How can teaching artists create an artistic community with youth while gathering virtually? Hear from our faculty artists, all teaching in different disciplines, how they have shifted their classes in the last 6 months.

This workshop is presented by Youth Art Exchange's faculty artists: Alfie Macias, Alyssa Aviles, Chris Wood, Francesca Mateo, Logan Kelley, Matthew Brown, Trish Callo, and Trena Noval (moderator)

Alfie Macias teaches music production as well as Afro-Brazilian drumming and percussion ensemble. He has studied and performed with noted percussionists Gamo Paz and Jorge Alabe from Brazil, and locally with Carlos Aceituno, Zeke Neally and Kwaku Dady as well as ensembles including Aguas de Bahia and Fogo Na Roupa. He is an accomplished salsa dance instructor and also teaches with Loco Bloco, the San Francisco Arts Education Project and Project Avary, a summer arts camp for at-risk youth. Alfie was the musical director of both Loco Bloco & is the musical director of the dance company Sambaxé. He and his drumming students regularly collaborate with Sambaxé. Alfie has been with Youth Art Exchange since 2006. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Alyssa Aviles is a Xicana artist and arts educator in San Francisco, California. She was born and raised in the city’s Mission District, a place whose spiritual geography has influenced much of her work and career. Alyssa received a BFA in Printmaking from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Alyssa began a women’s printmaking collective by the name of Suavecita Press. In this collective, women are invited to learn and collaborate as printmakers. This collective currently operates out of the Mission Gráfica printmaking studio of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, where Alyssa also gives silkscreening classes and assists as a studio manager. Aside from teaching, Alyssa also works as a freelance artist and operates the line of merchandise that Suavecita Press currently offers.

Chris Wood is the Construction Arts teacher and shop master at John O’Connell High School in San Francisco, as well as an adjunct faculty teaching Construction at City College of San Francisco. Partnering with Youth Art Exchange for the first time in Fall of 2015, Chris shares his tremendous experience as a professional contractor teaching construction techniques and introducing students to the use of common shop tools.

As a born and raised Bay Area local and frequent traveller, Francesca Mateo interprets the world around her with visual art and fashion. Her artwork and fashion design has been featured throughout the Bay Area, cross-country and in the Philippines and Korea. She founded the streetwear clothing brand Empire in the Air which uses apparel and community events to inspire others to build their empires. Not only does she serve SF youth as YAX’s Fashion Design Instructor, she is also the Filipinx-American Teaching Artist at Root Division where she teaches art projects that aim to celebrate Filipinx and Fil-Am history and cultures. Francesca earned her MA in International Studies at the University of San Francisco and BA in Global Studies and Journalism at San Jose State University.

Logan Kelley, AIA, LEED AP, is a licensed architect, musician, and ceramic artist who loves to work on community-driven, small-scale projects. For over 5 years, Logan's day job has been working on affordable housing for low-income families in San Francisco while at the firm Mithun. He has worked on a variety of projects at a variety of scales, from small design-build interventions for a non-profit urban farm, to large urban-infill projects and neighborhood visioning. He has taught and helped teach students in ages ranging from 5 to 25 at various schools in California. Logan believes that the youth hold the key to the future of our cities, and that helping students to engage their communities will enable them to be the stewards and makers of our built environment. Logan joined YAX in December 2018 and teaches Architecture Firm.

Matthew Brown is a filmmaker who lives in Berkeley. Matthew received a BFA in Film from the University of Colorado with an emphasis in Cinematography and Editing. In addition to filmmaking, Matthew has a passion for photography. His work has been shown at the San Francisco Underground Short Film Festival, the Emerging Filmmaker’s Project, Another Cafe, and Looking Glass Photo.

Trish Callo is an architect, designer and artist with over 25 years of experience in Architecture, Construction, and Art Education. She holds two degrees in art history and architecture, and is currently completing a master’s program. In her professional practice, Trish has led large-scale design and construction projects in the k-12 and healthcare sectors. Trish has taught and mentored Art & Architecture to junior and high school students through Bay Area and national arts non-profits. Her approach is to foster Design Thinking in young people so they can develop the skills to find their creative voice and forge their own individual path. Her professional and personal focus has always been on building strong relationships and community. Trish joined YAX in September 2019 and teaches the Industrial + Product Design course.

Trena Noval is an artist, educator and writer, whose work engages participatory research strategies, generosity, cross-disciplinary platforms, learning pedagogies and social engagement. Noval’s work in education has focused on integrated learning practices and pedagogies in program design and leadership development in both public and non-profit educational sectors. She is part of the Integrated Learning Department, at Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE). Over the last decade, collaboration has become an important part of her practice. Currently she has been exploring the role of collective thinking and actions in a variety of contexts with others, forming communities of mutual practice and dialogue to engage in important issues of our time. Trena is the co-chair of Youth Art Exchange's Advisory Board.

Youth Art Exchange (YAX) sparks a shared creative practice between professional artists and public high school students, furthering youth as leaders, thinkers, and artists in San Francisco.

This workshop is part of Art is Essential: The 10th Annual San Francisco Youth Arts Summit, presented by Youth Art Exchange.