2023 TEAM

Team

Kim Mesa, MBA, President of Alliance for Youth Achievement and Program Director
Instructor/Arts Educator
Kim is a former Alum Rock School District Board Trustee and has been on the AYA Board since 2002. She is excited about engaging youth and sharing their journeys as an instructor this summer. “We continue to be excited about providing students with the opportunity to experience art in a very engaging, dynamic, and innovative way. The camp introduces technology tools that further expand the creativity of students, while also providing opportunities for youth to express themselves through personalized visual arts projects. We will also provide our Youth Leaders the opportunity to support the summer program and gain valuable employment skills as paid Summer Interns. We are proud to bring this innovative art and technology driven program to the Alum Rock community.”

Lauren Cage, Instructor/Content Specialist and Arts Educator
Lauren is an informal educator living in San Jose. She develops educational content and professional development for The Tech Interactive. During non-COVID times, Lauren taught project-based learning workshops at libraries around the Bay Area under the name Magical Thinking. She holds an M.A. in cultural anthropology.

Josue Cruz, Instructor/Cartoonist
Josue (pronounced ho-sweh) Cruz is a San Francisco-based cartoonist, currently
working on their second all-ages book, Puppy Knights: Quest for the Golden
Bones. Their work is heavily inspired by a colorful mixture of Super Nintendo games,
late-90’s to late-aught’s Cartoon Network programming, and humor mags like
Mad and Cracked. Josue hopes to bring the reader straight into the imagination of the artist,
projecting the worlds with lush and lively environments. Josue is influenced by
the works of Sergio Aragones (Groo), Albert Urdezo (Asterix), and Bill
Watterson (you know who that is).

Alyssa Winans, Instructor/ Illustrator and Google Doodler
Alyssa is a SF Bay artist working on the Google Doodle Team. She earned her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2012. She specializes in imaginative illustration, and has also worked as a visual developer, concept, and background artist. In her free time, she attempts to garden and make pastries. Alyssa has been a guest speaker in the camp since its pilot program in the summer of 2013. She also has attended every end of week showcase critique and contributed valued feedback to the campers. Alyssa is a returning instructor from previous years and is returning to co-instruct during the STEAM Smorgasbord week.

Dennis Chan, Instructor/ Toy Industry Model Maker
Dennis Chan studied sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, earning his BFA in Illustration in 2012. He currently is employed as a freelance sculptor, most regularly with Rhode-Island based toy company Hasbro. His work includes both traditional and digital sculpture. In his spare time, Dennis also coaches the wrestling team at his alma mater, Gunn High School. Dennis works out of his home in Sunnyvale, California. He has also been a guest speaker in the camp and a vital part of the end of week showcase critiques. Dennis is a returning instructor from previous years and is returning to co-instruct during the STEAM Smorgasbord week.

Stephanie Metz, Instructor/Sculptor
San Jose sculptor Stephanie Metz makes fantastical forms out of wool fiber, shaping it into three-dimensional sculpture. Inspired by natural history and science, she aims to instill a sense of curiosity and wonder through her creations. She earned her BFA at the University of Oregon, and has been a full-time artist for 20 years and a part-time educator for 10 years, teaching at venues including Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Penland School of Crafts, and Kala Art Institute.

Amy Brown, Instructor/Artist and Sewist
Amy Brown wants to teach the world to sew- we all benefit from the joy and utility of fabric arts. She is a self-taught artist and sewist, with 15 years of experience in learning by doing. Sewing, pattern-making, surface design, embroidery, needle-felting, manufacturing and materials sourcing are a few skills she brings to the table. Speaking of tables, her current hobby is beginning woodworking!

When she's not teaching, Amy is designing new plush for her Jumbo Jibbles business or creating fabric sculptures, quilts and 3D paintings in her studio at a defunct skating rink in San Jose. Amy has taught sewing to all ages since 2011 and is always interested in learning something new from her students.

Amy Hibbs, Instructor/Artist
Amy Hibbs is a San Jose artist who finds her inspiration outdoors on the streets of her town or
in the wild spaces beyond. She works with cyanotype photography and compost to create work
that draws attention to how we treat our surroundings, whether natural or cultivated. With her
work she wants to encourage people to compost and to see the potential for personal and
planetary revitalization in what is discarded. She studied at Mills College, receiving both her BA
and her MFA from this beautiful school. Her two teenagers keep her on her toes but in her free
time she loves mountain biking and gardening She is excited to bring her skills and enthusiasm
to AYA this year.

Danielle Siembieda, Instructor/Systems Artist
Danielle Siembieda is a systems artist practicing at the intersection of community, emerging technology, and the environment. She has been an artist in residence at the University of Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, home of the Genome Browser, through UCSC’s Arts Research Open Lab. Her social art practice - Art Inspector: Saving the Earth by Changing Art, founded in art, has received funding from Silicon Valley Energy Watch. She has worked with municipalities, including the City of San Francisco Department of Environment, to help artists work healthier and safer. She is also a member of the Ocean Memory Project, a collective of artists and scientists looking at what happens below water. Her work has been presented globally, including the 01SJ Biennial in the heart of Silicon Valley, the National Gallery in Copenhagen, and exhibiting artists with Cyfest. Siembieda holds an MFA in Digital Media Art at San Jose State University at the CADRE Laboratory for New Media, focusing on green technology and sustainable materials.

Eliane Bauer, Program Coordinator and Instructor
Eliane received her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Energy Policy and Green Buildings from San Jose State University and is interested in environmental and social science education. Eliane likes to spend time outside and explore the outdoors. In her free time she likes to do arts and crafts projects and values the intersection of different disciplines in learning. Eliane will be responsible for providing instructional support, staff supervision, classroom & camper support, and overall documentation and reporting in addition to teaching 3 camp days this year.

Alyssa Alaiafune, Administrative Program Assistant
Alyssa is studying Computer Science and Studio Art at Cornell College. She grew up in the Bay Area and has moved back for the summer to be part of the camp. She has an interest in video game design and in her free time she makes art.

Theo Almira, Classroom Program Assistant
Theo was a former camper who feels like the camp was an important outlet for him to express his creativity and learn new skills. He will be studying anthropology at SJSU in the fall, with the goal of becoming a librarian.

Youth Leader Summer Interns

TBD