Instructors
Brian Benfer (Brian.Museo@Live.com)
Brian received his Bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA) and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ). He has worked in a variety of media including site-specific installations, sculpture, video, ceramics, painting and performance art. He has exhibited his work across the U.S. and abroad including venues such as the Bill Maynes Gallery (New York, NY), the Seto Museum (Seto, Japan) and the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche (Faenza, Italy). His work is included in numerous museum, academic, and private collections both throughout the states and internationally. He has taught at an array of programs including major academic institutions and various community art centers. He continues to actively lecture on his work and currently lives/works in Seattle, WA. You can view his personal website at www.brianbenfer.com.
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Susan Bradford (Susan.museo@live.com)
Susan comes to Museo Art Academy with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Washington, emphasis in Ceramic Hand-building, with undergraduate studies in Art Education. She also has a Masters
degree from Washington State University. A practicing artist, and active member of artEast, she has participated in three shows at the UpFront Gallery.
Susan has taught Art in Issaquah for several years, teaching a variety of art to students of all ages (preschool through adult). Susan also incorporates her art into her other passion, theatre, having created significant pieces needed for plays she directs. She loves teaching Art, “because as I learn and share with my students, I continue learning, and learn from them.”
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Morgan Brooks (Morgan.Museo@Live.com)
Morgan Brooks studied art and psychology at Northeastern University in Boston, MA and graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Morgan began teaching art to children of all ages at the Museum of Fine Arts- Boston in 2004 and has continued to teach them since. Morgan loves inspiring and encouraging young minds to be creative and exploitative of all art mediums.
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Megan Dalbec (Megan.Museo@Live.com)
Miss Megan comes to us from San Jose, California where she was born and raised. She stems from a long line of artists throughout the generations, and was always an imaginative child. Her mother is an impressive painter and crafter, and also works with children in the arts as a volunteer art docent. Her father is a talented baritone singer and quite the wood worker. With a lifetime of artistic passion Megan has dabbled in most mediums and forms of expression, including photography, theatre, music and even culinary arts.
Although she received the deans honor list for her efforts in the Cosmetology program at San Jose City College and graduated at the top of her class, she realized this form of artistic expression was not her voice or calling. She soon fell in love with all things ceramic. After many years of ceramics education and independent studio work she dared to venture on a new adventure to the Pacific Northwest.
She continues with her passion in ceramics and all things creative at the Museo studio, as well as independently at home. Megan also greatly enjoys the outdoors here in Washington State and can often be found gardening in her yard, going fishing with her fiancé Benny and playing at the dog park with Daisy and Mojo Jojo.
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Manda Greear (Mandy.Museo@Live.com)
Mandy has been a K-12 art teacher in the public school system for the past three years. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a BA in Art Education and a minor in Sculpture. During her time at Eastern, she created a metal I-beam sculpture which the university later put on lifetime display on campus. Following graduation, Mandy worked in a rural school district as the sole art teacher where she was responsible for the development and execution of all art curricula for K-12. She recently moved to Washington and joined the team of talented instructors at Museo Art Academy. Her true passion is teaching students about art and all of art’s possibilities. She is honored to be working with her students and helping to expend their creativity.
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Amanda Lien (Amanda.Museo@Live.com)
It’s probably a good thing Amanda’s mother never dissuaded her from watching cartoons or playing video games, since that’s exactly what she’s now making herself. Doodling random art during class in elementary and middle school slowly turned into doodling of her own characters and scribbling of stories in high school.
After graduating from Skyline HS she earned a degree in Multimedia and Web Design at the Art Institute of Seattle, as it seemed a bit more lucrative field than drawing. Turns out she’s not a fan of web design and drawing is all she really wants to do. Amanda is now working on her degree at DigiPen in Redmond for Production Animation and couldn’t be happier with her choice. “It’s a wondrous thing when watching the newest animated film or playing the next great video game can be classified as research”.
Amanda’s focus is heavily on character design and development, but the grinding of her instructors gave her a good knowledge of painting, sculpture, 3D modeling, and animation. All of which she addresses in her Manga class at Museo Art Academy. You can view her personal website at www.ryuuart.com.
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Ashley McDaniels (Ashley.Museo@Live.com)
Ashley was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest area and has been exploring art since she can recall. Throughout her young life, Ashley has found creativity in all aspects of life and over the years it has always led her down an artistic path. Choosing to pursue art in her college career was a scary but necessary choice when it came down to following her passions. She attended Western Washington University in the winter of 2006, focusing on graphic design and fine arts. After completing two and a half years of the graphic design program, Ashley came to the realization that the virtual world was just not for her and switched her major to reflect her full dedication to fine arts. It was also during this time she began teaching art to home-schooled children on the weekends.
Ashley Graduated from Western with a Bachelors of Fine and Performing Arts in Mixed Media with her concentration in Handmade Printmaking. At Western, she became practiced and proficient in drawing, painting, fibers, design, installation, bookbinding, art history and hand manufactured print. Her printmaking concentration was focused in multiple run woodblock relief and multiple run lithography. During her time spent in Bellingham, Ashley participated in three different shows selling work and completed a commission for Western’s Outdoor Center, which is permanently located on campus. Since graduation, Ashley has been working on her own art as much as possible and was fortunate enough to begin working at Museo Art Academy with in the year following. In her free time, she also participates the performing arts through Community Theater. Ashley has experienced great satisfaction and gratification in finding herself surrounded in the arts everyday, not only in her professional but also her personal life. Ashley’s passions and dedication will, without a doubt, continue to inspire and drive her ventures in the fantastic world of art.
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Lauren Razuri (Lauren.Museo@Live.com)
Lauren comes to Museo Art Academy with a strong background in not only Art, but Education as well. Raised by her grandparents, who were both highly recognized elementary school educators in Florida, she has been in the classroom helping other students for as long as she can remember. She also comes from a strong art background, as her father, grandfather and aunt are all artists who use various mediums. During high school, she first became interested in art and she sold her work at a local arts and crafts store in downtown Gatlinburg Tennessee.
While working on her Associates degree from Palm Beach Community College, Lauren started to volunteer every Friday at her grandmother’s classroom, and soon became known as the “Art Lady” because she would make art lessons to follow the curriculum of the classroom. She kept up with her passion of combining art and education and graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education, as well as a certificate in American Sign Language. During her final two years at UCF, Lauren discovered a passion for clay and began focusing the remainder of her art classes on ceramics. Lauren intends on carrying her passion for art and education forward to her curriculum here at Museo Art Academy.
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Kate Vaughan (Kate.Museo@Live.com)
Although Kate grew up on the dusty planes of north central Texas, her teaching experience spans from the Pacific Northwest to Europe. While in college, Kate taught English in Kiev, Ukraine, and quickly discovered her passion for teaching. Soon after returning to the States, Kate received a bachelor’s degree in Art Education from a small, private university in eastern Idaho.
Upon completing her student teaching in Nampa, Idaho, and marrying her fiancé in the winter of 2011, she gained a position in the education department at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Kate was an indispensable member of the education staff at the Kimbell, bringing to the table a unique blend of traditional and nontraditional teaching methods, her love of children, and a high degree of proficiency in several art media.
Her favorite medium, by far, is intaglio printmaking, and is a member of Printzero Studios. Kate is honored to be a part of the Museo Art Academy team, and is excited to work with her students.
