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.

Bobby Gonzalez, fluent in Spanish and English, is a nationally-acclaimed multicultural motivational speaker, storyteller, and poet. He draws on both his Native American (Taino) and Latino (Puerto Rican) roots to offer a unique repertoire that celebrates his dual heritage. Bobby has made presentations at many institutions including Yale University, the University of Alaska, and the University of Alabama. As a storyteller he has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Radio and Television and the Detroit Institute of Arts. The author of "The Last Puerto Rican Indian: a Collection of Dangerous Poetry," his poetry has been published in numerous periodicals and performed at the National Museum of the American Indian, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Nuyorican Poets Café and the University of Michigan at Flint.

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.

Leaf Arrow Storytellers, featuring Joe Cross of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma and Donna Couteau Cross of the Sac and Fox Nation, are a married couple belonging to the American Indian Registry for Performing Arts. Independently their theater and dance credits include the Public Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, National Arts Theatre and more. As storytellers they have performed at the National Museum of American Indian, the Smithsonian Institute, the United Nations International School, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Newark Library, Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival, Symphony Space, and are guest artists in residence at colleges and universities throughout the United States.

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.

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.

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers was founded in 1963 by Louis Mofsie. The company has been key to the preservation and perpetuation of American Indian culture through national performances highlighting the traditions of American Indian peoples. Thunderbird specializes in the songs and dances of the tribes of the Northwest Coast, Woodlands (Iroquois and Winnebago), Plains (Sioux) and the Southwest (Hopi and Santa Domingo.) Louis Mofsie and his troupe have presented numerous guest lectures and dance appearances at colleges, universities and schools throughout the nation and regularly at the Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Theater for the New City, Symphony Space and the National Museum of the American Indian. They sponsor a monthly powwow and have produced an album of songs of native people.

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.