Instructors / Staff
Sascha Newell, Instructor & Executive Director
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"Ms. Sascha" is an Artist, Founder and Executive Director of Fine Art Starts. She has a BFA in Visual Art and a Master's Degree in Teaching. She has taught fine art to children and adults since 1997, and was one of three nominees for the 2021 Art Educator of the Year Award for the state of Oregon. Sascha teaches Art full time at Jesuit High School, directs Fine Art Starts, and taught as a Professor of Art Pedagogy in the Master's Education Department at George Fox University for three years. She has a blended family of five children and loves making art in nature, travelling and putting on memorable events. Find her resume here.
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Nina "Neo" Manning, Instructor
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"Ms. Nina/Neo" grew up spending hours in the Fine Art Starts studio, attending years of art classes, has several years of assisting and teaching for Fine Art Starts at various schools. Neo also supports with onboarding and is an anchor of experience for new Instructors. Neo has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Animation with a minor in Game Design from Pacific NW College of Art. They enjoy making art and spending time with their two cats, Inky and Penny and their crested gecko named Barnaby. |
Jorie Helwig, Instructor & Studio Manager
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"Ms Jorie" is a multidisciplinary artist, specializing in ceramics. She holds a BFA in Photography, and an Associates of Applied Sciences in Interactive Media and Web Design. She worked as a Teacher’s Assistant and a Lead Tutor for college art courses. She has taught many media including photography, lino cutting, printmaking, knitting, and most recently handbuilding and wheel throwing. After working in the tech industry as a software engineer and technical writer for the last 14 years, she is excited to be teaching and creating as an Artist educator.
Jorie is the Fine Art Starts Studio Manager in Raleigh Hills. Please direct any studio-related questions to her at: [email protected] |
Adam Strickler, Instructor
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"Mr. Adam" is a husband and a father to 3 boys, one of which is a student at MITCH. He is an Artist who specializes in traditional media such as ink, paint and clay sculpture. During his college years he focused on sculpture and mixed media. Adam has 6 years of volunteer art instruction with elementary school-aged kids and has entered his fourth year of teaching with Fine Art Starts. |
Zaza Jeffers, Instructor
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Alexandra ("Ms. Zaza" ) Jeffers has a degree in Graphic Design and teaches for the Fine Art Starts after-school program during the school year and part time during the summer Art Camps. She has experience teaching a range of ages, from children through adults. She has studied many art mediums, including drawing, painting, and calligraphy. She is a mom to a 2-year old boy. |
Mark Fearing, Instructor
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Mark grew up in Minnesota, received a BFA from the University of Wisconsin,Madison and continued studies at the Graduate School of Film at UCLA. Working in design, illustration and animation Mark was a manager at Walt Disney Television Animation, an art director for Sony Online Entertainment and a creative director at Pearson Television. He had series optioned and developed through pilot at Walt Disney Television. His writing and illustrations have been published by Penguin Books for Young Readers, Candlewick Press, Hyperion, Chronicle Books, Knopf and many others. He was a featured author and illustrator for Nikki Finke’s Hollywood Dementia website with stories optioned to HBO. He teaches a class on the history of graphic novels for Stanford University’s continuing education department. He specializes in narrative art but loves and appreciates numerous styles of visual communication. His preferred mediums are pen and ink, etching and print making.
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Emma Craft, Instructor
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"Ms. Emma" is an enthusiastic teacher with a Bachelor's of Art, with an emphasis on sculpture and ceramics. She has completed murals, taught summer art camps, and loves to practice her creativity through clay, paint, bookmaking and crafting. When not creating new pieces, she enjoys reading mystery, and fantasy novels. She loves to spend time with her husband Tanner, going on hikes, watching shows, and baking him delicious desserts. |
Edgar Arellano, Instructor in Training
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"Mr. Edgar" is a bilingual visual artist inspired by community, nature, and the small details of everyday life. He has collaborated with local organizations and businesses across Portland on creative projects, using both English and Spanish to connect and communicate with diverse audiences.
Edgar has a background in visual arts and design, and continues strengthening his artistic and educational training through community-based work and ongoing professional development. He is excited to share his love for art with students at Fine Art Starts. For him, teaching means encouraging children to try new things, express who they are, and discover that in art there are no mistakes—only new discoveries. |
Kate Alperin, Instructor
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“Ms. Kate” is a multidisciplinary artist who has been creating and teaching art for as long as she can remember. Currently, she works out of her studio, Orange Pink Purple Blue and at the Haven PDX. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Sociology with a minor in Sustainability, and a Master of Science in International Relations and Global Affairs focused on global health and development. Kate also manages a food pantry and works with youth organizing efforts across the Pacific Northwest, bringing these values of care, compassion, and community into the art classroom. Outside the studio, Kate enjoys volunteering, listening to music, and spending time with her cats. |
Cheroka Roberts, Instructor & Facilities Coordinator
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"Mrs. Roberts", is a passionate educator, and has been in the classroom for 10 years, teaching 1st and second graders in Texas. She has her Bachelor's Degree in Education and loves working with kiddos. She moved from Texas in 2021 and is loving getting to call the PNW her home sweet home. Some of her passions include knitting, reading, and going on a hike with her family. Her husband and her have 2 kids and a dog named Green. Cheroka is an experienced Instructor and also coordinates community partnerships and facility rentals for Fine Art Starts. |
Ben Mignola, Instructor
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"Mr. Ben" is an animator from San Francisco, California. Since moving to Portland in 2020, he has been an animator on two stop-motion feature films, and started his own animation studio from home. He constantly explores the line between fun and discipline in his work. When he’s not working, he is most likely spending time with his fiancée and two cats.
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Monica Baker, Registration Support
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Monica has been a supportive Board Member and parent of a Fine Art Starts student. She has extensive experience with a consultation company as a professional scheduler and communicator for over 10 years and extends those skills to Fine Art Starts by providing scheduling assistance and documentation for Board meetings. In her free time she enjoys camping, outdoor activities, concerts, and spending time with friends and family.
Monica supports the registration process by being available for questions, changes or updates in registration for enrolled and potential FAS families. |
Laura Schick, Studio Instructor
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"Ms. Laura" teaches mathematics at Jesuit High School by day, and the rest of the time she is a multidisciplinary artist and maker, working in clay, textiles, leather, wood, basketry, and most recently stained glass. She fell in love with the pottery wheel in 2022 and her favorite thing about teaching is helping students develop their confidence, voice, and passion for whatever subject or medium they're working with! This summer Laura was a guest potter at the Clay and Pottery camp.
When not teaching or making, Laura spends time with her family and volunteers with her therapy dog, Greta, (who some of the summer Art Camp participants might meet)! |
Click to meet our summer ART Camp staff!
InclusionEvery child’s life and diverse experiences are respected. Our goal is to ensure that students are truly seen, valued and feel a sense of belonging and safety during times of creation and sharing.
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Engaging InstructionWe place the best-matched instructor with the course being offered. Our instructors are valued for their artistry, experience and time.
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CommunityStudents feel a sense of community during camp times, art shows and the support they receive from peers and leaders.
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We are a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization. Your charitable contributions are tax-deductible.
It is a policy and priority of Fine Art Starts that there is no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, age, disability or sexual orientation in any educational programs, activities or employment.
It is a policy and priority of Fine Art Starts that there is no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, age, disability or sexual orientation in any educational programs, activities or employment.