Emily Carlson (she/they) is the director of Art in the Garden and is committed to building a beloved community that fosters wisdom and compassion. Emily teaches poetry at Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12 and has taught writing and reading centered courses at The Winchester Thurston School, The Neighborhood Academy, and the University of Pittsburgh. They have lived and worked in Ghana with the School for International Training’s (SIT) program for high school students, in Italy and Brooklyn, NY teaching horseback riding, and in Beirut, writing with the support of a grant from the University of Pittsburgh’s Syria-Lebanon Nationality Room. Emily earned a BA in Poetry and African American Literature from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Pittsburgh. Emily has won numerous awards for their writing including 2024 and 2025 Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh awards, Tupelo Press’ Sunken Garden Chapbook Poetry Award (2022) for Why Misread a Cloud, and The Center for Book Arts Chapbook Competition (2016) for I Have a Teacher. They serve on the board for Olmo Ling Bon Center and Institute and live in a cohousing community centered around a garden with their partner, Sten, and their three children.
Princes Gonzalez (she /they) is a Lead Teacher for Art in the Garden. Princes graduated from The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas with a concentration in painting. Princes currently works as a paraprofessional at the Environmental Charter School. One of the ways they practice mindfulness is spending time outside and looking inward to notice what changes they can implement for true care. Princes loves working with children, as they bring a light and energy that is propelling and humbling strength and honesty. Princes believes that gardening is important for all of us and hopes to share this importance through leading by example.
Jodi Iddings (she/her) Lead-Teacher for Art in the Garden and teacher at the Environmental Charter School (ECS) at Frick Park. Jodi graduated from Slippery Rock University with a dual bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education. Jodi loves hula hooping and creating art and music. Her biggest passion of all is being present in the moment for children to feel safe to express themselves.
Valerie Herrero (she/her) has worked with Art in the Garden as an assistant Administrative Director, Lead Teacher, and head of our Teen Leader program. She has an MEd from Carlow University. As an avid adventurer, Valerie finds inspiration from closely observing everyday wonders–from tiny insect parades to the vast world all around us. Valerie has worked with children and teens at several organizations including Carnegie Museum of Art, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, Assemble, The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, The Ellis School, and The Pittsburgh Glass Center. She is currently a Substitute Teacher in Pittsburgh Public Schools. Valerie loves cultivating collaborative spaces, making meaning through curiosity and connection, and sharing a home with her cat, Cow Kitty.
Montinique Ollison is a Lead Teacher for the youngest children at Art in the Garden. Montinique has worked for Pittsburgh Public Schools for 8 years and is currently an assistant teacher in the Early childhood education program. Montinique has a bachelors in biology from Thiel College and has developed a passion for teaching and caring for children through her experience as an early childhood assistant teacher and numerous volunteer work for community gatherings and programs. In her words, “My love for children and the ability to educate them is something that I am extremely passionate about. Given a safe and healthy learning environment, every child has the ability to learn at high levels.”
Isabel Kinnane-Smith (they/them) is a teacher for Art in the Garden and also teaches at The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh. Isabel was born and raised in Pittsburgh and has been engaged in the city’s community of Black organizers for nearly a decade. Isabel is interested in earth arts, and counter mapping practices. They have also worked as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisor for Oberlin College College Athletics.
Nina Ingram (she/they) is a lead teacher for Art in the Garden’s campers in grades 1-3. Nina is an artist, educator, and advocate who has worked with special needs youth for over a decade. Nina has a BA in Social Work and enjoys focusing on social-emotional development, trauma-informed care, and fostering joy and connection in her work with children and communities. Originally from Oregon, Nina now lives in Swissvale with her partner and two cats.
Treasure Treasure (she/they) is a performing artist, comic, composer and multi-instrumentalist. She has been in the industry for nearly three decades and made her Broadway debut at age nine in the revival of Annie Get Your Gun. Other appearances include: Quantum Theatre (Hamlet), Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, Atlantic Theater Company, Hangar Theater, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, New Hazlett Theater, Squonk Opera, PICT, PCLO and Birdland. Her original score for The Tempest premiered at Southwest Shakespeare Company in 2022 and her debut EP, Hypnerotomachia, is now available on all platforms. Treasure’s clown, Agnus: the acting teacher with a dream, last appeared in a special engagement at University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Blue Moon in Lawrenceville. Treasure is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. instagram: @wowitstreasure / @agnuschristsuperstar
Paulina Braverman (she/her) graduated from the University of Michigan with the BFA in Art & Design, focused in painting. In her own art practice, as well as her experiences facilitating art lessons for children, older adults living in assisted living homes, and people who are incarcerated, she has observed the immense benefits an art-making practice can have on our mental and physical well-being. She enjoys encouraging Art in the Garden students to engage in a practice that is exciting and meaningful to each of them!
Molly Zacharias, LSW (she/her) is a therapist and gardener and Art and the Garden camp therapist–after being part of the team as a teacher and director in 2017/18. Molly has worked with children and adults as a teacher, therapist, and one-on-one aide at the Environmental Charter School, Sprout Center for Emotional Growth and Development, and Forward Wellness Counseling. Her therapeutic approach is holistic, nurturing, responsive, and curious, and she often incorporates mindfulness, movement, and art. Molly loves animals, trees, cooking, getting muddy, and she is currently learning how to weave on her loom!
Monica Daniels (she/her) Is a teaching artist who received her Master of Arts Education from Chatham University and has taught with the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Environmental Charter School (ECS). Monica is a Pittsburgh native, a practicing artist in fashion design, painting, and more. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the strong belief that it takes a village to raise a child and nurture them to excel. The lessons she instructs students are rich with S.T.E.A.M, Arts Integration, and culturally responsive practices.
Takeela Washington (she/her) is a collaborator with art in the Garden. She has been in the education field for over 15 years and is teacher, community advocate, and founder of Sensory Superpowers. Takeela has a Masters Degree in applied developmental psychology and has always been passionate about education, specifically education for minority children and youth. Her passion for helping children with the development of self-regulation skills grew when her son was diagnosed with childhood anxiety and sensory processing disorder (SPD). Takeela believes success comes first through children and families learning how to creatively express their emotions in their homes and communities. As self-regulation skills develop, children excel in other areas of their lives. That’s the goal, to help our children become well-rounded human beings.
Callie Gropp (she/her) is an advisor for Art in the Garden. A native of Pittsburgh, Callie earned a BA in History and African American/Black Studies from Oberlin College. She has been an educator since 2007, and increasingly spends her time working to create awareness about the science of trauma and resilience. She is hopeful that through education, awareness, and advocacy we can establish awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma, and all forms abuse as a major public health issue. In order to break cycles of silence and harm, Callie believes we must collaboratively respond to the collective arena of trauma and its effects throughout the generations. Through collaboration with individuals and organizations city-wide, she hopes to help reveal possibilities that emerge when communities come together to provide all people with access to holistic, trauma-informed and healing centered care. She believes that when we heal ourselves in the present, we heal the generations to come.
Camila Pulgar Machado (she/her) is a translator and collaborator at Art in the Garden and teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. Camila has a PhD in Cultural Studies from Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), where she was a professor of Latin American Literature. There she taught every level of UCV’s undergraduate curriculum, including subjects such as “Archives, Creation and Urban Imaginaries.” She first came to Pittsburgh as a visiting Fulbright Scholar in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh. Camila enjoys teaching with materials that stimulate passion for cultures in the Hispanic world, including photography, cinema, TV, music, and digital media. She writes a regular column on archives, pedagogy, art, literature and migration for Venezuela’s Papel Literario.
Art in the Garden celebrates and supports a community of individuals with varied experiences and expression, including socioeconomic status, race, national origin, religious background, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and ability.
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