The Perry County Council of the Arts is one of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ 13 regional Partners, charged with the responsibility of implementing quality Arts-In-Education programs in 7 counties – Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Snyder, Union and Northumberland.
Perry County Council of the Arts (PCCA) works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) to place professional artists in classrooms for residencies of 5 to 20 days.
To receive an informational brochure or to apply as an artist, host site or funding agency, please contact Project Director Rebecca Myers at 717-740-6953 or aie@perrycountyarts.org.
Fiber Arts & Quilting
Counties
Perry, Mifflin, Juniata
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, senior
As an artist, Janice views teaching self-value and personal growth just as important as teaching artistic skills. A century’s old tradition, quilting has many iterations and genres, allowing for a wide selection of inspiration and skill level from which to draw, capturing and making accessible the medium for a larger audience. Through traditional and modern techniques, Janice aims to help students explore their best works in the fiber medium, with the firm belief that quilting and fiber arts are great mediums which teach not only artistic expression, but also daily life skills applications. Even those students who may not walk away enthusiastic quilters will have gained basic sewing and fiber skills they can use throughout life in preservation and restoration of the variety of everyday fiber goods, perhaps even with a little artistic flair.
Fused glass mosaics
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Middle, secondary, adult, senior
I am a glass artisan working in fusing and mosaic techniques. An immensely fun thing that I get to do is to make community mosaics using tiles that participants create. Contributors assemble a tiny little glass artwork that becomes a tile when I fire it. Anyone can make one, regardless of artistic ability or interest. With each project I am surprised at the ideas and stories that go into their tiles, making it a mystery as to what I will have to work with when I start the mosaic. The community imagination is what makes these mosaics personal and special. The most satisfying moment of a community mosaic is the unveiling. Immediately, people start to hunt for the tiles they made, while they are delighted in discovering what their friends have created.
My favorite part of my mosaics is that when viewed close up, the artwork can look abstract. The character and patterns of a shard of stained glass can be seen or the personality of a tile maker can be recognized in their tile. Close up, the tessellation or randomness of tile placement is also part of the design. Texture of the handmade tiles welcomes fingers to look. These fun details keep me interested in my work, and they also enable people of all ages to linger and enjoy viewing the artwork. I’ve noticed that these mosaics knit the people that have participated. Many ideas become one.
In some school projects, the participants also assemble the mosaic. A design must be flexible enough to accommodate budget for materials, time allotted for project, number of hands that will be working, and also the skill level/motivation of those hands. The main focus is making their individual tiles look great.
Theatre
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union and Montour
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult
BTE Theatre School offers a range of classes, workshops, and camps designed to teach the fundamentals of the theater arts on an age-appropriate basis: critical reading, aesthetic analysis, creative thinking and problem solving, collaboration, theatre technology, oral interpretation, movement, and more.
Painting, self-portraiture
Counties
Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Brianne Croteau is a Central PA transplant by way of her New York roots. As a freelance artist and designer, she strives for the perfect resonance of emotion, fascination and impact in her work. Part Figurative Expressionist, part Modern American Realist, her paintings, illustrations and designs explore bold use of color and light to evoke a sense of presence.
As a founding artist of the Arts Underground Studio and Gallery, Brianne is helping to cultivate a new “creative class” within the Greater Susquehanna Valley, transforming the local landscape into a burgeoning collaborative and innovative artists’ community. As a teacher and coach, Brianne believes that art can empower and emphasize a means of storytelling that is both personal and authentic.
Her classes are geared toward all ages and ability levels, focusing on breaking away from convention and expectation so that artists are free to be inspired and energized by the act of creating. Brianne has taught a variety of painting classes for children and adults and is a frequent lecturer to students of all ages on empowerment, personal branding, storytelling and authenticity.
She has guest lectured for Bucknell University’s Freeman College of Management, Bucknell’s Office of Admissions, The United Way’s Diversity & Inclusion Series, The Union County Public Library (Human Library Project) and is the Co-Founder and Producer of the Milton Fringe Festival. Her art has shown in gallery spaces from New York to Washington, D.C., and her designs continue to be commissioned by businesses, organizations, and private collectors across the country.
Theatre, drama
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Elementary
Gamut® Theatre is the combined company of Popcorn Hat Players Children’s Theatre and Harrisburg Shakespeare Company, with a mission is to tell classic stories in new and exciting ways. The theatre company envisions a world in which all people cherish classic stories and share them with future generations.
Each year, Gamut presents approximately 250 performances to 30,000 people. Moreover, 20,000 students per year enjoy their theatre classes, workshops, residencies, and shows. Since its inception in 1993, Gamut has cumulatively reached more than 750,000 children and adults through our touring and educational programs and is consistently voted “Best Drama/Theatre Classes” as awarded by Central Penn Parent magazine.
The theatre group has been recognized by the press and the public for the quality of its productions, the breadth of its programs, its reach into all segments of the community, and its ability to keep classic stories relevant and alive.
Muralist
Counties
Snyder
Age groups
Middle, Secondary
Artist Narrative-Elody Gyekis
Sitting down to write this narrative, I am shocked to discover that I have been leading community projects for a full 20 years now. What began as a summer internship after my first year of college at the tender and wide-eyed age of 18 has evolved to become a major part of my professional career. In that first summer, I was already a fairly accomplished painter, but I had no experience in murals or community projects. I knew nothing about the technical process, much less the leadership that it would require of me. This first summer project grew into a two-year project that had a profound impact on my life, both professionally and personally.
For context, I was more than just an art student during my undergraduate studies at Penn State. I was also minoring in Sociology and working for the Race Relations Project/World in Conversations led by Same Richards and Laurie Mulvey. In my academic classes, I was learning about structural inequality in our world. In these projects, I was learning how to facilitate dialogue between people who have drastically different lived experiences, perspectives, and opinions. We were trained to use the Socratic Method to encourage participants to examine issues through questions rather than conclusions, through dialogue rather than debate. We were taught to facilitate dialogue, constructively bringing different perspectives to the surface and shining light on the value in these differences. The purpose was to build relationships and solutions in the process. (More info: https://worldinconversation.psu.edu/ ) These aspects of my studies were opening my mind and changing my perspective, but I was still in the safe and nurturing environment of my privileged university life, and I felt helpless to change or impact these huge injustices.
Then, I moved to the Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg, PA to complete this mural internship. The neighborhood was impoverished and poorly served, with many boarded-up buildings, garbage overfilling the street receptacles, and high crime rates. It was also racially and ethnically diverse, with many languages spoken on the street. My whiteness stood out like a sore thumb, and I was as likely to be regarded with suspicion as friendliness. Initially, I felt very uncomfortable. However, through the community mural project, I met community leaders of all types who were working hard to serve the people of the community. I encountered passion and generosity and kindness from the most unlikely sources. I made three community murals happen with hundreds of people, from the sweetest children at a local daycare center to recently incarcerated adult men who were in the Dauphin County Work Release Program. I learned that I could apply these facilitation skills I had learned to create beautiful artwork that empowered everyone who was involved, filling us with pride and energy. I learned that my artistic skills and budding leadership abilities could help change the world in a small but beautiful way.
Thus began my journey with community art. 20 years later, I have led dozens of projects and works with thousands of people and covered over 10,000 square feet of wall surfaces with beautiful murals that reflect the culture and pride of their communities. I have worked with toddlers and octogenarians and every age in between, including many art schoolrooms. I am proud of this work that I do, and even more proud that the participants involved are proud of the projects. It is a powerful thing to work together to create something tangible, beautiful, and meaningful while connecting with other people.
I believe this work brings out the best of our humanity in an increasingly polarized world, and I am honored to help Middleburg and its wonderful young people to do too.
Clay & Ceramic Arts
Counties
Union, Northumberland and Montour
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Ellen Jamiolkowski is an artist who was born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Being surrounded by nature all her life, it has become an endless source of inspiration for her. Ellen attended Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics. She also holds a Teaching Artist certificate from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. As a Teaching Artist, Ellen provides a hands-on learning experience with clay. It helps build confidence and is an active approach to learning, which engages students and allows for a more meaningful experience. Working with children, teens, and adults in schools, with nonprofit organizations, and in community settings, Ellen teaches essential hand building with clay techniques and decoration. Students also experience the organic qualities of clay and make their own discoveries just by pinching, pulling and rolling the clay in their hands. Through this exploration, Ellen’s hope is that each student finds their own creative voice and expression.
Visual arts, Ceramics, Mosaics
Counties
Montour
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Born in Germantown, PA and raised nearby in Ambler, Gail Jones’ artistic future was further shaped being enrolled at an early age in art classes at Heritage House of North Philadelphia, an artist-based community center which her grandfather was involved in establishing. Later, Jones spent her school years using all her class electives in creative environments, metal, woodworking and sewing. After the birth of her first son, Jones enrolled at Montgomery County Community College, focusing on Ceramic Arts. She fell in love with the hand-building process and another part of Gail Jones, the Artist, was activated. This was the last of any formal training, as she launched into the following decades developing as an independently trained artist.
Jones spent much of her early years as a batik artist, creating a wearable art line from the shapes and designs that flowed out of her. She then created flat pieces which began to display in shows and galleries. More than twenty years ago, Jones returned to working with ceramics, opening her first studio inside a rented space in a tiny little village named Forksville, in North-Central Pennsylvania until moving to an equally obscure location in Muncy Valley, PA, where she currently resides.
Music, percussion, Taiko drumming
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Middle, secondary, adult
As a drummer and percussionist for 15 years, Urie Kline’s goal is to empower students through the art of percussion. Currently, he performs in several Williamsport-area bands and teaches at Lycoming College. He is also the founder and chief performer of Lyco Taiko, a group dedicated to traditional-style Japanese drumming. He currently teaches residencies on taiko, in which students learn to combine drumming with movement, and learn about Japanese culture and art as well. In the future, he hopes to share the wide world of rhythm with his residency students. Urie is proud to contribute to the artistic development of his native Pennsylvania.
Music, drumming, movement
Counties
Union, Northumberland, Montour
Age groups
Early childhood, senior
Mary E. Knysh is the founder of Rhythmic Connections, an innovative company advancing education, health, and creative development through drum circles and music improvisation. An international teacher/trainer with the Music for People organization, Mary is also an Orff Schulwerk clinician, professional musician and international teaching artist. She is endorsed by Rhythm Band Instruments and Remo corporations. Mary travels throughout the United States and internationally offering conference presentations, clinics, teacher-trainings, performances and workshops.
Painting, sculpture, ceramics, mosaics
Counties
Perry, Mifflin
Age groups
Elementary, middle, secondary, adult
Evgeny Krayushkin is an artist who strives to tell a story in a variety of mediums. Often, he develops the narrative with the group and the setting he is working in. His approach is strength and competency based, so that every member of the group can benefit from and enjoy the process. Creating an art project is a journey and it is his goal to make sure that at the end of the journey, there is a discovery!
Visual art
Counties
Perry
Age groups
Senior
Cheryl Kugler is a life-long artist from South-central Pennsylvania. Rich colors and gentle compositions of nature’s flora and fauna inspire her canvases. Versed in oils, pastels, acrylics, gouache, charcoal, and graphite, she equally enjoys naturalistic lifestyle photography and she dabbles in clay. While creating, it is not uncommon that her beautiful and well-loved cats nap on her studio desk. A resourceful and skilled “creative aging” teaching artist, Cheryl brings artsy goodness to her classes at senior centers and in long term care communities. She holds artistic skills that easily adapt to one-on-one sessions too, to enhance quality of life for individuals in healthcare and home care settings. Her openness to the creative process enables artists to experience classes that are infused with self-expression, reminisce exploration, discovery and more.
Painting, mural arts
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Jon Laidaicker is a painter and a storyteller, who designs narratives that express within one composition the passage of time for the people and culture that call the relevant space home. In preparation, he conducts extensive research on the history, walking and listening to the sounds of the area and its people. He also conducts extensive research on the architecture and environment that surround the proposed work of public art. The end product is a realist painting with trompe l’oeil elements that capture the historical narrative along several visual axes: with portraiture, color, and diagonal movement. Historical elements are often subtle but they often build in the evolution of the image.
Filmmaker, playwright, producer, director
Counties
Perry
Age groups
seniors, adult, college, high school
Santo D. Marabella, MBA, DSW, The Practical Prof® and the 2018 Reading Eagle Entertainment Newsmaker of the Year, is an author, playwright, filmmaker, speaker and educator with writing, directing and/or producing credits that include books, television pilots, a musical, short films and plays. He was a producer of This Is Reading by Lynn Nottage. He co-founded and executive produced ReadingFilmFEST (2015 through 2017), as well as co-founded and served as Film Commissioner, ReadingFilm (2006 to 2018).
Current projects include: executive producer, Il Mio Posto a Tavolo (My Seat at the Table), documentary film, shooting in 2024; writer/director, Rocky Road Ain’t Always Sweet (production of one act plays), scheduled for May 2024;.
Past projects include: producer, “Ava” feature film (October 2023); and, producer, “Flashlight” feature film (December 2023); director/co-producer, workshop for “Love Is Afoot!”, an original musical (August 2023); producer, “Take Five on 5th” visual arts show (March 2023); writer/producer, “The Caregiver”, short film (August 2022); director/producer, “This Machine”, video/audio play (September 2021); and, writer/producer/creator, “Franklin Street Station” TV pilot (May 2018). Non-produced projects: writer, “Barbara Saves Herself” feature screenplay; and writer/creator, “Raising the ‘Rents”, TV pilot.
Marabella is Professor Emeritus of Management, Moravian University where he continues to teach part time. He is a member of The Lambs®, The Dramatists Guild of America and Theatre Communications Group. More information can be found on his IMDB profile. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Villanova University; an MBA from St. Joseph’s University; and, a doctorate in social work from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dance, movement, storytelling
Counties
Perry, Mifflin
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary
Rachita is a professional Bharatanatyam artist with more than 35 years of experience in this classical dance style from Southern India. She is currently using this art form in “Creative movements and storytelling.” This program enables her to bring movement and storytelling into a classroom setting using Bharatanatyam hand gestures and facial expressions providing a creative outlet for emotional growth and learning. Rachita is an artist in residence and has successfully completed an Artist residency with Derry Preschool in Hummelstown, PA in 2020. She is also working with Gamut Theatre to bring Bharatanatyam to the theater stage, in the spring production of “Panchatantra Tales.” Rachita is the founder and artistic director of Rasika School of Dance and has performed extensively all over the United States and India.
Papercutting, watercolor
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
“Once you know where you come from, you have a better understanding of where you’re going.”
Emily Nell marches to the beat of her own drum, creating pieces that are whimsical and unique. Just like her Pennsylvania German ancestors, she weaves paper-cutting and watercolor, painting the many charms of nature.
As an artist and teacher, she provides Artist-in-Residence programs to K-12 students across the nation. Subconsciously, the words she shares with students have a direct impact on her artwork. She felt a deep need to learn about the Folk Art of the Pennsylvania German people, also known as Pennsylvania (PA) Dutch.
Her ancestral quest took her to the Heritage Center in Kutztown, Pa., where she was introduced to Scherenschnitte, German paper cutting, and Fraktur, family records such as births. She instantly made a connection with these two forms of expression and used them as a vehicle to drive her work in a fresh, personal direction, creating a stronger sense of self and excitement as an artist.
Visual Arts, Pottery, Metal Work
Counties
Perry
Age groups
Elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Thomas enjoys creating and teaching in a variety of art mediums from drawing, painting, arts & crafts, printmaking, copper Repousse’, copper enameling, metal works from jewelry to large steel works, woodwork, ceramics in wheel throwing, hand building, casting, and art history. Thomas teaches and creates through his personal studio, Carlisle Arts Learning Center (CALC), Perry County Council of the Arts (PCCA), public / private schools, and universities. Many programs are funded through foundation grants.
Restoration Artist & Installation Technician, provides services in art repair, art restoration, creative reflection, exhibit installation, kiln repair, art studio planning & design, equipment installation, consultant in studio safety & safety equipment.
Dance
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Jason is a graduate of the Julliard School in dance. Even as a “late bloomer,” the short and long term affects the arts can have in one’s life became apparent to him in his early twenties. Visual and Performing Arts are essential for a well-rounded education for students. The impact of participating in the arts — the discipline, the joy of rhythm and movement, the relationship to many cultures — reaches beyond formal education to their future employment, family and life. It was this realization that set in motion his career path of bringing the arts to students. Whenever he is working with students of any age, he tries to not only share his passion but encourage them to feel good about moving with being self-conscious, to take risks, and to embrace grit and tenacity. In his classes, young dancers don’t fail — they try. Fear of failure inhibits learning. The ability to confront fear allows for greater growth, focus, and joy. In the end, he believes each student will be happier and more successful — on the dance floor, in other classes, and ultimately, in the family and community.
Clay, pottery
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder
Age groups
Secondary, adult
As a kid, Todd Tabb was given the nickname of Earth/Water/Fire because he was constantly playing with at least one of the three elements. He is a lifelong resident of Juniata County, and after high school attended Lock Haven University. It was there that he learned the basic building blocks for the pots he now creates. Todd has been a practicing studio potter for more than 12 years. His pots are wheel-thrown and embody a simple, yet elegant, functional style. Todd’s use of several different clay bodies gives him the ability to tailor-fit a pot’s function to the best clay for the job. Employing both modern and traditional methods of glazing, he adds yet another layer to the aesthetics to the work. He has committed to several green initiatives which make his work not only pleasing to the eyes and hands, but more environmentally friendly than most other ceramic art.
Painting, mural arts, mosaics
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult
Katie Trainer is an award winning muralist certified as a teaching artist in 2020 by the PCA and UARTS and has taught over 12,000 students in 14 different school programs in 6 different counties since 2017. She has created over 100 solo mural projects since her start in November of 2016, and has assisted in over 300 public art projects, mostly educational or community oriented projects, during this time as well. She has 6 murals in museums as well. Her ambitious creative attitude blends her former history as a traveling magician with her current endeavors as a professional community revitalization muralist. She focuses on enthusiastic hands-on interactive teaching to create a lasting impression of multi-sensory experiences.
Multicultural & expressive dance, drumming
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adults, senior
Lara Vracarich is passionate about all forms of dance and rhythm, the creative arts, holistic healing, and environmental awareness. She offers classes and events that include expressive and multicultural dance, Flamenco dance, body percussion, drumming, vocalization, mindfulness, embodiment practices, and self-care, while integrating the visual arts and writing, to explore the healing power of self-expression.
As Creative Spirit Fusion, she performs multicultural and expressive dance and music and offers experiential workshops, and as Alma Fuego Flamenco (Soul Fire Flamenco), she offers Flamenco dance and gypsy fusion dance performances and classes, as well as school residencies in both.
She has performed in many locations, including:
Lara has a BA degree in “Human Development: Dance Therapy” from Prescott College & Naropa University, has completed The DansKinetics/ YogaRhythmics™ Teacher Training through Kripalu Center, and has studied 5 Rhythms® Dance in a 4-Week Rites of Passage program and beyond. She has also studied traditional, multicultural, and improvisational dance, traditional African drum technique, music improvisation with Music for People and sound healing with Jim Donovan.
Lara is a rostered teaching artist with The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), through Perry County Council of the Arts (PCCA) and has a teaching artist certification from The University of the Arts. She also completed the Penn State Health, Artist in Health Training.
She has offered school residencies, both virtually and in-person, including Newport High School, Juniata Elementary School, and for the greater community. She has been teaching Flamenco dance at Penn State Harrisburg as a visiting artist, once per semester for about 4 years and has taught masterclasses in State College and beginner classes locally on the Moore Pavilion, in Perry County. Lara is the Pennsylvania State Representative (and board member) for the Teaching Artists of the MidAtlantic (TAMA) organization and has been a committed Buffalo Committee member providing programming for Little Buffalo Festival’s Youth area and workshops for over 10 years.
As a teaching artist, Lara’s mission is to provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for students to get comfortable in their bodies and explore self-expression. Lara aims to assist students in discovering that exercise/movement can be fun, while introducing healthy creative outlets that can release tension and emotion, assist students in becoming more grounded/embodied, enhance their body-mind connection, and ideally strengthen their self-acceptance and acceptance of others. Lara’s classes also focus on increasing listening skills (sensitivity to others), learning about group dynamics through rhythm and movement activities, and learning mindfulness techniques and coping skills to strengthen the ability to self-regulate and return to calm, stillness, and quiet after having the freedom to make a lot of sound and be very physically expressive.
Lara has worked as a Creative Arts Therapist at The Renfrew Center of Philadelphia, as a TSS: Therapeutic Staff Support with TW Ponessa and Associates, and has taught at the Danzante School for the Arts, PCCA Summer camp, The Movement Center, The Growing Lotus Studio, Just Plain Yoga Studio, Amethyst Retreat Center, Feet First Dance Studio, Penn State Harrisburg, and at multiple festivals, retreats, and conferences.
Film, animation
Counties
Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Snyder, Northumberland, Union
Age groups
Elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Box Of Light is a company immersed in technology and the digital arts. From educational performances to collaborations with teachers, Box Of Light constantly explores the use of film and animation in education. Rand Whipple and Box of Light are proud and happy to teach young and old how to use computers, cameras and digital technology as tools of expression and communication.
Visual arts, puppetry
Counties
Perry
Age groups
Early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, adult, senior
Hua Hua Zhang was born in Beijing, China where she studied as a performer in the classical art of Chinese puppetry. She has received many awards for her performance. In 1996, Hua Hua came to United States and earned a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in the Puppet Arts program of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut (UCONN) in 2000. She founded her company, Visual Expressions, in 2002. It is committed to using Asian and Western puppet art to explore universal themes and ideas through visual cross–cultural expression using theatrical performances and educational programs.
