2026 Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute

Registration now open!

2026 Faculty

Designed for Educators

Rhoda Bernard, Instructor

Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. Rhoda Bernard is the Founding Managing Director of the Institute for Accessible Arts Education (BIAAE) and the Assistant Chair of the Music Education Department at Berklee College of Music. At the BIAAE, she creates, leads, and provides arts education programs for people with disabilities of all ages, graduate programs in accessible music education, and professional development resources and convenings. An internationally renowned expert in accessible arts education, Bernard is a dynamic presenter and facilitator who is in high demand around the world for keynote presentations, professional development sessions, and conference talks. Her recent book, Accessible Arts Education: Principles, Habits, and Strategies to Unleash Every Student's Creativity and Learning, was released in September 2025. Her work has been published in numerous book chapters and peer reviewed journals. Bernard's TEDx Talk, "The Talent Whisperer," features her asset-based approach to leading, teaching, and administration: believing in the unique gifts inside every person and never giving up.

college.berklee.edu/berklee-institute-arts-education-and-special-needs/faculty

Facebook: @BerkleeIAAE

Instagram: @BerkleeIAAE

Youtube: @BerkleeIAAE

WORKSHOP Turbocharge Your Teaching with Accessible Arts Education

Printmaking

Cierra Roberts, Printmaking Technician

Norman, Oklahoma

Cierra Roberts is an artist who moves between printmaking and sculpture. Originally from Gillette, Wyoming, she earned a B.F.A. from the University of Wyoming. As a way of catharsis, Roberts concentrates her artistic endeavors on laborious processes such as casting, fabricating, forging metal, and printmaking. She focuses on intertwining rigid and malleable materials, orchestrating a dialogue between fragility and resilience within her sculptures. Roberts's artistic practice centers on themes of autonomy and resistance, drawing inspiration from the history of medical practices, desire, consent, and the current political landscape. She aims to articulate nuanced reflections of human experience through her work, transcending mere physicality to explore the profound depths of emotion and introspection. Roberts is now based in Norman, Oklahoma, where she is pursuing an M.F.A. in sculpture at the University of Oklahoma. Her goal is to continue researching ways of resistance through metalwork and printmaking.

cierraroberts.com

Instagram: @cierra.roberts.art

WORKSHOP Monoprint Boogie Boogie

Marwin Begaye, Instructor

Norman, Oklahoma

An internationally exhibited artist, Marwin Begaye, Navajo, was born in Ganado, AZ. Currently, he lives in Norman, OK, where he is a Professor of Studio Art at the University of Oklahoma, School of Visual Arts. He examines the issues of cultural identity through the intersection of American Indian and popular cultures. His ongoing research investigates the technical processes related to printmaking and construction of mixed-media art. He received numerous awards as an Artist in Residence and through juried exhibitions. His work has been featured in numerous publications and maintains an active exhibition schedule, including in New Zealand, England, Argentina, Paraguay, Italy, Siberia, and Estonia. His work is in private museum collections and the United States Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division.

marwinbegaye.com

Instagram: @printmakingpapa

WORKSHOP Monoprint Boogie Boogie

Neal Ambrose-Smith, Instructor

Corrales, New Mexico

Neal Ambrose-Smith, descendent of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation of Montana, is a painter, sculptor, printmaker, photographer, musician, and educator. He has taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts and Making Art Safely in Santa Fe, New Mexico and workshops nationally, and many alongside his mother, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. He has also developed the app Artist Ideas with 100 ideas for making art, available for Apple. His work is included in the collections The Whitney Museum of American Art, The New York Public Library, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Galerie municipale d’art contemporain in Chamalières, France, and Hongik University in Seoul, Korea. He received his B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and M.F.A. from the University of New Mexico. He is currently represented by the Garth Greenan Gallery in New York City.

indianspacepainters.com

WORKSHOP Waterless Lithography

Folk & Social Dance

Kevin S. Warner, Instructor

Boone, North Carolina

Kevin S. Warner is a Professor of Dance Studies in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Appalachian State University, where he teaches Dance Pedagogy and World Dance, among other courses. In addition to his work in higher education, Warner has worked in PreK-12 settings as both a certified teacher and teaching artist. He currently serves as the Vice-President of Professional Development for the North Carolina Dance Education Organization. As an artist, Warner has directed, choreographed, and/or performed in over 100 productions nationally for companies including Ann Vachon/Dance Conduit, Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, Opera House Theatre Company, Ensemble Stage Theatre, Melanie Stewart Dance, on cruise ships, and in television and film productions. His musical theatre direction and choreography span professional, educational, and community theatre settings.

Instagram: @kevinwarner9229

Facebook: @kevswarner

WORKSHOP The World's Greatest Dance Party

Writing

George Bilgere, Instructor

Cleveland, Ohio

George Bilgere’s ninth book of poetry, Cheap Motels of My Youth, won the Rattle Press Chapbook Contest in 2024. Bilgere has received grants and awards from the Pushcart Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Witter Bynner Foundation through the Library of Congress, and the Ohio Arts Council. He has been awarded the Midland Authors Prize, the May Swenson Award, the Cleveland Arts Prize in Literature, the University of Akron Poetry Prize, and a Creative Workforce Fellowship through the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture in Cleveland. His poems and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, Poetry, Ploughshares, The Sewanee Review, The Southern Review, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere. Bilgere is familiar to National Public Radio listeners from his many appearances on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac and A Prairie Home Companion. He has a marvelous wife and two fine little boys.

georgebilgere.com

WORKSHOP Poetry Writing

Molly Wizenberg, Instructor

Seattle, Washington

Molly Wizenberg is the author of three memoirs, most recently The Fixed Stars, a finalist for the 2021 Washington State Book Award and a 2021 ALA Stonewall Book Awards honor book. Her first two books, A Homemade Life and Delancey, were both New York Times bestsellers. Wizenberg won a James Beard Award for her writing online at Orangette, a blog she maintained from 2004 to 2019, and her work has also appeared in Bon Appétit, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Lithub, and elsewhere. She writes the Substack newsletter I've Got a Feeling and she also co-hosts the podcast Spilled Milk. Wizenberg lives in Seattle, Washington, and teaches workshops on memoir around the world.

mollywizenberg.com

Instagram: @molly.wizenberg

WORKSHOP From Memory to Story

Music

Jabarie Glass, Instructor

Norman, Oklahoma

Jabarie Glass serves as Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma, where he provides artistic and administrative leadership for the choral program, teaches graduate courses in conducting and choral literature, and conducts the University Chorale. He previously served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina after nearly a decade of distinguished leadership in secondary choral music in Mississippi. Ensembles under his direction have performed by juried invitation at state and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. Glass maintains a national profile as a conductor, clinician, scholar, and educator. He has shared perspectives on conducting, rehearsal technique, repertoire selection, and singer development through conference presentations, conducting masterclasses, professional development workshops, and publication in The Choral Journal. He continues to support the musical development of young choral artists by conducting honor choirs across the United States.

WORKSHOP Choral Pedagogy: Developing Musicians, Cultivating Lifelong Engagement

Visual Arts

Demos Glass, Instructor

Locust Grove, OK

Demos is a member of the Cherokee Nation. He resides in Locust Grove. He was honored to receive the title as Cherokee National Treasure in 2016. Demos attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Illinois and majored in Fine Arts. Today he is a metal smith studio artist and produces mixed media sculptures, decorative containers, jewelry and uses sterling silver and other non-ferrous metals, pewter, steel, stainless steel, wood, shell, clay, and stone. Demos is head of metal fabrication at Glass Studio, which focuses on large-scale public commissioned sculptures. He has won many awards, recognition, and been in numerous publications throughout his career. He has taught for Cherokee Nation Cultural Art Classes as a National Treasure as well as been an artist in residence for the alternative program in Locust Grove.

WORKSHOP Foundations in Metal: Casting, Stamping, and Design

Geoffrey Gorman, Instructor

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Geoffrey Gorman is an American sculptor whose work explores the expressive possibilities of carved wood, found objects, and reclaimed materials. Drawing on a career that has included furniture making, gallery management, curating, and writing about art, he creates sculptures and marionettes that blur the boundaries between fine art, folk traditions, and storytelling. His hand-carved animals and human figures are crafted from fruitwoods and other carefully selected woods, then combined with salvaged hardware, tools, textiles, and vintage objects to create works rich with personality and narrative. Humor, movement, and the natural world are recurring themes, inviting viewers to discover unexpected relationships between craftsmanship and imagination. A full-time artist for more than two decades, Gorman has exhibited widely, taught workshops throughout the United States, and inspired collectors with sculptures that celebrate transformation, resilience, and the enduring spirit of handmade art. His work reflects both technical mastery and a deep respect for reclaimed materials.

geoffreygorman.com

WORKSHOP The Animal Within: Creating Magical Creatures

Jan Heaton, Instructor

Oakwood, Ohio

Jan Heaton's art quietly unravels a story that creates an emotional connection with the viewer and reminds us of a feeling, place, or time. A quest for the natural beauty that surrounds us, her paintings are inspired by the structure, color, and patterns in nature. Working in watercolor, her organic forms integrate with the texture of the heavy cotton paper. The marks, pigment selections, and translucent layers are precise, thoughtful, and carefully planned. Born in Detroit, Michigan, and now living in Oakwood, Ohio, Jan Heaton is a third-generation artist. Her artwork is represented by galleries and art dealers in Austin, Columbus, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, and Atlanta. 

janheaton.com

Instagram: @janheatonwatercolor

Facebook: @janheatonstudio

WORKSHOP Watercolor: Flora Abstractions

Joann McMillan, Instructor

Eufaula, Oklahoma

Joann McMillan is a professional puppeteer, artistic director, and master teaching artist whose career has spanned more than 50 years. Since 1975, she has specialized in large-scale interactive puppets, rod, marionette, and hand puppetry, as well as community pageantry, festival coordination, and K–12 arts residencies. A longtime Oklahoma Arts Council Teaching Artist, she has led grant-funded school programs and youth theater camps across the state for decades. McMillan earned a bachelor's degree in theater with secondary education certification from the University of Delaware before leaving classroom teaching to pursue puppetry full-time through a major arts grant. Her current project, Microbes Always and Everywhere, is an interactive giant puppet pageant. Her contributions to Oklahoma's cultural landscape were featured in PBS/OETA's Gallery America (Season 9, Episode 5, "The Puppet Lady"), recognizing her lifelong dedication to puppetry and arts education.

WORKSHOP Experimenting with Puppets

John Hampshire, Instructor

Troy, New York

John Hampshire was born in Chicago in 1971. He currently serves as Professor of Fine Art at the State Univeristy of New York Adirondack, where he has taught since 2005. In addition to the Oklahoma Arts Institute, Hampshire has taught in programs at Skidmore College in Saratoga, NY, McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, and most recently at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China. Hampshire’s work has been exhibited at such locations as the Show Walls at 1133 Avenue of the Americas in New York City, the Fine Art Gallery at the State College of Florida, the Hunter Gallery in Middleton, Rhode Island, the Brattleboro Museum, and the Project Room at the Phoenix Gallery in New York City. Hampshire lives and maintains a studio in a former church in Troy, New York, and also maintains a residence and studio in New York City.

johnhampshire.weebly.com

Instagram: @hampsj

WORKSHOP Portrait Painting: An Exploration

Sarah Hearn, Instructor

Norman, Oklahoma

Sarah Hearn is a multidisciplinary artist exploring the hidden half of nature through photography, drawing, books, sculpture, and community participation. Her work focuses on microbial and symbiotic relationships, merging scientific research with science fiction outcomes in artist-made books, installations and exhibitions that explore the interconnectivity of life and possible futures. Hearn holds an M.F.A. in Imaging Arts and Sciences from Rochester Institute of Technology and a B.F.A. from the College of Santa Fe, with minors in Environmental Science and Museum Studies. She is a guest curator for FUTRE/IS debuting at Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center in September of 2027. She is an Artist Services Program Officer at Mid-America Arts Alliance and lives in Norman, OK surrounded by family, animals and the magic of the woods.

sarahhearn.art

Instagram: @sarahmhearn

WORKSHOP Coptic Compendium Book Art

Media Arts

Ben Long

Ben Long, Instructor

San Francisco, California

Ben Long is a San Francisco-based photographer, writer, and teacher. The author of over two dozen books on digital photography and digital video, he is also the author of several best-selling LinkedInLearning.com photography courses. His photography clients have included 20th Century Fox, Blue Note Records, Global Business Network, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Pickle Family Circus, and Grammy-nominated jazz musicians Don Byron and Dafnis Prieto. He has taught and lectured on photography around the world, including workshops at the Santa Reparata International School of the Arts in Florence and a class for imaging engineers at Apple, Inc. He occasionally dabbles in computer programming and has written image editing utilities that are used by National Geographic, the British Museum, and the White House. Long was an OSAI acting student in 1985.

WORKSHOP Improving Your Photographic Vision

Suzi Pond, Instructor

Freeport, Maine

Suzi Pond is an awarding-winning digital journalist and producer who believes in the power of stories to empower and inspire. Pond founded Redbird Media Group in 2014 to weave together her professional experiences in journalism, documentary and nonprofit communications. Redbird's short film Good Relatives (in partnership with the Trust for Public Land) will debut at the 2025 Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado. In 2022, Pond was recognized as a “Mainer of the Year” by Maine Magazine. She’s a graduate of Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and her audio storytelling has been heard on NPR. Redbird is based in Freeport, Maine on unceded territory of the Wabanaki Confederacy, a group of sovereign nations including the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi'kmaq peoples.

redbirdmediagroup.com

Facebook: @redbirdmediagroup

Instagram: @redbirdmediagroup

LinkedIn: @suzipond

WORKSHOP Audio Storytelling
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