Meet the 2023 Summer Art Camp faculty!
All Summer Art Camp Instructors are professional art educators who have extensive experience working with children in informal and formal learning environments.
Anyone interested in becoming part of this year’s Summer Art Camp team, please click here.
Camp Instructor
Sandy Bachmann
Sandy Bachmann earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising design at New York Institute of Technology. After 23 years working in graphic design, she moved to Florida and went back to school to receive a teaching degree in art. She has been teaching art for 15 years at the middle school and elementary school levels in Broward county and the past 4 years in Indian River County. Sandy earned awards with her colored pencil drawings, but as an art teacher, all mediums were important to have her students experience. She realized that she enjoyed 3-D work the most. After taking a pottery wheel class, she fell in love with getting her hands into clay, resulting in her buying a wheel and kiln, and now has a small studio at her home, where she is happy to give lessons in both clay and painting.
Camp Instructor
Camy De Mario
Camy De Mario is a self-taught artist, children’s book author, illustrator and screenwriter. She has produced short animated movies, and has participated in several national and international film festivals, where she has received a few awards. Camy has taught art classes to children both virtually and in person. Her own art uses bright colors which results in happy pieces with her favorite techniques of pointillism and doodling.
Camp Instructor
Tina Floyd
Tina has loved art since she was a child, and now she loves nothing more then to share her love of art with children. Tina loves doodling, drawing, painting, and creating. She likes to take inspiration from other artists to create something new that is a reflection of her own life and experience. Much of her art includes plants, flowers, and cats. She currently teaches 2nd and 3rd grade as well as art classes through Fort Pierce Art Club.
Camp Instructor
Kent Johnson
Kent Johnson has his degree in ceramics from Palomar College, along with two years in studio production. He has also worked with renowned potters, Stephen Hill and Lana Wilson. Kent spent the past thirty-six years as a landscape designer, receiving awards from the Home and Garden Show in San Diego, and created displays for the prestigious Delma Thoroughbred Club.
Camp Instructor
Katherine Kennedy
Katherine Kennedy is an artist originally from South Florida. In 2017, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting, Sculpture, and Art History from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, MD. Since graduating, she has exhibited her work across the United States and has worked in education and exhibition departments in various art and children’s museums on the East coast. In 2019, she began traveling the United States in an effort to further her practice, making work, and living on the road. Now based in South Florida, she continues to teach, create and exhibit her work.
Camp Instructor
Terry Parker
Born and raised here in Vero Beach, FL I take pride in serving the children of our community. I received my BA in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University and my MA in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Phoenix. I work for the School District of Indian River County, and have spent 25 years at Citrus Elementary as their art educator. I also have had the opportunity to teach art, to many children, over numerous summers at the VBMA.
Camp Instructor
Jaynilee Peña
Jaynilee Peña is an art educator and artist based in Indian River County. She has taught art education in Palm Beach School district and currently works in St Lucie School district. Jaynilee has four years of teaching experience working with K-8th grade students. She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts in Painting and Art education in 2019. She also holds a K-12 Teaching Certification in Art Education. Jaynilee’s main medium is painting and drawing, but as of late, she has explored pottery and crocheting as other avenues in her art expression. Jaynilee has exhibited her personal works across Florida and in nationwide publications. Her passion lies with young people encouraging their art exploration.
Camp Instructor
Sophia Strazinsky
Sophia Strazinsky grew up in Northern Ohio until she graduated with her Bachelors of Art Education from The Ohio State University. She quickly moved to the warm state of Florida and has since been an elementary school art teacher in Indian River County. Her favorite mediums for herself are pen drawings and relief printmaking, but when working with students, she likes to create more colorful and imaginative projects using watercolor paint and oil pastels. She lives by the quote from Salvador Dali, “A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.”
Camp Coordinator
Izzy Hixon
Camp Counselor
Taylor Bussey
Camp Counselor
Chloe McDonnell
Camp Counselor
Sean McDonnell
