEVA, SCEA, and the Tennessee Arts 

Academy for several summers. She has 

also attended Claudia Cornett workshops, 

chaired an Allied Arts Committee that 

coordinated artist Jas Milam’s artist 

residency, assisted in writing numerous 

small art grants, and served as a 

volunteer art teacher during the year 

following her retirement. 

*Colleen Laliberte 


209 Pinehurst Lane 

Signal Mountain, TN. 37377 

(423) 886-7764 or (423) 544-6534 

skwalking@hotmail.com 


Theatre 

Colleen Laliberte has been working as a 

teaching artist for the past twenty years. 

She has conducted school residencies 

throughout the US, and her international 

residencies include Sweden, Austria, 

and Canada. As founding Director of 

Skwalking Heads Production Co., she 

has directed and co-created theatrical 

experiences for audiences of all 

ages. Colleen can create a dynamic 

performance experience for your 

students in the classroom or on the stage. 

In addition to classroom residencies, 

Colleen has designed teacher training 

workshops for Universities, professional 

development conferences and community 

organizations. 

Jessica Laliberte-Bowman 




(423) 267-3452 

jessicadance@hotmail.com 


Dance, Theatre 

Jessica received her BA in Dance from 

Columbia College Chicago. Since 

working as a dancer/choreographer in 

Chicago, Jessica has been working as a 

teaching artist, and choreographer in 

Tennessee schools, leading choreographic 

residencies, dance Master Classes and 

Workshops. Ms. Laliberte has created 

dance and theater works for students of 

all ages in schools, community theaters, 

recreation centers, and after school 

programs. She is a founding member 

of Skwalking Heads Productions. Ms. 

Laliberte is on the adjunct faculty at 

Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts 

where she teaches Musical Theater Styles 

and Modern Dance. 

Kofi Mawuko 

Mawre & Co 

3517 13th Avenue 


(423) 698-3873 

mawre_co@yahoo.com 

Dance, Music 

Kofi, a native of Ghana, West Africa, and 

he possesses a natural talent for singing, 

dancing and playing various musical 

instruments. He has traveled extensively 

throughout the world as lead dancer and 

master drummer with Kyirem Cultural 

Troupe, a Ghanaian-based performing 

company. He lived in London where 

he taught music and dance at local 

preparatory schools. His works have 

Rebekah Mawuko 

Mawre & Co. 

3517 13th Avenue 


(423) 698-3873 

mawre_co@yahoo.com 

Dance, Literary Arts, Theatre, 

Visual Arts 

Rebekah, an avid storyteller writer, 

dancer, actor and visual artist, embraces 

the arts by exploring cultures of the 

world. She writes and collects folk tales, 

plays, and poetry from Native American, 

African, African-American, and Latin 

American cultures. Rebekah has written 

and produced numerous plays and dance 

pieces for youth and adults. She enjoys 

working with youth and faith-based 

organizations to produce music festivals in 

which youth write and choreograph. She 

provides stylized workshops and residency 

programs to accommodate students’ 

level of understanding art. She teaches 

multicultural arts and crafts, African 

dance and creative dance movements, and 

directs and coordinates art camps. 

Dee Mays 

Mays Studios 

10136 Bear Trail Dr. 

Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 

(423) 847-1174 or (423) 503-0418 

wmays@earthlink.net 

Visual Arts 

Dee Mays has been a Stained Glass 

artist for 25 years. Since 1990, Dee has 

been a member of AVA and Allied Arts’ 

been publicized in numerous television 

and movie productions in Ghana and 

London. Since relocating to America 

in 1998, Mawuko has played in the 

Atlanta Black Arts Festival and Atlanta 

Jazz Festival and provides percussion 

accompaniment to varied musicians. In 

2001, he released his first C.D. “Don’t 

Forget Your Culture” (Sankofa). 

Teaching Artist Program. She teaches 

in her Studio, at MACC, the Hunter 

Museum, and Hobby Lobby . Her works 

of art have been exhibited at AVA, The 

Creative Arts Guild, and in Nashville, 

and she has won awards for her artwork. 

Dee teaches Stained Glass in area schools 

creating large panels with students as 

well as individual pieces with school 

groups K-12. She continues attending 

workshops in order to infuse fresh 

concepts into her own work as well as her 

classroom programs.

Frances McDonald 

302 Noll St. 

Chattanooga TN 37405 

(423) 266-3041 

FMcDart@aol.com 

childrenpaintchattanooga.com 

Visual Arts 

Artist, art teacher and public art 

facilitator Frances McDonald 

moved back to Chattanooga twelve 

years ago after a decade in Paris 

where she attended the fine arts 

school Ecole Nationale Superieure 

de Beaux Arts and then eight 

years in New York City where she 

was primarily an easel painter 

exhibiting mostly on the east coast. 

Returning to Chattanooga, she 

began teaching. Since that time, 

Frances has taught throughout the 

school system and worked with 

adults in many venues including 

Parks and Recreation, Hunter 

Museum, Chattanooga State, Girls 

Scout Inc., YMe, Advente Hospice 

and the Community Kitchen. 

Pulling from her background 

in France, she specializes in art 

history, paint technology, and color 

theory. Although preferring large, 

collaborative work such as murals, 

Frances can create lesson plans that 

mesh with school curriculums. 

John McLeod 

170 Lynda Cir. 


(423) 240-8280 

john@johnmcleod.net 

www.johnmcleod.net 

Visual Arts 

Born in Chattanooga, TN, John McLeod 

has lived the past eleven years in Jackson, 

MS. John is an arts graduate of Millsaps 

College, with a principal focus on 

sculpture. His work has been exhibited 

in multiple galleries throughout the 

southeast with numerous pieces in private 

collections. He has taught at Interlochen 

Center for the Arts, the Mississippi 

Museum of Art, Jackson schools, 

Chattanooga schools, as well as, providing 

private instruction. John has recently 

moved back to Chattanooga, where he will 

continue to sculpt and teach. 

*Jas Milam 

7 Clearview Ave. 


(423) 629-0040 or (423) 698-0814 

jas@jasmilam.com 

Visual Arts 

Jas, a native of Chattanooga, graduated 

from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983 

with a concentration in Studio Art and 

Early Childhood Development. She 

has continued her work in the studio, 

exhibited in the Southeast and was 

nominated Tennessee Artist of the Year 

in 1998. She has developed and taught 

programs at pre-schools, elementary 

schools, The Hunter Museum of American 

Art, and the Cultural Arts Section/ 

Chattanooga Parks and Recreation. Jas is 

currently working on a Master’s degree in 

Art Therapy and Spirituality and building 

a private practice. 

Tom Morgan, Lynne Haas, & 

Dalton Roberts 

Contact: Tom Morgan 

7566 Dayton Mountain Highway 

Dayton, TN 37321 

(423) 775-2996 or (423) 667-5973 

Music 

The goal of passing on the history 

of string music in our area that was 

established by the Morgan family 

continues. Tom and Lynne have joined 

to bring artist-in-residence programs 

and workshops to Chattanooga and the 

surrounding area. Coming from diverse 

backgrounds, this threesome achieves 

a unique blend of music and education. 

Our region has a rich folk music heritage 

that children need to learn, and the mix 

of singing, playing, or even building a 

stringed instrument is included in the 

group’s presentation. The history of the 

different instruments is explained, and 

hands-on experiences are included. 

Charlie Newton 

1814 Wheeler Ave 


(423) 227-2652 

NewtonStudio@aol.com 

Visual Art 

Charlie wants to involve children in an 

experiential way with the process that 

he goes through in creating a work of 

art. This would include experiments 

with diverse “styles” being juxtaposed 

to create a new image, i.e. abstract and 

realism combined with expressionism. 

Charlie wants to be the artist in the 

community or classroom not the “art 

teacher.” All projects will reflect the 

direction of his personal work at that 

time. Charlie holds a B.A. in Fine Arts 

from UTC and an MFA from Norfolk 

State University, Old Dominion 

University. He has received numerous 

awards and shown and traveled 

extensively across the U.S. and abroad. 

Dennis J. Palmer 

231 Baker St 


423-265-6820 

thedennis_palmer@hotmail.com 

dennispalmer.net 

Visual Arts 

Dennis, a native of Chattanooga, is an 

accomplished visual artist, musician, 

storyteller, and teacher. Palmer has 

exhibited in London and Los Angeles. 

He has been an arts specialist with Allied 

Arts for the past three years and has 

worked on several successful projects 

with discipline-based arts education. He 

has also taught art at numerous facilities, 

including Baylor’s summer camp for the 

past six years. The focus of his work is 

based on the belief that art facilitates 

cognitive abilities that develop decisionmaking 

skills and stimulate creative 

thinking. Dennis’ projects are geared to 

encourage innovation and positive selfexpression 

and to build confidence and 

self-respect in students.

Scott Rosenow 





(423) 425-5242 

scott-rosenow@utc.edu 


Theatre 

Virginia Parham 

203 Leggett Road 

Sale Creek, TN 37373 

(423) 290-8649 or (423) 505-4149 

vhparham@comcast.net 

Music 

Virginia has been performing 

professionally as a solo artist 

and as a musical group member 

for 25 years. Her work has been 

in various genres including jazz, 

blues, bluegrass, and gospel. Her 

favorite genre to perform and 

study is traditional folk. As part 

of a trio, Virginia has performed 

in venues including Nightfall, the 

Coffeehouse series, the Bessie 

Smith Hall, and the Riverbend 

Festival. As a solo performer, she 

specializes in interactive music for 

young children. 

Susan Parry 

1100 Hubbard Rd. 


(423) 886-4714 

suparry@comcast.net 


Susan Parry is an accomplished writer 

and award-winning artist who uses art to 

teach English to adult foreign students 

and critical thinking and writing skills to 

American students. In addition, she has 

taught at various children’s art camps and 

at different Senior Neighbor locations 

throughout the Chattanooga area. She 

earned an Associate of Art degree from 

Chattanooga State where she earned 

the Presidential Award, and a Masters 

Degree in English from credits earned at 

both Cornell University and UTC through 

various scholarships. She believes that a 

multiple intelligence approach to teaching 

enhances students’ academic skills and 

helps them understand their world in a 

profound way. 

Joe Ridolfo 

1885 Chattanooga Valley Road 

Flintstone, GA 30735 

(706) 820-0275 

rahini@comcast.net 

Music 

Scott is the director of theatre education 

at the Southeast Center for Education 

in the Arts. He holds a BA in theatre, an 

MFA in creative drama and children’s 

theatre, and is currently ABD in drama/ 

theatre education. He has taught and 

directed at the elementary, middle, 

and high school levels in Ohio, Texas, 

and Tennessee. He directed and taught 

summer theatre programs in Nebraska, 

Ohio, and Texas. During his four years in 

Hawaii, Scott taught elementary through 

university classes and served as drama 

education specialist and actor for the 

Honolulu Theatre for Youth. 

Mary Beth Sanders 

606 Tremont Street 


(423) 266-0757 

imbibbis@hotmail.com 

Visual Arts 

Mary Beth’s interest in handmade paper 

and paper crafts developed four years 

ago, combining her academic background 

(BFA from UTC) with her interests in 

anthropology and exploring ways to live 

simply and sustainably. She enjoys the 

process of making sheets of paper and 

appreciates the utility of the finished 

sheets. Mary Beth has attended intensive 

paper and bookmaking workshops at the 

Garage Annex School (Northampton, 

MA), the Women’s Studio Workshop 

(Rosendale, NY), and the American 

Museum of Papermaking (Atlanta, 

GA). In the spring of 2005, Mary Beth 

participated in a three-week papermaking 

tour through southwestern China, where 

she witnessed paper still being made by 

ancient techniques. 

Mildred J. Sanders 

636 Marlboro Ave. 


(423) 698-1916 

msandersstoryteller@comcast.net 

Literary Arts 

Gathering bits of folklore, superstitions, 

and strange customs, Mildred digs deep 

into her roots in the Kentucky Mountains 

to tell traditional and contemporary 

stories, which spark the imagination of 

listeners. Mildred travels throughout the 

country weaving her spell of magic to 

school children, festivals, scout jamboree, 

and church and civic groups. Mildred 

is a former teacher of creative writing, 

speech, and drama and is currently a 

teacher of storytelling at Chattanooga 

State Technical Community College. 

Mildred has served as President of 

National Story League, the oldest 

storytelling organization in America, 

and is also founder of Teller of Tales, a 

storytelling group in Chattanooga. 

Joe appears frequently at folk festivals 

throughout the southeast and has won 

numerous prizes for his dulcimer talents. 

He has appeared on local and national 

television, the BBC and various art 

institutions. Joe studied sitar under the 

direction of Balbaru Khalhini and plays 

multicultural music with singer and tabla 

player Anoose Taj.

Annie Sherrill 

913 Shady Circle 


(423) 517-0875 

annie@beamazed.info 


Laurel Shastri 

3202 Kelly’s Ferry Road 


(423) 821-2055 or (423) 870-5281 

laurel@ballettennessee.org 

www.ballettennessee.org 

Dance 

Laurel Shastri is an experienced 

teaching artist, working 

extensively in schools and 

community programs. Using 

teaching techniques from Jacques 

D’Amboise’s National Dance 

Institute, Southeast Center for 

Dance Education, Anne Green 

Gilbert’s BrainDance, and Claudia 

Cornett’s methods for artsintegrated 

literacy, she creates 

curriculum-based residencies 

tailored to specific educational 

needs. Ms. Shastri is Associate 

Director of Ballet Tennessee, where 

she dances with the company 

and is faculty of VanCura Ballet 

Conservatory and Dance Alive. Ms. 

Shastri teaches at Siskin Children’s 

Institute where children with 

special needs are integrated with 

their typically developing peers, 

and at St. Andrews Center, working 

with ESL students. 

Ann Shea, Ph.D. 

CoPac 

7450 Noah Reid Road Apt B 


(615) 631-3551 or (423) 624-5347, 

ext. 2 

annshea@allvantage.com, 

barkinglegs@chattanooga.org 

Dance 

She has earned a Ph.D. in dance 

from Texas Woman’s University, 

has taught K though university level, 

has choreographed over 50 works 

and has taught Ballet, Modern 

Dance, Choreography, Dance 

Pedagogy, and Creative Movement, 

and is a Tennessee Arts Commission 

artist-in-resident. Her residencies 

support t-he National Dance 

Standards, latest in brain research, 

explore vocabulary of dance and 

offer connections from dance to 

living and learning. Her work 

explores fundamentals of dance as 

an expressive art and is certified 

by Anne Green Gilbert to teach the 

BrainDance. Ann is focused on 

research in dance education as 

process, creating dance curriculum 

to partner education. 

Annie has a Bachelor’s degree in English 

from Cornell University and pursued 

graduate studies in Secondary Education 

from the College of William and Mary. 

She reads voraciously and is contagiously 

enthusiastic about books, art, and life 

in general. She is currently working on 

her first book to be titled “Be Amazed,” 

an anthology of prose, poetry, and 

photographs which all revolve around the 

idea of cultivating wonder. When Annie 

is not playing with words, she is playing 

with fibers, weaving, knitting, and 

felting various objects she calls “Happy 

Threads,” which she sells some Sundays 

at the Chattanooga Farmers’ Market. 

Cinnamon Halbert Smith 

3715 Tacoma Ave. 


(423) 593-1461 or (423) 877-3740 

cinnadance@episode49.com 

Dance 

Cinnamon has been a professional 

dancer for the last 20 years. She loves 

working and giving back to children 

the teachings and disciplines she has 

received. She received an associate’s 

degree at American Musical and 

Dramatic Academy and a BFA in 

Dance and Performance from the 

University of Texas in Austin. She has 

studied and performed with numerous 

choreographers and top professionals 

in the world of Dance. She still tours all 

over the country with many artists and 

is a founding member of VanDance. Her 

experience has ranged from Broadway to 

community theatre, and she has worked 

in the genres of T.V., commercials, and 

film. She is an adjunct faculty member 

at Baylor School, Girls Prepatory 

School and CCA. She is also residency 

choreographer of CCA Reparatory 

Company. As well as starting a dance 

program for Normal Park Museum 

Magnet, Cinnamon was assistant 

director/ rehearsal director for the 21st 

Century Waterfront and Hunter Museum 

grand openings. She has enjoyed setting 

site-specific works in the area using 

children and adults of all ages. 

*Juanita Tumelaire 

Impmaker Studio 

1909 East Brow Road 


(423) 886-1750 

impmaker@comcast.net 

www.impmaker.com 

Visual Arts 

Juanita Tumelaire is a professional 

printmaker. She has exhibited 

extensively, with work in the archive of 

the National Museum of Women in the 

Arts. She has received the N.A.W.A. 

Genius Foundation Medal of Honor 

in Printmaking, and is a Hambidge 

Fellow.She served in Peace Corps after 

her undergraduate work, married and 

received an M.S. in Education, and New 

York State Teaching Certification. After 

living in Afghanistan, Iran and Nepal and 

traveling in Asia, the Middle East and 

Europe, she returned to become Dean 

of Students at a performing arts school 

in Massachusetts, and began to study 

printmaking. She is now a teaching 

artist with a studio on Signal Mountain. 

Jarrod Whaley 

242 Jarnigan Avenue, Apt. 1 


(423) 316-0163 

jaimetout@oakstreetfilms.com 

oakstreetfilms.com 

Theatre and Media 

Jarrod Whaley is a Chattanooga, TN 

filmmaker who has, to this point, worked 

primarily with various digital and 

analog video formats. He has made ten 

short films, one animated short, and 

one feature. Jarrod Whaley serves on 

the Board of Directors of the Shaking 

Ray Levi Society, a local non-profit Arts 

organization. He is also a member of the 

Chattanooga Film Commission. He has 

taught hands-on filmmaking workshops in 

a variety of public settings, working with 

students of all ages and backgrounds. 

Kim Wheetley 





(423) 425-5205 

kim-wheetley@utc.edu 


Theatre 

Kim is the director of the Southeast 

Center for Education in the Arts. He 

has taught at high schools and colleges 

in California, Texas and Thailand. 

He was the theatre consultant at the 

Texas Education Agency, and is a past 

president of the American Alliance for 

Theatre and Education. Kim was on the 

writing team for the National Theatre 

Standards, and assisted in developing 

standards for teacher licensing in the 

arts for the Council of Chief State School 

Officers. He has also worked with Lavine 

Production Group in New York City, 

designing three professional development 

video series for the Annenberg/ 

Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

David Wood 

Project ABLE 

Massari-Wood Dance Center 

8126 East Brainerd Road 


(423) 894-1406 

Dance 

Project Arts Build Learning Experiences 

has been a part of education through 

the arts in East Tennessee since 

1982. ProjectABLE residencies are 

teacher training programs and use 

creative dramatics, music, dance, 

mime, storytelling, puppetry and 

visual arts. The goals of ProjectABLE 

include: increased self-awareness and 

self-confidence; group awareness and 

socialization skills; development of 

abstract thinking and problem solving 

skills; ability to concentrate and 

remember; increased gross and fine 

motor control; awareness of individual 

artistic creativity and motivation; and 

enthusiasm for learning.

*denotes member of the Teaching Artist Leadership Council

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