Teaching Artists

Zakia Ahmed brings more than 25 years of teaching experience, as well as a loyal following, to West Windsor Arts. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Institute of Fine Arts in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her works are on exhibit in the Bangladesh National Museum, the Bangladesh Shilpkala Academy and many private collections worldwide.

Meta Dunkly Arnold is an assemblage and mixed media artist working and teaching in central New Jersey. Meta has exhibited at the West Windsor Arts Center, the Arts Council of Princeton, The Peddie School, and Abstract Expressions Gallery in Mount Holly. Kinetic, three-dimensional pieces share the experience of discovery, inviting viewers to participate by revealing hidden layers. 

Amanda Chesney is a printmaker, visual artist and instructor as well as a biologist. She makes works on paper in small editions and as unique originals using traditional and modern sustainable printmaking techniques. After working at Johnson & Johnson for 25 years, she became a full-time artist in 2022. Over the past 20 years, she has been building on her artistic practice and teaching skills, and recently completed artist residencies at Zea Mays Printmaking in Massachusetts and the Flatbed Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Texas.

Rashad Malik Davis is an award-winning author and illustrator from Lawrenceville, NJ. A graduate of Tufts University, Rashad is currently pursuing his master’s in animation at the Savannah College of Art & Design. He illustrated the bestselling children’s book “Sunne’s Gift: How Sunne Overcame Bullying to Reclaim God’s Gift,” as well as the book cover to “Shaping the Future of African American Film: Color-Coded Economics and the Story Behind the Numbers.” Rashad won the 2017 Best Indie Book Award for his book “Carefree, Like Me! Chapter 1: Root the Brave.”

Anna M. Evans teaches poetry at West Windsor Arts and English at Rowan College at Burlington County. Her books include chapbooks, “The Quarantina Chronicles” (Barefoot Muse Press, 2020), “The Unacknowledged Legislator” (Empty Chair Press, 2019), and “Under Dark Waters: Surviving the Titanic” (Able Muse Press, 2018), as well as her sonnet collection, “Sisters & Courtesans” (White Violet Press, 2014). She is the board president of the Poetry by the Sea Conference, and the editor of the online poetry journal for women formalists, Mezzo Cammin.

Jayme Fahrer is a passionate teaching artist who specializes in expressive and process-based art, with a focus on pour painting and abstract techniques. She encourages students to embrace movement, color, and spontaneity in their work, creating an environment where creativity can flow freely. With experience working with both children and adults, Jayme’s workshops are designed to be welcoming, fun, and accessible to all skill levels. Her background in art therapy informs her approach, emphasizing personal expression, emotional well-being, and the joy of creative exploration.

Luke Ferrell is a New Jersey-based theater practitioner, specializing in stage direction. He has extensive experience directing for the stage from community to collegiate theatre. Some directorial credits include “Sweet Charity” (The Livingston Theatre Company), “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Porch Light Productions), “Ideation” (Cabaret Theatre), “The Last Five Years” (Ferrell Studios), and “Alice in Wonderland” (Highland Park High School), just to name a few. Luke has taught students ages 6-18 in acting, musical theater and public speaking. 

Ryan Gilleece is a 2015 graduate of the Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts currently working on the webcomic “Artificial Tears.” He specializes in sequential art and character design, and both traditional and digital media. He is an aftercare counselor and a summer enrichment instructor for the Piscataway School system.

Rich Green has been studying art for more than 17 years and is a freelance comic book artist and a teacher of art. He learned the medium of comics at the Joe Kubert School and Comics Experience. When Rich is not creating comics, he enjoys creating oil paintings and charcoal drawings from life. In recent years, Rich has grown in the way he approaches an illustration by pivoting from an observational form of drawing to an analytical one.

Levi Guerrero, also known as Cacique de Ramos, has practiced the art of capoeira for many years and is an instructor affiliated with Grupo Senzala from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the guidance of Mestre Zumbi. Levi has been teaching capoeira since 2006 in various locations in central and southern New Jersey. Primarily, he seeks to develop the mental and physical capabilities of young people through capoeira while simultaneously exposing them to the cultural heritage of Africa and Brazil.

Shira Hofmekler is a transplant from New York City, where she has worked as a professional actor and acting coach for over a decade. Shira was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Frost/Nixon,” starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, and appeared in the film “Breaking Upwards” by Daryl Wein, starring Zoe Lister-Jones (Mister Lister Films). She is also a custom portrait artist by trade, rendering vivid and realistic portraits of families, homes, animals and children. Her personal artwork runs a lengthier gamut, exploring nature, the wild, and the weird, and plumbing the Jungian jungle of her imagination. 

Laura Isabella feels equally at home singing both opera and musical theater. She has worked all over the tri-state area with Boheme Opera NJ, Opera on Tap NYC, CoOPERAtive, Westminster Choir College Opera Theatre and Opera Workshop, and Opera Theater of Montclair. Laura is also a passionate voice and piano teacher, and also runs Redivivus Opera, a small grassroots opera company based in central New Jersey. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy with distinction from Westminster Choir College and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Nazareth College. She also holds a Certificate of Leadership from the Eastman Leadership Academy at the Eastman School of Music.

Audrey Jakab has been teaching art for over 20 years and is well versed in teaching students of all ages and capabilities. She currently teaches art to adults with disabilities at Eden Autism through a partnership program with West Windsor Arts. Audrey has taught art at Immaculate Conception School, the Community Partnership School in Philadelphia and the Center for Creative Works, where she supplied artistic support to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Becky Kestenbaum is a New Jersey-based photographer and an experienced art teacher who is specifically interested in the photographic relationships between light and the passage of time. Becky learned photography via black-and-white film and incorporated that framework when moving to digital. Becky’s work has been featured in multiple news publications and blogs including The Jerusalem Post, The Turnaround and The Montclair Times. Past exhibitions include The Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont, and Uncommon Grounds.

Lori Langsner is a recently retired NYC Public Schools arts educator, now focused on oil painting. Indulging her love of nature and incorporating travel memories, as well as sights in and around Mercer County, Lori enjoys painting “en plein air.” She has a Master of Arts in Special Education from Brooklyn College, a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Queens College, and has continued her studies at the Art Students League, Princeton Arts Council and Mercer County Community College. 

Yun Li is currently an artist member of the renowned Salmagundi Club in NYC, Oil Painters of America and other national professional artists organizations. She has exhibited at national exhibitions in recent years, including Salmagundi Club and Oil Painters of America exhibitions, and won various awards for her portrait paintings.

Eleni Litt (EZL Studio) is a teaching artist in central New Jersey and the Inaugural Artist-in-Residence at The Athena Advisors. Eleni has certificates in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, and Creative Arts Therapies from The New School, as well as a PhD in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics. Her approach to teaching creates communities of creative practice for artists and non-artists alike that encourage inquiry, curiosity and play.

Elaine Morales has been a part of the art community for as long as she can remember. She has been teaching youth art classes for over 10 years at various art centers. She has been a part of art committees, and participated in, as well as curated, art shows and fundraisers throughout her career. Elaine is a graphic designer/ UX designer by trade and has a degree in Computer Sciences in Multimedia Graphics & 2D Animation. She teaches stop-motion animation classes at West Windsor Arts.