Teachers at Slowfire
Noelle
Noelle Allen is a full-time, tenured professor of sculpture and ceramics at Dominican University, with over 15 years of experience teaching at the college level. Noelle holds a BA from Smith College and an MFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Alice
Alice Arreola graduated with honors from Dominican University with degrees in art history and sculpture. Alice has been teaching children art classes through the Oak Park Park District since 2018 and has been working at Slowfire since summer 2020.
Josslyn
Josslyn Baron holds a BA in both Painting/Drawing and Psychology from Dominican University. Josslyn was a Teaching Assistant to Professor Jeffery Cote de Luna in the Painting Department and a Writing Tutor for the Academic Success Center.
Jeny
Jeny, a nursing student at Dominican University with a minor in sculpture, has a passion for ceramics showcased in high school art shows. While enjoying hand-building, she's recently embraced using the wheel. Eager to improve her throwing skills, Jeny is particularly excited about crafting functional pieces like teapots. Outside the studio, she indulges in crocheting and exploring new foods with friends. Working at Loyola allows her to maintain her connection to nursing, combining two loves she's grateful to pursue.
Brie
Brie Maldonado-Cruz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UW Milwaukee. At UWM her focus was in ceramics and painting.
She worked at the beautiful Milwaukee Art Museum prior to moving to Oak Park.
Always creating since childhood, she is the artist and maker behind The Periwinkle Peacock, here in Oak Park. Brie enjoys many art mediums, and loves to share her passion for making with others.
Salma
Salma Jimenez holds a BA in graphic design from Dominican University. Salma has worked as a studio assistant for Noelle Allen in ceramics and interned for the University Ministry Office, designing and creating content for print and digital publishing.
Tyler
Tyler Yocum holds a BFA from Alfred University specializing in ceramics. He works diversely between wheel throwing and hand building while trying to find new ways to intermingle them. Tyler also enjoys the chemistry behind the clays and glazes that makes ceramics tick.
Veronica
Veronica's lifelong pursuit of "learning to see" led her through diverse artistic paths, from metals and ceramics at OPRFHS to studies at Columbia College and SAIC. She honed her skills in painting, photography, and sculpture, collaborating with artists and exhibiting nationally. With over 20 years of teaching jewelry and metals, she fostered small studio relationships. Despite success, she closed her business to explore collage, clay, and prop-making for TV. Veronica's recreations for photographer Sandro Miller garnered international acclaim. Post-Covid, she refocused on ceramics, combining hand-building and throwing techniques, influenced by nature. Often found in Oak Park, she gathers inspiration for her ongoing projects.
Steven
Steven fell in love with pottery in seventh grade after hand building his first form over a very large balloon. Steven studied photography, was a commercial photographer for 35years and has been making pottery for 17years. He lives with his wife and two cats in house filled with hand thrown ceramic bowls, cups, vases, and face jugs.
Maliya
Maliya is a teaching artist who recently moved from NYC. She has been an art educator for K-5 age groups since 2019, and her art disciplines are illustration and painting. Maliya's favorite mediums to work with are clay and oil paint! In the classroom, she loves encouraging kids to embrace self-expression and learn from happy mistakes through art projects.
Kristi
Kristi has been baking custom designed cakes and cookies out of her home for the Oak Park community for over 15 years. She loves to bring science and art together for creating new desserts in the kitchen. Kristi specializes in buttercream and fondant techniques, taking in ideas and sketches and turning them into unique works of art.
Cesar
Cesar started his artistic journey at an early age; he now holds an AFA from Morton College and is currently pursuing his BA at Dominican University. Cesar is a multimedia artist proficient in painting, drawing,
block printing, ceramics and sculptural welding. Art is his passion and he loves to teach and inspire the youth.
Priscilla
Priscilla is an honors student at Dominican University pursuing a Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Biology, on the pre-vet track, and a minor in sculpture/ceramics. She enjoys hand-building and using nature as inspiration for her work. She first began working with children in 2021 as a swim instructor and is excited to share art with them! Her goal is to motivate students to explore their creativity, as well as express themselves and their interests, through their work.
Kamila
Kamila has an associate in Art from Oakton college and is currently a student at Dominican University majoring in art education. She has been creating in ceramics for several years and loves to teach kids how to express their creativity through the medium of clay.
Metzli
Metzli is an undergraduate studying Graphic Design and Painting at Dominican University. She also works as a Teacher’s Assistant with fellow undergraduates to guide them through through their Drawing and Painting classes. Outside of her school work, she works with clients to produce commissions as well as personal pieces. She is very passionate about all arts and the impact she can make on the world with her creative works.
Amy
Amy is a student at Dominican University majoring in political science with a minor in pre-law and printmaking and drawing. She's loved art all her life and especially enjoys drawing portraits and working with clay. She often looks for ways to combine her passion for the arts in the civic work she does through and outside of school. Amy has been working with kids since 2021 and enjoys helping them to express themselves creatively and freely through art
Fernanda
Fernanda is a Psychology major at Dominican University. She has a passion for working with children and believes in the healing partnership of Art and Therapy. She plans to incorporate art therapy as an enrichment tool for children with disabilities.
