Michelle Morein is an artist and retired Pre-K teacher from Ville Platte, LA. She is the owner of Sacred Treasures. Michelle loves creating new things and working with children. She began working with the AcA in the spring of 2023, and she is excited that she gets to...

Teaching Artist Melissa Begnaud Mark, a country gal from Scott, Louisiana, has been heavily engaged in the creative process of sharing her love of visual art with her students . It all started in 1997 when she took her first drawing class with Elmore Morgan at the...

Lynne Clearfield has been teaching dance and creative movement for over 25 years. She holds the Masters of Education in Dance degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has also worked with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and the American Dance...

Joli Noel graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in Choreographic Design. Over the last 22 years she has gained experience in teaching various forms of art--mainly visual art & creative movement to all ages....

Jennifer Herbert is a mixed media artist that has a love for creating art from discorded books. She creates altered books, soul collages, prompt guided art and paper collages. Jennifer is a teaching artist in the PACE program and has shared her passion for art through...

Roz LeCompte is an Acadiana native, born and raised in South Louisiana, who creates abstract paintings as a medicinal time capsule, capturing her journeyas a self-taught artist, mother and human. She explores the contrast between chaos and order using colors, lines...

Randall Jackson, also known as "RJ" is a Creole/Zydeco artist, multi-instrumentalist, educator, music producer, and studio engineer from Church Point, Louisiana. He travels with his band "RJ & Kreole Smoove," and even though in progressive infused way, he proudly...

Diane is an award winning graphic designer and illustrator who has worked for several different environmental agencies over the years. Working with scientists she has created illustrations and designs for booklets, covers, posters, exhibits, maps and more. Along the...

Born and raised in Lafayette LA, Demi took Advanced art courses and received the advanced art award in high school. She has an associate's degree in graphic design and advertisement from SLCC. Along with freelance work, she interned at FACE magazine under Sharon...

Born and raised in Crowley, LA. I have been into art as far back as I can remember, constantly doodling. I first took art classes at Notre Dame High School where my teacher, Mike Lemaire pushed me to pursue art. Christmas 2014 I received my first power tool--a...

Born and raised in Acadiana, Lydia Young-Green is an accomplished dancer, teacher and choreographer. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts focusing on dance. Currently, Lydia is a graduate student...

Hi! My name is Melissa and I love to draw! I paint as well but drawing is at the heart of it all for me. It all started when I was young; I'd draw on the white wash walls of my bedroom in Palm Beach. Though 30 years have passed since then, the act of mark-making still...

Nealy Atkins studied at the University of Montevallo in Alabama earning a bachelor's degree in Art and Biology in 2008. The following year she completed a Masters of Education in Art Education (M.Ed.) also from the University of Montevallo. Nealy is a visual artist...

Brandy Milliman Roy graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a bachelor's degree in Art Education and was named "Outstanding Education Student '' of her class. She now resides in Broussard, Louisiana with her husband, son, and two dogs. When she's...

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Leigha Porter M.Ed is the founder and artistic director of F.I.R.E. Expressions Performing Arts Conservatory, Co-Creator of The Creole Nutcracker, a southern reimagining of the classic Christmas tale and theater production, incubator...

Lauralee "Laurie" Becker was born and raised in Acadiana where she has been creating art and teaching for the last 26 years. She is experienced in teaching grades 1-8, private lessons locally to children and adults along with hosting and assisting summer camps. Laurie...

Connie Boustany graduated from Acadiana High School in 1974, and University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1978. She was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in General Home Economics with an emphasis in Social Welfare and a minor in Sociology. As a Home Economist and...

Born and raised in Louisiana, he is on a mission to improve the lives of today’s youth by promoting positive youth development through the act of art, dance, speaking and more. Morgan began as a self-taught dancer doing mostly free-style (improvisation) where he was...

Christian Mouisset is a theatre artist, born here in Lafayette, Louisiana. He got his start doing local community theatre with a group known as the Tea Sippers Theatre Company. He got his BFA in Theatre Performance at UL Lafayette, and his MFA at Florida Atlantic...

Originally from New Iberia, Jude is an original member and founder of Kabuki Kru and its performance counterpart, Kabuki Dancers. He has over 20 years of Hip-Hop dance experience, performing and competing across the nation with a focus on Breakdancing. His passion for...

I grew up in southwest Louisiana, but have also traveled and lived all over the world. I've been an artist and a writer for as long as I can remember. I was raised in an extremely creative family of musicians, artists, photographers, etc. I was inspired by how my...

Jillian Godshall is a mixed media artist who creates work rooted in documentary storytelling. Originally from Austin, TX, she now lives in Lafayette, LA. Her work strives to celebrate the human spirit. She works collaboratively with her subjects to create projects...

Kelsey Billiot has been teaching in classrooms around Lafayette Parish with the PACE program since 2015. As a teaching artist, she crafts creative movement lessons that include arts integration, social emotional learning skills, and curriculum connections. Through...

Theresa Singleton has been an educator for over 30 years. As a retired librarian, she enjoys using her creative talents to foster the love of reading and the Arts in young minds. The author of four children’s books, Theresa has penned stories rich with Louisiana...

Sasha Nick has been a Teaching Artist in the PACE program for over 15 years and continues to find the experience rewarding. Her teaching skills and style are attributed to the training and support received through the PACE program and the Montessori Method. She brings...

Sam Wróbel is a papercutting artist based in SW Louisiana, specializing in the Polish folk art of wycinanki. Sam grew up in the Chicago area, where they learned wycinanki from artist Doris Sikorsky. Together they received two Master/Apprentice grants in Ethnic Art...

Roz Fisher has been a PACE Teaching Artist for the past 17 years in Lafayette Parish Schools and have been on the Teaching Artist roster for most of those years. I also teach PACE in Vermillion parish as well for the past 4 years. I have presented several Workshops...

Madison is from Shreveport, LA where she studied for 13 years at Shreveport Dance Academy under the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus, competed at the Youth America Grand Prix, and performed biannually with the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet. Continuing her passion for...

Lily is a dance teacher and choreographer throughout the entire Acadiana region. She grew up in Florida where she first fell in love with dance, and has continued to develop that love throughout her life. Lily graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette...

Smooth jazz saxophonist, Jeremy Benoit, better known as “JB Saax” is a lifelong resident of Lafayette, LA.  He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette earning his bachelor of the arts degree in communications. He has performed all over the state of...

Jan Fontenot is an artist who lives in the Grand Prairie area and also teaches part time at a local high school.  She loves to get children involved in all types of art making especially to those who do not have the opportunity or resources to do so.

Herb Green is a native of Lafayette and owner of Pucci Percussion, a mentoring program geared towards encouraging kids to make positive choices. As a professional musician, Mr. Green has performed with local and national music artists in various genres of music. He is...

Denise Gallagher is an accomplished artist, author and illustrator. Her artwork is unique and mysterious, drawing inspiration from mythology, nature and her Louisiana home. Her illustrations have graced children’s books, packaging and festival posters. She was the...

Christy Marie Lush is a ceramic artist that has taught with PACE for 3 years. She also teaches pottery wheel classes and private lessons. She received her BFA degree from UL Lafayette in 2007. Christy has a unique talent for encouraging young artists to reach their...

Chad Huval, PhD from Texas A&M and research at MIT, is an accomplished accordion player and innovator. He has written an unpublished book about how to play the diatonic accordion in the Cajun and Creole style. He has deeply researched the early roots of French...

Audrey Marie is a singer-songwriter from Lafayette, Louisiana who started recording original music at 14. Writing songs using guitar, piano, and organ, her genre can be described as indie folk, indie pop, and alternative country. She’s taught music lessons for 6 years...

Andrea Kapell Loewy holds a Bachelor of Music from Eastman School of Music, Master of Music from Emporia State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Memphis. Her teachers have included Joseph Mariano, Harold Bennett, John Heiss, Samuel Baron,...

Alex “PoeticSoul” Johnson is the founder and leader of the spoken word organization Lyrically Inclined, where she can be seen live monthly in Lafayette, Louisiana. As a teaching artist, PoeticSoul works to expose children in rural areas to literary arts. She organizes...