Wilson Center Teaching Artists

The Wilson Center features a diverse group of teaching artists who lead our visual arts classes.

Interested in teaching at the Wilson Center? Submit a class proposal here.

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Irene Angeles

Irene Angeles loves to teach art! A native of Milwaukee, she has been teaching adults and youth for many years (including five years at Alverno College). Irene received her BFA in Painting and Drawing from UW-Milwaukee. The recipient of the AOP Fellowship as well as multiple other honors, she has completed extensive graduate level work in Adult Education and Art Education. She enjoys a very diverse studio practice, occupied in many different media. She is primarily a portrait and figurative artist, but also is fascinated with jewelry-making. You will find her volunteering her time to help Milwaukee's homeless.

Image of Lisa Belisl - white woman with short dark hair wearing a coral colored sweater stands behind a floral arrangement

Lisa Belisle

Lisa Belisle AIFD is the owner and instructor of all floral design classes and workshops. She has a lively background in the floral industry. During the last twenty years, Lisa has participated in every part of the floral industry including management, wholesale flower sales, exporting New Zealand-grown flowers, coordinating shipping, and owning her own small businesses. Today, Lisa’s passions are continuing her own education and teaching floral design classes and workshops in Delafield, WI and Midwest areas.

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Beki Borman

Beki Borman lives and works out of her studio in West Allis, Wisconsin. She attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design where she received her BFA in Painting in 2004. Since graduating, Beki has exhibited her work both locally and nationally. For Beki's studio work she paints colorful landscapes in oil using a palette knife. Some of her influences include Vincent Van Gogh, Wolf Kahn, and Wayne Thiebaud. Beki's work is represented by the Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor and the Dooryard Gallery in Elm Grove. See more of her work at www.bekiborman.com


Photo of Nina Ghanbarzadeh - white woman with shoulder length graying hair stands behind a railing in a field of small wild flowers

Nina Ghanbarzadeh

Nina Ghanbarzadeh is a visual artist who emigrated from Tehran, Iran in 2001. She earned her BFA in painting, drawing, and graphic design from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 2013 and completed a two-year AIR Program with Redline Milwaukee in 2015. In addition to participating in a number of group shows, Nina received the Student Silver ADDY, Fredric R. Layton Foundations Scholarship, and the winner of best in show in Wisconsin Biennial 2020. Nina launched ARTkee Educational Toys in December 2019, which produces SOFTwords, kits of basic shapes that allow children to explore the shapes as images as well as text. Nina draws inspiration for her educational toy business and her art from cultural differences and the limitations of language. me. See more at www.ninaghanbarzadeh.com

Eriks Johnson - white male with brown hair - helps a petite middle aged female with blonde hair and a red sweater work at an easel

Eriks Johnson

Eriks Johnson received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago, and his Masters of Fine Art degree from UW-Milwaukee. As a student he traveled, and exhibited work, in Europe. Upon returning to Milwaukee, he immersed himself in the arts community; reading and writing poetry, forming a collaborative group of artists, managing two galleries, as well as creating and exhibiting his own paintings and drawings. He now teaches in various capacities at MIAD, Milwaukee Art Museum, and Artists Working in Education.

Photo of Tiffany Knopow - close-up of white female with light brown, curly hair pulled up and glasses

Tiffany Knopow

Tiffany Knopow is a Wisconsin native, residing in Burlington, who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from UW-Madison and her Master of Fine Arts from the UW-Milwaukee. Knopow has actively exhibited in the United States and South America. She was one of UW-Milwaukee's nominees for the 2007 National Dedalus Foundation Master of Fine Arts Fellowship and received a Layton Fellowship from UW-Milwaukee in 2008. Tiffany also teaches for Artists Working with Milwaukee’s Homeless and is the co-founder of ArtMovz. See more at www.tiffanyknopow.com


Photo of Jeanne Kollmeyer - close-up of white female with short gray hair and blue sweater over a black shirt smiling at the camera

Jeanne Kollmeyer

Jeanne Kollmeyer is an Art Educator specializing in art programming and instruction for children. She has many years of experience working in non-profit organizations in the Milwaukee area. She currently works for Danceworks teaching in their summer camps, School Day off program and intergenerational project. She has an enthusiasm for connecting literacy to art and recently joined the staff of the Wilson Center as a Beyond the Classroom educator.

Photo of Hannah Schwane - young white female with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and nose ring, smiles at the camera

Hannah Schwane

Hannah Schwane is a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater BFA-Ceramics graduate, who’s expansive artistic practice also includes work in sculpture, fiber art, drawing, painting, and printmaking. She explores themes of memory, family, ephemerality, women's history, and the female experience. Her work seeks to capture the fleeting moments and emotions that shape our lives, while also shedding light on the often-overlooked contributions of women throughout history. By integrating traditional techniques with modern forms of expression, she hopes to create art that resonates with viewers. Hannah is excited to explore the opportunity to teach others to inspire reflection on their own experiences and connections to the world around them.

Jennifer Schwane

As a lifelong learner, always up to something, freelance artist, Jenni Schwane has enjoyed exploring many art media. Her passions include painting, pottery, paper engineering, and collage. With paper engineering being rather new on her list of explorations, this art form has allowed her to combine all of her knowledge and passion for fine art into one art form. Her desire is to inspire others to experiment and explore their own creative voice. Jenni has been a participant in many art seminars and classes. She has also led many small group art classes in her own home, at several area schools, and at the Waukesha Public Library. She has also been a volunteer at the Dona Lexa Art Community Center.


Photo of Beth Stoddard - young white female with dark brown hair, red shirt, and blue apron - stands painting at an easel with an image of a cardinal already painted on the canvas

Beth Stoddard

Beth Stoddard is a Milwaukee artist who draws and paints from life with a modern sensibility. She’s currently working on a project to paint all 169 of the Milwaukee County Parks. Wisconsin born, she studied in Philadelphia, obtaining degrees from both the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Her painterly realist pieces are continuously exhibited in southeastern Wisconsin, including representation at David Barnett Gallery, and are held in private collections nationwide. In addition to exhibiting work she has experience as a judge/ juror, and as a teacher proficient in observational drawing and painting.

Photo of Susan Nolan-Kaczkowski - close-up of middle aged white female with blue-green eyes smiles at the camera

Susan Nolan-Kaczkowski

Susan Nolan-Kaczkowski earned a BFA in Design and a BA in Art Education from UWM. This led to 30+ years teaching art. Most of her experience is with youth ages 3-18 years in public and charter schools. She’s worked in the non-profit sector as well, instructing art and working with youth and elderly adults. She’s learned and taught many media of art, but circles back to painting as a passion. From watercolors or acrylics on canvas, glass painting, or murals and decorative painting on walls and furniture, all are included in her experience. A primary inspiration for her art is nature and multicultural images. She loves the joy the art experience provides and is passionate about bringing out confidence and creativity during the art making process.  

Photo of Miriam Sushman - close-up of middle aged white female with medium brown hair and hazel eyes smiling at the camera

Miriam Sushman

Before becoming a mosaic artist, Miriam Sushman worked as a photojournalist in the USA and Israel. Her passion for mosaics was ignited seven years ago while working on a mixed media table. Having learned to work with a variety of mosaic methods and materials, she has taught workshops and classes to children, teens, and adults. In 2019, she led a group of Grand Avenue Club members and staff in the creation of a community mural titled Lake Michigan, which is now installed in the Water Street entrance. Visit her website at mosaicmirm.com.


Photo of Claire Osterman - young white female with medium brown hair and blue eyes smiles at the camera

Claire Osterman

Claire Osterman is an Interior Designer from Milwaukee, WI who specializes in colorful, bold designs. She earned her Master Certification in Interior Design from Heritage School of Interior Design in 2022 and now runs a design company, Ebb & Flow Design Co. Although she is an interior designer by trade, she has years of experience as a teaching artist and is excited to be teaching again at Wilson Center of the Arts.

You can check out her work at www.ebbandflowdesign.co

Photo of Paul Henning - middle aged white male with gray hair and glasses smiles at the camera

Paul H. Henning

PAUL H. HENNING is a consultant and coach for small businesses, especially those in the creative services industry. He was a professional photographer shooting corporate location assignments for 15 years, followed by 12 years as co-owner and director of Third Coast Stock Source, Wisconsin’s only general subject stock picture agency. After selling Third Coast in 1997 he moved to London where he became Manager of European Operations for Comstock, an industry-leading stock agency at that time, followed by a stint as Acting Managing Director at the Robert Harding Picture Library in London. Returning to Milwaukee in 2000 he founded cr8vstrategy, his current consulting business. He’s been a frequent writer and speaker in the picture industry and has taught photography classes and workshops throughout his career. In his leisure time he’s an active skier, biker, hiker and music aficionado. See Pauls work at http://www.cr8vstrategy.com/

Joanne Bowring

Joanne is a graduate of UW Steven's Point and a watercolorist all her life. She excels in drawing and painting unique homes and architecture. For years she has been the premiere freelancer of the beautiful home in all seasons. Hundreds of commissions and teaching at MIAD, Mount Mary University, and private lessons. Her passion shows in her teaching.