Barbara Barry is a certified national educator and director in the field of therapeutic recreation. She has conducted private art classes for institutions such as the C.G. Jung Foundation of New York, Northern Jersey City Services for Battered Women, and Continuing Education at William Patterson University. She is the founder of Art for Self-Discovery, a center for art-making practices focusing on the personal experience of the creative process.

Swati Gupte Bhise, has performed Bharatanatyam throughout the United States and India and is regarded as an ambassador of this Indian classical dance form. She has been honored by the Indian government for her impressive performing and teaching career that has taken her to the National Center for the Performing Arts, Bombay; Bharatiya Kala Kendra House of Soviet Culture in Mumbai; the United Nations; and Symphony Space. She serves as a panelist and guest lecturer for the promotion of Asian arts at the Lincoln Center Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. Swati runs the Sanskriti Center in New York City, which is a branch of her alma mater in New Delhi. She is accompanied by singer Savitri Ramanand and drummer Murali Balachandor.

Nicole Haroutunian is a fiction writer and artist living in Woodside, Queens. In addition to working as a teaching artist at Symphony Space, she is a museum educator at the Museum of the City of New York, the Morgan Library and Museum and the American Folk Art Museum. Nicole is an editor at Underwater New York, an anthology of writing, music and art inspired by the objects submerged in the waterways around NYC.

Christopher Lea, a visual artist, has extensive experience as a teaching artist in residencies at the Lincoln Center Institute, Symphony Space, and Studio in a School. Trained in London, Rome, and New York, Chris has exhibited his work at many galleries, including Petra Bungert, Littlejohn Contemporary, and Julian Pretto galleries. Chris provides an experiential context for learning by engaging students through inquiry. He creates a comfortable environment for them to express themselves and develop problem-solving skills. Through various creative activities that encourage observation, reflection and interpretation, he enables students to grasp the complexity within a work of art.

Misha McGlown is a multi-media artist specializing in wearable art, jewelry design, and metalwork that reflects her deep interest in African culture and other ancient civilizations. A prolific and multitalented artist, Misha publishes an Internet magazine that covers art, fashion, fun, and social consciousness. "Travels Study," Misha's recent work in oils and acrylics, celebrates indigenous life around the world. She has exhibited at Columbia University and curated "Evolution: The Changing Face of Harlem" there, featuring the works of 25 Harlem artists.   Visit www.omomishagallery.com.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, under the direction of Nai-Ni Chen, has won national critical acclaim, receiving a Choreographer's Fellowship from the NEA and the NJ State Council on the Arts. Formed in 1988, her works have been commissioned by the Joyce Theater Foundation, the Lincoln Center Institute, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. She has taught master classes at colleges and universities throughout the United States and at dance festivals in Russia, Poland, Taiwan and ChinaMs. Chen is a frequently-featured artist on PBS/NJN's "State of the Arts." The company's residency program for Chinese-American heritage has been selected by the Chinese Language Teachers Association as a model for collaborative language and arts education. Visit www.nainichen.org.

Lance Paladino is an expert in graphic design, illustration, studio art, visual essay, and the Old Master painting technique known as Fantastic Realism. He has exhibited his work in various media throughout New York City, Chicago, and Austria. His commercial work includes illustrations for museum diorama and poster design for the underground music scene. Lance is an adjunct Professor at York College.

Petra Pankow, a native of Germany, has a background in cultural studies and museum education. Upon completing her MA in Freiburg, Germany, she spent three years as an instructor at Michigan State University, where she taught classes in German, American Studies, Film and Literature. She has developed curricula and educational materials for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, MoMA, and Symphony Space. She specializes in conducting inquiry-based visual art classes and museum tours for the Guggenheim, MoMA, the Japan Society, and Symphony Space.

Rose Pearlman has exhibited her works at the Vermont Studio Center, The Red Mill Gallery, Johnson State College, Tisch Hall and her photos have been printed in Smithsonian Magazine and F-Stop Magazine. She was an art teacher at Johnson Elementary School, and at the Clarina Howard Nichols Center in Vermont. Rose has developed effective strategies for overcoming social and economic barriers in her teaching of at-risk teenagers and K-12 students in public schools. Rose has also developed neighborhood wellness programs teaching yoga and art for abused children and women. Rose is a skilled photographer, designer of handmade fashion accessories, and a graphic artist.

Rajika Puri is an internationally-acclaimed expert in two forms of Indian classical dance: Bharata Natyam and Odissi. She has given recitals, lecture demonstrations and workshops throughout the United States, South and Central America, Europe and India. Career highlights include a command performance for the President of Mexico. Her performances are always multi-layered, while her discussions illustrate the relationship between Indian dance, music, sculpture, mythology, poetry and painting.  Visit www.rajikapuri.com.

Parul Shah, is an internationally acclaimed Kathak dancer and choreographer. Trained by world-renowned guru Padmashree Kumundini Lakhia in India, Parul is described by the New York Times as a "young Indian classical dancer whose strong edge and respect for tradition add up to an exciting appeal with a difference." She has presented her works at the Kitchen, Joyce Soho, Summer Stage-Central Park, the Kennedy Center, the Japan Forum Foundation in Tokyo and at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA. She is the Director of the Parul Shah Dance Company, creating contemporary works through the medium of Kathak, expanding the form and offering audiences a chance to experience the depth of Kathak itself. Visit www.kathakdance.com.

Taikoza was founded by Marco Lienhard in 1995. Since that time, the company has toured extensively throughout the USA, Japan, Mexico and Europe. With 3,000 concerts to their credit, Taikoza has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, Symphony Space, Hong Kong Cultural Center and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. They have appeared on ESPN, at the Sumo tournament at Madison Square Garden, and have recorded music for a Nintendo wii game: "Red Steel". They have presented programs at Grand Central Station as a promotion for the city of Tokyo, and at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden for the cherry blossom celebration. Marco has underscored many movies and documentaries and has two critically acclaimed shakuhachi recordings. Masayo Ishigure, a member of Taikoza, is a master performer of the koto, an ancient 12-stringed instrument. Visit www.taikoza.com.

Tung Ching Chinese Center for the Arts, with Agnes Ho as the artistic director, promotes the arts and culture of China. Ms. Ho provides opportunities for mainland Chinese actors who studied with masters of the Beijing Opera to work in the United States. Through Tung Ching, she has presented hundreds of Chinese operas, martial arts performances, and workshops for colleges and universities, such as Columbia University, Barnard College's World Theater Program, and Yale University; at K-12 schools; and at various locations in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Kristie Valentine is a visual artist who uses the interior spaces of newly-constructed suburban homes as an inspiration for her paintings and prints. Her comprehensive knowledge of visual art from around the world adds to the excitement of her art classes. Her works have been exhibited at the Quill Studio, Exhibition Space 156 and St. Francis College in Brooklyn. She is on faculty at Adelphi University and St. John the Divine Cathedral School.