Our Teaching Artists

As an interactive Art studio owner of 13 years, and former school art teacher Anna Alcalde is experienced in teaching creative skills to all age groups. She has won many awards and grants for her innovative lessons, including a Mayors Art Award. Her favorite medium is Alcohol infused Inks on recycled tile. Other interests include acrylic painting, water color, collage and Smart art talks. Anna believes that all have an artist inside just waiting for some kind guidance. “The EARTH without ART is just EH”.

Anna has done many projects with LAC, including monthly art classes for young adults and children on the Autism spectrum with the Autism Family Network. Anna has also done ublic activities with us including at Gateway Mall, Taylor Park and at the Lincoln Arts Festival.

Hi there! My name is Kate Askey, and I’m a ceramicist and painter based in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. I work within the intersection of functional and sculptural pottery. In my practice of constructing vessels and carving their surfaces, I find symbols reveal themselves. I am interested in art as a means to access the subconscious, as it can broaden one’s understanding of oneself.

I maintain a space in the Parrish Project known as The Garten, which serves as a clay studio and art gallery. Every week, the studio opens up for Pottery Pals, a casual class where hand-building with earthenware clay is made accessible to the community. Outside of hosting at the studio I enjoy teaching after-school art clubs, workshops, and vending at various pop-up events. Working locally is important to me, as collaborating with neighboring small businesses has been rewarding. I look forward to more opportunities to teach, meet other artists, and connect with the community.

Leah Arington holds her Master’s Degree in Opera from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Leah received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Eastman, furthering her performance studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.

Leah served the University of West Florida as Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre and head of the Musical Theatre BFA Program prior to moving back home to Nebraska where she has taught voice for Nebraska Wesleyan University as well as serving as a Guest Artist for Creighton University and most recently as a Professor of Voice at University of Nebraska Omaha.

Leah has a thriving voice studio in Lincoln where she is also the founder and Artistic Director for Theatre Arts For Kids, a flourishing non-profit musical theatre company for youth

Ruth Davidson Hahn is President and Artistic Director of Ruth Davidson Hahn & Company, and Director and Professional Teacher of Dance for Parkinson’s. She is also a founding member and 21 year veteran dancer of the world renowned Mark Morris Dance Group from 1980 – 2001, a 2013 Stanley J. Wertheimer Fellow specially trained in the internationally acclaimed Dance for Parkinsons® method, and specially trained with Lifetime Arts, national leaders in creative aging program development.

Ruth was born and grew up in New York City. She is an award-winning graduate of New York High School of Performing Arts and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the State University of New York at Purchase.

Nichole Hansen is the CEO of Handersen Publishing LLC, a family-owned independent press focused on creating engaging books for young readers. The company started in 2016 in Lincoln with five books and a literary magazine. Three years later, the company has more than 40 children’s books published and distributed internationally. Handersen Publishing’s catalog includes picture, early reader, middle grade, and young adult books. They are available in bookstores and libraries around the world.

In September 2019, the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper presented Nichole with the “Inspire Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship” for her entrepreneurship, leadership, and service to the community. The award was presented at the Inspire Awards Luncheon, attended by more than 800 people.

Hansen is also a poet and the author of seven children’s books, including the award-winning non-fiction book The Thumb Book of Kindness.

Sharonda Harris-Marshall is an independent filmmaker, photographer, film editor, and multidisciplinary artist. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Sharonda’s work is inspired by the colorful Afro-Creole culture of the Gulf Coast region.

Sharonda graduated from the University of Southern California with a major in Cinematic Arts and a minor in Digital Media-Based Imaging. Sharonda moved to Nebraska in 2015.

Sharonda’s work has been displayed publicly in exhibits such as “Projections on Lake” in Pasadena, California; PACE New Masters Photography Exhibition in Council Bluffs, Iowa; and Gallery 1516’s Regional Photography Exhibition in Omaha.

Sharonda is a working filmmaker specializing in social justice and arts education. Prior to working with the Lincoln Arts Council, Sharonda taught photography and digital media at SCC.

After 24 years in Los Angeles as a costume designer and teaching artist, Nancy Konrardy relocated back to the Midwest to Roca, just south of Lincoln. From designer, collaborator, costume fabricator, milliner, mask maker, dyer-painter, makeup artist to scenic artist, Nancy brings a varied & vast range of experiences to the creation of her residencies.

Nancy began her teaching out of a desire to enhance classroom learning and inspire children’s personal experiences through art and creativity. In all of Pathfinder projects, Nancy uses and supports art standards while striving to make connections to core subjects such as math, science, history, and writing.

Nancy has also been recognized with two Daytime Emmy awards and an NAACP Image award.

David Manzanares is an indigenous Oaxacan artist living in Omaha. His sculptures and murals reflect collective identity, migration, and indigenous cosmovision. David is heavily influenced by ancient Mexican art and his grandmother, a medicine woman skilled in textile weaving who taught him handcrafting from a young age.

Manzanares’ primary medium is sculpture, and, more recently, he expanded into murals and street art around the Midwest to share his indigenous culture.

His art brings visibility and empowerment to underserved populations, reinforcing their voices and generating a better space for his kids and generations to come, exploring reciprocal relationships between humans and the land.

Tom Meyers was born and raised in Omaha, the second oldest of eight. He graduated from UNO with an incomplete minor in art. His early ideas about art came from visits to Joslyn Art Museum, which might explain his tendency toward traditional American and European styles. Having worked in several fields, his interest in drawing and painting led him to explore commercial art. Eventually he moved to full-time art as a sculptor. Since 2013 he has been a freelance artist doing both commercial and fine art projects.

He was the Artist In Residence at the Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln for four of the last six years. He has been teaching private lessons for years, and works on various projects with Lincoln schools, including a mural at Campbell Elementary, which he finds extremely rewarding.

Oscar Rios Pohirieth brings alive the music and cultures of Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile as he guides the listener through an acoustic musical journey on the panpipes, Quena, and Charango. Participants will experience traditional and contemporary Andean folk music and learn its different rhythms by trying out percussion instruments such as goat-skin Bombo deum of the Chajchas, llama toe-nails sown to a handwoven band of cloth.

Through storytelling and songs sung in Spanish and Quichua, Oscar will engage the audience and transport them to the land of the Inca people, where the celebration of life begins with love and respect for the natural world around us.

Carrie Strope is an artist and Integrated Learning Specialist who works with K-12 students and educators to integrate visual arts into diverse curricular areas. While she specializes in glass art—particularly fused glass and mosaics—her practice extends to other mediums, incorporating elements of street art to engage students in dynamic, hands-on learning experiences. She collaborates with schools and communities to create individual and large-scale public artworks, often culminating in an exhibition or installation that connects students, families, and the broader community.

In residencies, students develop their own projects to keep while contributing to a permanent collaborative piece that enhances their school environment.

Music Studio LNK is headed by Linda Witfoth who teaches piano, leads Music Exploration, and directs drumming classes. She has year’s experience studying music and theory, teaching, and performing professionally. Starting Music Studio LNK is an exciting continuation of working with students and their families, after retiring from the public school system.

She works as a team with her son Ben who teaches guitar/bass guitar, leads Music Exploration, and directs Drumming classes. Ben is a fantastic musician and teacher who cares about connecting students to their inner musician. His knowledge of scale structures and patience with all levels of learners, make his lessons tailored to each student’s needs.

Samantha Wicht received her BFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2020). She is a freelance artist and mentor. She specializes in a range of materials, from painting to chalk art. She has participated in multiple regional chalk art festivals. Wicht has also done work with multiple public art projects.

Her most current work focuses on finding beauty in the mundane. She’s been inspired by her childhood home and the environment in Nebraska.

Flamenco guitarist, composer and teacher hails from Iquitos, Peru. Martinez first picked up the guitar in 1992 at the encouragement of his mother and he quickly discovered his natural talent for playing guitar. It wasn’t until he moved to the United States in 2002 that he started to take his music seriously. Martinez honed his skills through the mastery of classical guitar training and preparing for and winning national guitar competitions. Daniel has performed in Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and across the United States. Today, he plays all musical styles, but his specialties are Latin rhythms such as Flamenco, Rumba, Bossa nova, Jazz, Bolero, Bachata and more.

He has four solo instrumental recordings later, and many music collaborations, he is a sought-after instructor of all styles of guitar for all ages as well as being a familiar presence on stages in the region. Daniel is also guitar professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University, Union Adventist University and owner of Daniel Martinez Music. Martinez is a Music and Culture touring and teaching artist through the Nebraska Arts Council, Teaching Artist for The Lied Center for Performing Arts, Guest Artist for John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. He is also a passionate instrumental artist for Pacific Press, Chapel Records, 3ABN TV station, and Loma Linda Broadcast Network TV. Daniel Martinez was awarded as the Lincoln Mayor’s Choice Award in 2023 and also the 2023 Here’s to the Heroes Award.

is a seasoned professional photographer and videographer located in Lincoln, Nebraska, boasting over twenty years of industry experience. Since 2001, he has engaged in a wide array of projects, including weddings and events for the Cornhusker Marching Band, all while demonstrating a remarkable attention to detail. Since 2014, Michael has expanded his contributions to the field by teaching photography and video editing, leading summer camps and after-school programs that emphasize key techniques such as long exposure photography, framing, and lighting.

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Michael is deeply dedicated to community service. He has actively participated in the Little Free Pantries initiative in Lincoln and has previously held the position of president for Fresh Start Home. For over a decade, he has also served as a mentor with the Teammates program, reflecting his commitment to giving back to the community. Furthermore, Michael finds his greatest fulfillment in spending quality time with his wife and son, who are his primary sources of inspiration.

Lindsey Weber recieved her BFA in Printmaking from the University of Montana in 2010. After graduation she became the print shop coordinator and outreach educator for the ZACC where she witnessed printmaking’s impact on the Missoula community.

Printmaking’s accessibility connected people and empowered civic engagement. After moving to Nebraska she continued to promote printmaking as a public good through teaching workshops in public schools and art non-profits.

She aligns her education and studio practice community activism to promote safe spaces for Queer Nebraskans. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for OutNebraska a statewide LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, and am the creator of queerPOP which organizes pop-up events for Queer people in brick and mortar business.