Presenting the Graduates of the Fall 2020 Teaching Artist Project (TAP) Class. This anthology is a compilation of their work, experiences, and the fun we've all had together this fall. Community-Word Project's TAP is in its 23rd year and is the longest-standing professional development program open to the Teaching Artist field by a non-profit organization in New York City. TAP is a collective of diversely experienced arts educators training emerging and working teaching artis

"There is really no such thing as the "voiceless". There's only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard"—Arundhati Roy Victoria Pérez is an accomplished theatre artist, director and teaching artist. She is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Raíces Theatre Company, the only theatre company in WNY dedicated to develop, nourish and produce modern and original works dealing with the Latino experience in order to preserve our roots. Victoria is a graduate of the

Shireen Amini is a queer, Puerto Rican-Iranian, Earth-loving musician whose career as a singer-songwriter, performer, percussionist and teaching artist in Central Oregon for has spanned 15 years. She has recorded several albums and performed throughout the West Coast as a solo act and fronting her Latin dance rock band ¡Chiringa! She holds a BA in Ethnomusicology from UCLA and a certificate in Sound, Voice, and Music Healing from CIIS in San Francisco. Since 2015, Shireen has

“The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.” — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Sarah Nassif, born in Anchorage, Alaska, raised in the Pacific Northwest, and an upper midwesterner for 20 years, earned a degree in botany as an undergrad and is a self-taught visual artist. Sarah explores the natural world as a model and inspiration to help us connect to the creativity present

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." —Helen Keller Sarah Gordin is a teaching artist, director, and choreographer. She has taught at multiple organizations working with young people including The Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, Gas Lamp Players in New Jersey, Broadway Workshop in New York City, Camp Deeny Riback in New Jersey, The Civi

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." — Twyla Tharp As an arts education specialist, Patty Eljaiek works at the intersection of art, ideas, and practical implementation. As the owner and director of Art Out of Anything, Patty creates and executes programming in arts education with a focus on contemporary artists using repurposed materials and engaging SEL skills. Through her work with organizations such as The Simple Good of Chicago, Community Change, and T

Wisps of inspiration from TAP Fall 2020: "Look to water for the touch we are craving" —Janet Pfeffer "I am a snake with skin that's shedding" — Ingz Romero A lifelong New Yorker, Moira has been experimenting with words and visual art ever since her mother set her up with an art corner in the basement as a kid. Her poetry ranges from the memoir-ish to the political, from the narrative to the lyrical. Her poem “Old Glory,” written in response to the 2016 US presidential electio

Marissa Ontiveros is a Chicanx, Brooklyn based theater artist hailing from Los Angeles, California. She is committed to centering student’s identities and creative choice while supporting social-emotional learning through storytelling and movement. Proudly serves as a Teaching Artist at various arts organizations in every borough across NYC including Brooklyn Acting Lab, St. Nicks Alliance, CO/LAB Theater Group, Brooklyn Art Exchange, and Learning Extended Arts Programs (LEAP

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." —Shunryu Suzuki Mathew Weitman is a Brooklyn based poet, musician, and writer. He is a second year MFA candidate at the New School and his writing appears in numerous online and print publications. Additionally has been a finalist for the Francis Ponge Prize for Prose Poetry, and released music under the monikers Hotels on Mars and Sqwks. In 2019, he teamed up with saxophonist Kroba and

Lynn Logan Roselli is an artist whose sensitivity to nature creates a unique spiritual take. Her love of the botanical world and landscapes are her focus in photographs and drawings. She loves to capture the essence of the tree with its sensuality and movement. With her love of color, light, form and personal view, Lynn hopes to bring the viewer closer to nature in a way that we don’t see every day. Lynn is a self taught artist. Her love of nature was brought to life in the E