Arts & Music

Belly Dancing - Myra Krien with              Marlena Chapman

Myra Krien - Born in San Francisco, the granddaughter of Zen philosopher, Alan Watts, Krien grew up in a family of intellectuals and artists committed to higher consciousness and a worldview. From an early age she attended the Renaissance Pleasure Faires. Inspired by Jamila Salimpour’s company Bal Anat, she began her first belly dance classes along with her mother at the age of three. In the many years since she has been privileged to study with some of the greatest Middle Eastern dance artists in the field. Krien has also devoted herself to the study of jazz, modern, hip-hop, flamenco, and East Indian dance. Krien began performing at the early age of eleven and began teaching at fourteen. She went on to perform extensively throughout the Bay Area and in 1983 moved to Santa Fe, NM.

Marlena Chapman - Marlena Chapman was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico and has lived here her whole life. She is now 16 and is going to The Masters Program at Santa Fe Community College. She loves to dance and she has been able to work in a mentorship with Myra Krien this school year. Inspire Santa Fe is a great program to let high school students follow their dreams.

Architecture - Gayla Bechtol with           Gonzalo Alfonso

Gayla Bechtol - Gayla Bechtol, AIA  has practiced architecture in New Mexico since 1991 after her education on both coasts including University of Southern California and Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She enjoys living in Santa Fe, closer to her native state of Texas, helping her clients go beyond what they can imagine for their projects especially in the Historic Districts of Santa Fe. She transforms typical New Mexico homes into grounded structures with a modernistic aesthetic. When Gayla was approached by Inspire to mentor Gonzalo Alfonso in architecture she was pleased to continue to be a part of a community that has inspiration as their goal.

Gonzalo Alfonso - Gonzalo Alfonso Medina was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a 7th grader at Mandela International Magnet School. Gonzalo loves to play basketball, but this year he explored the study of architecture alongside Gayla Bechtol. He loves his mentorship and hopes to do it again next year!

Electric Guitar - Mikey Baker with               Isaiah Armijo

Mikey Baker - Mikey grew up in Santa Fe and moved to New York to study, and later teach, music. He returned to New Mexico in the early 90’s and toured the country for the latter half of that decade as a guitarist. Since then he's been deeply involved in Santa Fe’s music community, acting as musical director for theatrical productions, playing in numerous local bands, doing session work, coordinating and promoting music festivals, and owning and operating a performance venue. Mikey currently teaches music privately, performs regularly, and does freelance audio production and graphic design.

Isaiah Armijo -Isaiah is an aspiring musician, student, and ninja who was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He started playing music because of his father Gary Cordova, who taught him how to play drums, and ignited his passion for music.  He began playing guitar and drums he was 8 and a 1/2, and has been playing avidly ever since. He goes to Tierra Encantada Charter School, and currently spends his time developing his skills both academically and musically, listening to music, dreaming of music, writing music/poetry, and fighting crime at night (as a ninja).  He wants to be a touring musician and/or a music producer. Also, he is not really a ninja, he just dreams of being one.

Photography - Monica Caldas with             Allyja Ramirez

Monica Caldas - Monica Caldas is a freelance photographer and student. She graduated from the College of Santa Fe with a bachelors in photography, and is currently working towards her masters in counseling. She loves working with teenagers, and is specifically interested in working with at-risk youth, finding ways to support this population and keep them constructively engaged in our community.

Allyja Ramirez - About Allyja Ramirez: I was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and I moved to Santa Fe my freshman year. I attend Santa Fe High School, and other than photography, I play/do volleyball, basketball, swimming and track. I love to interact with different and new people, and I think that the Inspire Program is a great way to learn by experience and interaction.

Architecture - Barbara Felix with                          Denali Wilson

Barbara Felix - Barbara J. Felix, has practiced architecture for more than twenty-five years in Michigan, Virginia, Chicago, and New Mexico. She has owned her own firm, Barbara Felix Architecture + Design, for more than 16 years in Santa Fe. She is known for her work around the state including with NM Pueblos (Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum at the Pueblo of Acoma), commercial and hospitality work (including the recent renovation of La Fonda on the Plaza), and her expertise with historic structures. Originally from Michigan, she has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan (emphasis in history). She is the past-president of AIA Santa Fe, has started a women in design group in northern New Mexico, and loves mentoring those who want to become architects. She is passionate about history, and specifically about how different cultures, as well as the regional desert climate, have impacted and informed the architecture that surrounds us.

Denali Wilson - My name is Denali Wilson. I was born in Albuquerque and lived there for about six years. I moved to Santa Fe in 1st grade. I am 13 and in 7th grade at Mandela International Magnet School, also known as MIMS. I am doing my mentorship in architecture with Barbara Felix. I have been interested in architecture since I was about eight. I hope to be an architect myself when I am an adult. I hope to build and design buildings that will help the world.I love to be creative and organized in a messy way. I love having everything colorful.

Costume Design - Sandra Ortiz with          Kudra Hernandez

Sandra Ortiz - Sandra Ortiz is a costumer for the National Dance Institute. 

Kudra Hernandez - I was born in Mexico, but moved to the U.S. When i was 1. I am 13, and an eighth grader at Mandela International Magnet School. I have lived in many places, including Pittsburgh and Colorado. I have been taking dance classes at NDI for a year now, and have always been interested in the backstage/costume process. I hope to continue working with NDI throughout high school, and I love the idea of the mentorship program.

Drumming - Alfredo Carmona with                Joel Mier

Alfredo Carmona - Alfredo Carmona (born June 23, 1986) is a Pastoring-teacher, musician and educator. Carmona has worked in Church ministry areas that include: youth, children, adults, music, church revitalization, church planting and fine art. Carmona graduated from three training programs provided from University of the Nations. Through University of the Nations He served in multi-cultural contexts ranging from Latin America to Asia. In addition to church ministry, he has also worked with various other non-church establishments, such as public schools and counseling clinics. He obtained his Associates degree in Human Services from the Santa Fe Community College and is pursuing a Bachelors in Contemporary Music at Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Currently Carmona teaches private-music lessons, directs unconventional percussion (“STOMP”) at The Santa Fe Master’s program, and is a certified minster on staff with Life in Red church in Santa Fe, NM as a Pastoring-teacher, Youth Overseer and musician.

Joel Mier - I was born in Santa Fe, and have lived here since birth. I am in 12th grade at the Masters Program. I plan to go to an International Leadership College, Hillsong College, in Sydney, Australia. I love music - I play the drums, electric bass guitar and guitar. I am in a drum mentorship with Alfredo Carmona. I love this mentorship because it will lead to more opportunities in my life.

Music Composition - Jeremy Bleich with    Sofia Avery-Kapulski

Jeremy Bleich - 
Jeremy Bleich incorporates a wide palette of culture, ancient and modern instruments, traditions and forms and electronic manipulation into the process of creating music. Jeremy plays bass, oud, piano, guitar and various percussion and drums. He resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he is involved with presenting new music through his House Concert chamber music series; Grasshopper Music record label, as well as developing children's operettas for the Santa Fe Opera. He holds a degree in music composition from Cleveland State University. Jeremy has a diverse background as an educator working as a composer in residence at The Santa Fe Opera in the education department, developing operettas for children. He worked as an adjunct Music Instructor at The College of Santa Fe, in schools teaching music and culture at all grade levels in Cleveland, OH for Passport Project and Young Audiences, as well as in Santa Fe, NM.  Jeremy is currently the Music Director for Lifesongs, a program of The Academy for the Love of Learning.
 

Sofia Avery-Kapulski - Sofia Avery-Kapulski was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but has been landlocked in Santa Fe since 2005. She is a senior in high school at The MASTERS Program Early College Charter. Music is a big part of her life, from gigging as a Jazz vocalist, to music history classes at the Community College, to songwriting, to playing mandolin and cello in her free time, and of course composing under the skillful guidance of local musician and composer Jeremy Bleich. She will begin a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon this fall. Her mentorship with Jeremy has been an extraordinary source of support and inspiration as she’s looked toward college, and no doubt contributed immensely to her admission at Lewis & Clark. Sofia believes that the synthesis between mathematics and music is one of the most beautiful things the universe has to offer, and looks forward to being one of many architects in the macrocosm of melody.

Art & Drawing - Leslie Holland with Fabiola Rodriguez Antonio

Leslie Holland -  Leslie Ann Holland (b.1975) holds an MFA from the University of New Mexico and a BFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in Painting and Drawing. Her work has shown in galleries including Hyde Park Art Center, Will…

Leslie Holland -  Leslie Ann Holland (b.1975) holds an MFA from the University of New Mexico and a BFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in Painting and Drawing. Her work has shown in galleries including Hyde Park Art Center, William Shearburn Gallery and Yares Art Projects in Santa Fe, NM. Awards include Harry Nadler Memorial Fellowship, Phyllis Muth Scholarship for Fine Arts and Marion Monical Memorial Fellowship. Solo exhibitions include Your Gold at SCA Contemporary and Without Words at Small Engine Gallery in Albuquerque, NM. A selection of her work aired on "Madrigal," Season Five, Episode Two of AMC's television series Breaking Bad. Her work draws from architecture and landscape, edging into figurative allegory and spans multiple mediums and formats. Paintings, drawings and prints are included in public and private collections in Seattle, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Portland, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati, Boston, Asheville and Albuquerque. Born in eastern Pennsylvania, raised partially in upstate New York and the Midwest, she presently lives, works and teaches in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A selection of her work can be viewed at http://www.lesannholland.com

Fabiola Rodriguez Antonio - Fabiola R. Antonio is a young painter who attends DeVargas Middle School in Santa Fe, NM. Her work deals with the figure and landscape. Through the Inspire program, she has focused on composition and allegorical narrative through working from still life and non-objective painting and drawing, utilizing media such as charcoal, graphite, collage, printmaking, acrylic, watercolor. At the close of the inaugural Inspire program, she began her first oil painting, working plein air. She would like to study anatomy more in-depth, also continue her work in oils on canvas. Her work can be viewed at                    http://www.fabiolarantonio.weebly.com.

Architecture - Christian Alba with             Adrian Tarango

Christian Alba - Christian Alba was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He graduated from Santa Fe High where his protege, Adrian, now attends. 

Adrian Tarango - Adrian Tarango was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is an 11th grader at Santa Fe High School. Aside from his interest in architecture, which he explored in this year's mentorship with Christian Alba, Adrian loves spending time with his family and high speed racing cars.

Make up Artistry - Gina Montoya with     Jessica Romero

Gina Montoya - Gina Montoya has been in the makeup and hair industry for about three years.  While running her business Bombshell Hair and Makeup she is a stay at home mom of Mateo 5, and Lucas 3.  Gina also has her BFA in Fashion Design and Marketing.  "I am interested in making women feel beautiful.  Making them look like the best versions of themselves"

Jessica Romero - A little about Jessica Romero: I was born in to a big family and my siblings helped raise me in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I'm currently a quirky 15 year old sophomore that attends school at The MASTERS Program at the Santa Fe Community College. My interests vary from dancing in my underwear to drawing various things that capture my attention. I really take an interest in different forms of art work, but one that I take a great interest in is make up artistry. I feel that Inspire Santa Fe is a great way to expand my learning with things I'm actually into. I am very grateful of the opportunity it has provided me with.