OUR TEACHING ARTISTS

OUR CURRENT TEACHING ARTISTS

Eleanor Bennett started playing violin at the age of ten and has been studying music ever since. A trained Suzuki Method teacher and a member of the Cobb Symphony Orchestra, she has performed with the Atlanta Community Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra.

Trained as a medical illustrator, Joe Falligan is dedicated to working with young people and teaching them to enjoy and learn from their own creativity in the visual arts, especially comicbook art. Falligan currently works as a cartoon illustrator for Turner’s Cartoon Network.

James Gardner became interested in photography while studying printing at Santa Monica City College in California. He bought a 35 mm camera and built a darkroom in his garage to develop his photographs. Jim enjoys scenic photography most of all. He joined the Sweetwater Camera Club in the late 1990’s as their webmaster; and then he started shooting with a digital camera.

Painter Betty Higginbotham is a self- taught painter who specializes in oils and acrylics. Betty has worked at Woodie Fite Senior Center for three years as the acrylic art instructor. She has exhibited in local galleries and the courthouse.

Joi Jamison has a BS degree in communications having worked in both the television and radio industry. She also holds a professional dance resume that stretches as far back as 1999 - choreographing talent shows, cheer camps, pageants, workshops and award shows to name a few. She currently is one of the featured dance instructors with Dodd’s International Performing Arts in Douglasville, where she teaches adult fitness/dance classes and is a member of the adult dance company.

Carrollton-based artist Marcella Kuykendall graduated with a degree in fine arts from the University of West Georgia where she concentrated on ceramics and sculpture. She has worked with S.C.R.A.P. (Source for Recycled Artistic Products) Bin, teaching a children’s marionette workshop focusing on creative reuse of discarded materials, and taught several clay workshops for the Cultural Arts Council’s Empty Bowls initiative this winter in Douglas County.

Tamara Morgan began painting about 30 years ago, trying every medium she could get her hands on. She has taught classes in decorative painting, acrylic, oils and watercolor. Her students are amazed at what can be achieved when they have the tools, guidance and inspiration to learn to paint and draw.

Ken Paradise works primarily with oils and acrylics. Ken has been painting as a hobby for over 35 years. Having recently retired from the retail industry, he has been able to devote more time to expressing himself through art. He finds painting to be both relaxing and invigorating.

Teaching artist Mack Porter has designed stained glass since 1960. His glass and mirror company Mirror Maxx worked with designers, architects and custom home builders in Detroit for hundreds of commercial projects and private homes. He restored the stained glass front doors of the Cultural Arts Center and exhibits regularly in our community.

Nancy Whittenburger has been a music educator for 37 years. Her teaching experience has ranged from kindergarten through college. She retired from the Douglas County Schools in 2006, where she was the Elementary Music Resource Teacher. The Douglas County Teacher of the Year in 1991 and 2004, she now serves as an adjudicator for Georgia Music Educators’ Association. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music Education from Georgia State University, with concentrations in voice and piano. She is currently a field supervisor for student teachers at Mercer University.

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