Learn from Great Arts Teachers

Composer and producer Joseph Caquias creates cinematic orchestral music that blends emotion, drama, and beauty— from original scores to film/game-inspired works.

Laura Nelkin lives in upstate New York, where the sunny season is short, leaving plenty of time to be indoors knitting. Though she has a degree in apparel design from Cornell University, she took to knitting years ago and hasn’t looked back.

Hello! My name is Giovanni Alberto, I started playing the piano at the age of six, inspired by my grandfather’s love for music. After earning my degree in classical Piano from the Conservatory, I pursued a master’s in sound design and composition, blending tradition with innovation.

Daryl Lancaster, a hand-weaver and fiber artist known for her award-winning hand-woven fabric and garments, has been constructing garments for more than half a century. She gives lectures and workshops to guilds, conferences, and craft centers all over the United States.

Hannah Smith is a fiber artist, living historian, and archaeologist (but not necessarily in that order). She has been knitting and spinning for over a decade, after learning to spin at the local yarn shop in her college town in Pennsylvania.

Cecilia Ho of Greenville, SC, was born into a family of designers in Hong Kong. Since 2013, Cecilia relocated to South Carolina from Canada, and has taught thousands of students through one-one-one private & group felting workshops. Currently, Cecilia is a South Carolina Verified Teaching Artist running week-long fiber arts integration programs for k4-12th grade students across SC.

Fiber arts has been a life-long passion. When I was only 14 years old, I took fiber classes at my local Art Museum. Imagine my surprise when some of my pieces were displayed in the museum store! I was smitten. Though I was never without fiber work in one form or another, I didn’t find my way to knitting until 2000.

Liz Spear brings nearly five decades of experience to this series. As a master weaver, wet-felter, and designer, she crafts over 80 unique garments annually for craft fairs, galleries, and conferences. A skilled teacher and mentor, Liz shares her expertise in fabric and garment construction, pattern development, and sustainable practices, including reworking and repurposing…

Sheryl Kessler attended the University of the Arts and graduated from Philadelphia University (Jefferson University). She has taught privately and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Continuing Education program. Sheryl has been working with textiles since 1984 beginning with machine knitting.

Alesia started her fiber odyssey over two decades ago with a couple of sheep and a passion to learn more. The sheep patiently taught her much about life, farming and fiber! She now lives on a small farm in Youngsville, NC with her husband and son and together they shepherd a very eclectic flock of award-winning sheep.