Teacher Spotlight
Donna Mikkelsen, a professional art teacher and long-time teaching artist at The Art Effect. Donna has been teaching arts-based curriculum both in-school and community-based settings for over 25 years. In 2001, she founded the arts-integrated Garden Road School in Westchester County and served as its Director for 11 years. Following that, she became Education Director for the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill where she organized In-School Artist Residencies with the local school district including a Docent Training program for high school students. As a teaching artist she has developed AmbiArts workshops for people of all ages. These workshops incorporate the principles of her ambidextrous drawing technique “Spontaneous Symmetry”. This fun process engages both hemispheres of the brain, utilizes kinesthetic learning, calms nerves, and builds teamwork. Donna works with schools, non-profit and community-based organizations throughout the Hudson Valley.
