Arts Education Instructor Bios

Duncan Berry

Duncan Berry lived on Vashon for 30 years. He now lives in the United Nations Biosphere Reserve at Cascade Head on the central Oregon Coast, which he describes as “life on the wild edge of a continent, where 3500 miles of the North American land mass meets 5000 miles of open ocean.” Duncan’s current artwork is focused on channeling the beauty and power of Cascade Head and to show what is possible when we care for the last great places. His chosen medium is  Gyotaku (fish rubbing), a Japanese folk-art originating in 18th century and nature printing, which originated in 10th century Europe and is mostly focused on botanicals.

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Tavi Black

Tavi Taylor Black’s novel Where Are We Tomorrow? Won the 2022 Nancy Pearl Award and was a finalist in several contests, including the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her sophomore novel, Serabelle, a historical fiction set in coastal Maine, was released in April 2024 with Black Rose Writing. The first in her series of Middle Grade fantasy novels, Wished Forward, will be released in 2025 from EverImagine Books. Tavi is currently studying Library Science at the University of Washington.

Gabriel Dawson

Gabriel Dawson is an actor, singer, dancer, and educator who is based in both Brooklyn and Vashon Island. He has received two degrees from The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in both Musical Theatre and Film and Television Performance. Gabriel keeps his cup full by passing on the knowledge and skills he has accumulated throughout his training to the wonderful kids at VCA while still auditioning non-stop wherever he can.

Gaye Detzer

Gaye Detzer has lived and taught violin on Vashon Island for more than 40 years. She learned about the Suzuki method after graduating from Pomona College and starting her family. After meeting Dr. Suzuki and being inspired by the young violinists that he taught, she studied to become a teacher and raised four children with the Suzuki method (violin, cello, and piano). She is on the faculty of the Japan-Seattle Institute and the Vivace! Chamber Music camp (summer programs in Seattle).

Alex Drissell

Alex Drissell is a singer, actor, and teacher. She holds a Masters in Teaching from Seattle University, studied musical theatre at Missouri State University, and performs regionally in the midwest and Puget Sound area. She currently teaches preschool at Vashon Maury Cooperative Preschool and previously taught at Chautauqua Elementary School before having her two children, Wren and Fiona. She is passionate about sharing the theatre arts with young people and is thrilled to return to teaching at the VCA!

Kate Dunagan

Kate Dunagan teaches jewelry-making at Vashon High School and has been dabbling in jewelry fabrication and casting for 40 years.

Sarah Edwards

Sarah Edwards has brought her passion for arts and crafts to students of all ages for over fifteen years. Her greatest joy is working on mixed media paintings. She also enjoys creating jewelry, needle felt, crochet, macrame and countless other crafts.

Elise Ericksen

Elise Ericksen grew up on Vashon immersed in dance and theatre. She received a B.A. in Dance with a concentration in Arts Management and an emphasis on Choreography from St. Olaf College. After college Elise taught ballet in Portland, OR for 10 years, choreographing and directing nine original ballets with students ages 3 to 18. In 2010 she co-founded PDX Dance Collective and continued to dance and choreograph with the contemporary dance group for five years. Since moving back to Vashon in 2016 she has been working with VCA’s education program directing, stage managing, costuming and choreographing musical theatre productions.

Marita Ericksen

Marita Ericksen has helped hundreds of students learn vocal technique in her twenty-three years as the music director of VCA’s Youth Musical Theatre Program. Marita has directed many youth and adult productions as well as a variety of choral groups over the years, including Vashon Chorale. Marita also started the senior musical theatre program at VCA; their inaugural performance of Fiddler on the Roof in summer of 2023 received rave reviews from audiences.

Britt Freda

Britt Freda has been drawing and painting for as long as she has memory. She received a double degree with honors in fine art and writing from St. Lawrence University in New York. In addition, Freda studied painting, drawing and photography at Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute of Art in Florence, Italy and by invitation for intensive residency study at La Cipressaia in Montagnana, Italy under internationally acclaimed South African artists Rose Shakinovsky and Claire Gavronsky. Since 2011 Britt has focused the majority of her painting on endangered species. Her work was included in the 2013-2015 Environmental Impact U.S. museum tour and is part of the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s permanent collection. Britt’s work is exhibited at galleries across the country.

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Kelly Godell

Kelly Godell is a Pacific Northwest native whose career spans over 20 years of stage, network television and independent filmmaking.

Prior to calling Vashon home-she spent several years on stage at Portland Center Stage, Artist Repertory Theatre, Profile Theater, Third Rail Repertory, appeared on NBC’s Grimm, TNT’s Leverage, IFC’s Portlandia and most recently created a production company where she wrote and directed a feature film, The Song of Summer which earned notable acclaim as the recipient of the 2024 Best Women’s Film Award at both the Sweden International Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival.

Known for her versatile talent and authentic storytelling, Kelly has built a reputation for building deeply emotional, character-driven narratives that resonate with actors and audiences alike.

Sound of Music will be her second time teaching at VCA after having previously taught a Developing Characters class earlier this year.

Jeff Good

Jeff Good began painting while a student of architecture at the University of Kansas in the mid 1970’s. His favorite medium is watercolor for its transparency, fluidity and the pure pleasure of letting the pigment and water create effects on paper in a spontaneous and rapid manner. Jeff retired as a Principal of GFF Architects in 2016 and currently spends a great deal of time in his Vashon studio. Jeff enjoys entering juried shows and his work has been shown around the US, Europe and Asia.

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Susan Gross

Susan Gross works in many types of mixed-media including paste paper, collage, printmaking, book arts, textiles and more. Most recently she is experimenting with paste paper collages, ceramics, textiles and digitally enhanced pattern designs. Susan has illustrated many projects, including a card deck for Deepak Chopra for Hay House, the book “Heal Your Body A-Z,” by Louise Hay, journals for Marcel Schurman, and products such as pajamas for Joe Boxer. She has a BFA from Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, and has taught at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, Mendocino College and Mendocino Art Center in Northern California.

Barbara Dusty Gustafson

Barbara Dusty Gustafson loves teaching students of all ages and watching them become empowered by the rhythm of weaving. Weaving crosses language, culture and ability barriers. In this fast-paced world where everything is available for purchase with the click of a button, Barbara values sharing this ancient tradition which requires one to slow down and consider connections to the past while creating something new.

Stephanie Johnson Blomgren

Stephanie Johnson Blomgren has written for print and radio on behalf of local and national businesses and charities. But it wasn’t until she returned to graduate school in 2003 that she discovered her home voice through the art of the essay. This past spring she introduced her daughter to the writing life through the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Seattle–jumping back into a conversation around writing that has continued to challenge and feed her passion for books. Stephanie is excited to continue that conversation and experimentation with island-writers here at home! 

Dinah Lindberg Helgeson

Dinah Lindberg Helgeson retired from International School Bangkok after nine years as Head of Fine Arts and the high school choir director. Dinah is in demand as a guest conductor and choral clinician in the U.S., Canada, and southeast Asia. She has conducted several all-state, ACDA and provincial choirs throughout the U.S., Canada, and southeast Asia. Dinah loves retirement and spends her time guest conducting, facilitating vocal/choir retreats/teacher workshops and adjudicating.

Rachel Keil

Rachel Keil has been a knitter for over 30 years and might be one of the few islanders who doesn’t mind ferry delays (for the opportunity to knit). She knits hats (and more hats), fingerless mittens, socks, shawls, sweaters of all sizes, dolls, scarves and more. Rachel enjoys teaching others to knit; particularly watching beginner students get the hang of the needles and yarn moving through their hands.

Mik Kuhlman

Mik Kuhlman, a gifted and experienced teacher, has performed and taught in over 500 schools, universities and art centers throughout the United States and numerous international collaborations. She instills curiosity, creativity, self-confidence and self-awareness to all students, regardless of their age, abilities, acting, or movement experience.

Rico Lastrapes

Rico Lastrapes is an actor, composer, choreographer and teaching artist. He began to write music after performing in orchestra pits for multiple productions, including Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Parade, while attending Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. As his love for musical storytelling grew, he began to pursue theatre and dance, receiving his BFA in Acting from The University of Central Florida. He has performed in several regional productions in Washington and Florida (West Side Story, Newsies, In the Heights, RENT, Godspell). He has created a 15 Minute Story for the 5th Avenue Theatre and founded Break the Table, an online streaming channel for BIPOC creatives.

Adria Magrath

Adria Magrath is a biologist, naturalist, crafter and mother. After a career in biological research and tenure as a biology professor, she now spends her days in the Vashon community as a citizen scientist, gardener and habitat restoration specialist. She loves sharing her knowledge and joy about the interconnected natural systems and myriads of life forms we share space with on the island. In addition, she works with the Vashon Nature Center as Steward of Heron Meadow and occasional environmental educator, serves on the board of the Vashon Bird Alliance, and works for the Vashon Center for the Arts in the gardens and children’s art craft classes.

Alisara Martin

Alisara Martin brings a wealth of experience along with enthusiastic passion for nurturing creativity in students. With an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and over a decade of classroom and workshop teaching on Vashon, they create an inclusive haven for students of all ages – from youth to seniors. In their classes, students embark on exciting journeys through both traditional and exploratory mediums, learning to value their own unique artistic processes.

Desiree McIntyre

Desiree McIntyre is an amalgamation of many things but most importantly to our students, she’s an artist! Desi uses mixed media to create all sorts of different artwork and has been doing so professionally for the last 5 years. Her current projects include making masks and puppets all over the world alongside other artist and then performing in front of an audience.

Maria Metler

Maria Metler is a naturalist, educator, and scientist who lives on the island with her husband and two children. For over 30 years she has used place-based outdoor education to connect people with the natural world around them. She has taught in settings from mountain wilderness to urban jungle, aboard ships, and along shorelines. As the Education Director for Vashon Nature Center, she coordinates local community science education programs throughout the community.

Steffon Moody

Steffon Moody working as a theatrical set painter at the age of 16 for the Muny Opera in St. Louis. He learned the craft of set painting from his father, Robert Moody, and a crew of painters whose weekly task was to paint the scenery for an entire musical on one of the largest stages in the US. Steffon now teaches drawing and design at DigiPen School of Technology alongside stellar artists from Disney, Pixar, the gaming industry and the fine arts world.

Yoshi Nakagawa

Yoshi Nakagawa is a visual artist based in Tacoma. Specializing in printmaking since 1999, she pulled her first print at the University of Puget Sound, and continued her craft in Seattle and Oaxaca, Mexico. Her artwork is influenced by patterns of the natural world and Japanese textiles, along with her experiences living in Oaxaca and Japan. She has exhibited and taught workshops in the US, Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Africa and Honduras.

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Ray Pfortner

Ray Pfortner has worked in photography for over 20 years – as an educator, agent, editor, and photographer, in New York City, California and Washington. He teaches youth, adults and seniors with partners like the University of Washington, Bellevue College’s Tombolo Institute, Bellevue Botanical Garden,Seattle Central College, Seattle Public Library, Seattle Chinese Garden and Vashon Center for the Arts. He is a Fellow and Board Member of the North American Nature Photography Association and received its Kinne Award for sharing his expertise. His photography, which is most often used to advance conservation and environmental issues, is represented by Getty Images. He received theVashon-Maury Island Land Trust’s Emma Award for a decade of supportingconservation on the Island. Ray’s passion for photography is exceeded only by his passion for teaching- and for sharing his photography to make a difference.

Caroline Rockey

Caroline Rockey’s primary orientation and the way she grounds herself in the world has always been through beauty. Even before she could represent anything beautiful, beauty was her place of refuge. Caroline’s intention is to guide students in the fundamentals of art, in a playful and exploratory way, so they can rest in beauty and create with confidence. Caroline has taught at Hamlin Robinson School for learning disabilities, Seattle Public Schools, Paperwings, The Evergreen School and Vashon Center for the Arts.

Anna Sander

Anna Sander was born on Vashon in the 70s and came back to raise children 15 years ago. She teaches preschool, seasonal art classes and in her spare time is an avid gardener and walker. She loves to share her creative ideas with children at summer camps and classes on Vashon.

Alena Sinacola

Alena Sinacola grew up on folktales, picture books, and Cricket Magazine, and she loves telling stories through art. She focuses on illustration, figure drawing, and some mixed media work, and her favorite subjects are always people, real or imagined. She believes art is vitally important to our world, and that everyone, especially young children, should be given the freedom to create and explore what inspires them. She loves dogs, dandelions, and rainy days.

Sumi Suda

Sumi Suda is a recent graduate from GWU where she studied Geology and Political Science. She is a life-longer enjoyer and maker of art- from acting and dancing in her youth to her current visual art projects, she is always crafting and creating. Sumi is also passionate about climate justice, education, and female empowerment, especially when it comes to creating an informed and compassionate upcoming generation of students. She loves to read, to collect rocks, and to pet dogs of all kinds.

Miya Sukune

Miya Sukune is a visual artist known for her painting exhibitions, public art, art residencies, and publications. She designed the Friends of Mukai Nikkei Memorial sculpture, set to be installed at Ober Park in spring 2026. In 2022-2023, she received the Hope Corps Award from Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture, which funded her research and illustration of *Searching for Saito*, a historical fiction comic about a Japanese immigrant in Seattle’s Japantown and Chinatown from 1912 to 1969.

Miya has exhibited at ARTS at King Street Station, Mt. Hood Community College (OR), Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, and Vashon Center for the Arts Gallery. She has also been an artist-in-residence at Vermont Studio Center, INScape ARTS (Seattle, WA), Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the Serlachius Residency in Finland.

Mackenzie Taylor

Mackenzie Taylor has a passion for teaching music and is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she earned her MM. She received her BM from Pacific Lutheran University and has performed with professional local companies such as The 5th Avenue Theatre, Vashon Opera and more. Mackenzie is a Lecturer of Voice at PLU and enjoys teaching private voice in Tacoma and on Vashon with Boaz Voice Studio. She found her love for performing at age 10 as a duckling in “Honk!” the musical, which is part of why arts education is so important to her. Mackenzie directs the ensemble class for VCA’s musical theatre program.

Laurie Thorpe

Laurie Thorpe focuses on hand building in her studio practice, utilizing coil, slab, and carving techniques. She started out by taking classes with Vashon’s beloved Liz Lewis and will forever be grateful for her instruction. She is inspired by vintage Danish ceramics, and the colors and textures she finds on her adventures in the mountains. 

Allison Crain Trundle

Allison Crain Trundle is a multidisciplinary artist who draws inspiration from the island’s natural beauty. Her educational journey led her to The College of Fine Arts at University of New Mexico, where she focused on figure drawing, landscape painting, and Flamenco dance. As an art educator at Blue Heron and Vashon Artists in the Schools, she has dedicated nine years to nurturing creativity. Embracing the belief that a life enriched by creativity is a life well-lived, she derives profound joy from sharing her expertise in traditional bookmaking and various other art forms with students of all ages.

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Rachel Fritz Watson

Rachel Fritz Watson earned her BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, where the curriculum focused on the history, foundations and principles of painting, as well as figure drawing and painting. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City and continued her artistic studies delving into anatomy at the Art Student’s League. From there she focused on classical techniques and figurative painting at the New York Academy of Art, where she holds an MFA. As a painter, Rachel Fritz Watson is drawn to color and pattern and finds inspiration in her travels, her family, and life around her. With her oil paintings, she strives to create realistic images with believable space, texture, and detail. Her watercolors have an element of whimsy and design. The images she creates are direct, with a vibrant, playful color palette. She currently lives on Vashon with her husband, kids, dog, and cats.

Ben Weber

Using real-world commercial scripts (and a few fun originals), dive into the skills you need to stand out without losing your weird, human edge. Rehearse and tape mock auditions using scripts from national spots, social ads, and custom material; get individual coaching, playback reviews, and tools to improve your self-tapes, social content, or commercial auditions.

Monica Wilson

Monica Wilson is a creative mother of 3, textile artist, maker and natural dyer. She is a lifelong learner who entered the world of natural dyes a few years ago and hasn’t looked back. Combining her love of textiles, sewing, gardening and simple living, natural dyeing continues to inspire and teach her as well as offering an outlet for her creative passion. She looks forward to sharing her knowledge and artistic journey with others.