Lee Fogel, has been teaching arts and somatic practices to kids and adults for 20 years. She holds an MA in Dance and Somatic Wellbeing, a BA in Visual Arts and Dance, and is a Reiki Practitioner and Certified Franklin Method Educator. Her work with children has taken her into hospitals, schools, community centers and more, using the arts to promote social and emotional wellbeing as well as academic learning. The Director of Salamander Arts, she aims to create a nurturing space for both kids and teachers, guiding those on our teaching team to develop their unique craft and utilize the power of embodied mindfulness in each lesson.
Kenni Field is a ceramic artist, an avid explorer, and childhood educator. They care deeply about community well-being, and utilizing creative expression as a tool for collective healing. They are a former cofounder of the 2.0 Art Collective, and have facilitated meditative art making workshops for BIPOC femme and GNC folks throughout Philadelphia. They are committed to principles of anti-racism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-ableism and trauma-informed care within their community work.
Molly Thayer Hi! I’m Molly (he/any), a recycled fiber artist and teacher to kids and adults. I learned to make recycled looms and create yarn from plastic bags, leading me to discover an art pathway that is accessible, sustainable, and expansive! I teach fashion design and recycled textile crafts by engaging with commonly discarded materials like plastics, produce netting, and scrap fabric through experimentation and embodied wonder. By engaging sensory curiosity and intuition, I celebrate risk and failure and trust each learner’s own approach. I believe recycled fiber arts creates an opportunity to engage with our histories, environments, selves, and each other at the pace of breath and joy, contributing to community health and resilience in the climate apocalypse.
Eliana Saxe-Smith is a ceramicist and teacher. She graduated from Warren Wilson in 2022 with a BA in expressive arts therapy. She believes in the healing potential of creative self-expression and loves sharing the joy of art making with students. She loves to integrate her work as an educator with the arts, and guide students in creative multimedia exploration. When she isn’t teaching, Eliana fulfills her own artistic passions through pottery making.
Program Consultants
Alicia Applegate is a visual artist, arts educator and founding teacher with Salamander Arts! She received her BFA in Art Education from the Massachusetts School of Art & Design, and is currently obtaining her horticulture certification from the Barnes Arboretum at Saint Johns University. While using ceramics, textiles, painting and more, her passion lies in giving students the basic tools to develop their creativity into something tangible. Her art-making process revolves around collaboration, joy and trusting her intuition, which are principles that integrate seamlessly into her teaching practice.
Patricia Houston has worked in early intervention and childhood education for over 20 years in Philadelphia. Protecting and caring for children is her life passion. She received her Associate’s from Community College of Philadelphia in 2008 and her Bachelor’s from University of Pennsylvania in 2013, and continues to develop her craft as a lead teacher at the Children’s Community School, and at Salamander Arts in 2021. As a teacher, behavioral therapist and BiG little sister among other roles, she has been honored to work with children who require a varying and complex assortment of special needs, support and medical interventions. Some of her creative talents include hula hooping, fabric arts, writing children’s stories and baking!
