Michelle Meade-Esvang

Utilizing her diverse skills an author, illustrator, painter, actor, teacher, and theatre director, Michelle Meade specializes in interactive multi-art presentations. She likes to feature elements of creative dramatics, Story Theatre, creative-writing prompts, storyboarding, and simple book-making crafts into arts integration workshops, engaging with students, teachers, youth, and elderly, including Alzheimer’s patients. Michelle holds an MFA in Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books from Hollins University. As a member of Actor’s Equity and the Screen Actors Guild, Michelle has professionally acted in comedies, musicals, voice-overs, commercials, and avant-garde productions. She was fortunate to work with Jim and Jane Henson at the NY Muppet Mansion and portray several Muppets in a variety of productions, including the Sesame Street 25th Anniversary. She studied art at Parsons School of Design and the Artist Student’s League in New York. Michelle is a certified K-12 Art Teacher and has participated in four Kennedy Center training sessions to develop workshops to integrate education and arts curriculum into the classroom. An experienced teaching artist, she’s worked in schools; aided underserved populations in the community through the Salina Arts and Humanities Department; and held school visits and teacher workshops through the Leid Center in Lawrence, Kansas. She’s also taught multi-arts workshops at the City Youth Center in Salina for underserved middle school students and through the Salina Art Center Summer Arts Program, where she was awarded an Andy Warhol Artist Share grant and featured in a group art gallery show. Other educational experiences include creating Live Literature Theatre for Young Audiences at the Great Plains Theatre Festival, where she was Youth Theatre Director for twelve years; teaching visual art in Wyandotte County’s Washington High School; holding a variety of 2D and 3D art classes through the Parks and Recreation department in Shawnee; and leading events as a visiting artist at Old Shawnee Town Historical Site, working on-site with patrons and youth groups, including the Boys and Girls Club. Michelle has been a repeat Artist in Residence at the Red Barn Studio in Lindsborg, and a frequent recipient of grants to develop her work with Children’s Books and Puppetry Arts, including funded trips to the Stony Brook South Hampton Children’s Writers Conference and the Eugene O’Neil Theatre Center. Michelle has also led highly successful professional development workshops for the Lied Center’s Forte Program in tabletop puppetry storytelling. This fall, Michelle will present a teacher’s workshop at the Literacy Through the Arts Conference in Wichita, Kansas.

Michelle specializes in leading engaging multi-arts workshops that integrate visual art activities with creative dramatics, storytelling, and exhibitions. Hands-on indoor and outdoor activities range from picture book workshops to mask-making. See linked artist website for detailed work samples: www.michellemeade.net

Most workshops require one to three, 50 to 90 minute sessions from $450.00 -$550.00 each session. Fees vary depending on scope of project and number of participants and number of sessions booked. Additional fees are required for distance traveled and overnight stays. There is an additional materials fee but many materials are re purposed and can easily be found in the home or schools.

The following hands-on crafts are geared towards youth, 4th grade and up, with an emphasis on personal discovery, creation, reflection, and presentation. Workshops may be selected from the standard programming options, which include:

• Picture Books: Book creation that incorporates creative writing and mixed-media Illustrations. (1–3 sessions, depending on the complexity of the project choice) •
• Tabletop Puppetry: Creation of stage and puppets using recycled materials, starting with a simple cardboard box! Followed by a puppet show presentation. (Three, 50-90 minute sessions)
• Shadow Puppets: Creation of colorful, transparent shadow puppets themed after the tissue paper collage art of Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, followed by a puppet performance. (3 sessions)
• Mask-Making: Mask-decorating workshops that incorporate mixed-media art and creative writing, deals with themes of public and private persona and boundaries (such as in social media) and includes reflection and presentation. (1–2 sessions)
• African Stories: A mask-decorating workshop, followed by a story theatre plays from the book of fables Anansi the Trickster Spider: Tales from Africa. (3 sessions)
• Tree of Life: A mixed-media self-portrait project that includes symbols, themes of self esteem, reflection and presentation. (1–2 sessions) Logistics:
• Most workshops are conducted in a single 90-minute session. Workshops requiring more time can be held in three 50-minute sessions.
• Workshops are well-suited for a standard class size. • Several workshops can be booked for a single day at one school.

Additional fees are required for distance traveled and overnight stays. There is an additional materials fee but many materials are re purposed and can easily be found in the home or schools.

Any of the above speaking and/or workshop program offerings can be adapted Michelle caters to a wide range of generations, including youth, families, and senior citizens. Multi generational workshops especially welcome. Available services and topics include:

• Picture Books: Creative workshops that include storyboarding, character development, and mixed-media illustrating.
• Slideshows: Mask History in the World; Exploring Cultures. • Tabletop Puppetry: Cardboard-box stage-making and storytelling workshops for youth or educators.
• Mask-Making: Introspective mask-decorating workshops for community groups, designed to explore participants’ public and private personas through exterior and interior mask design and by incorporating writing with art.
• Tree of Life: Mixed-media self-portrait workshops for parents and children, seniors, or multi-generational families. Logistics:
• All presentations are tailored to the size of institution, duration of event, theming, and participants’ age range.
• Michelle exhibits her children’s book illustrations, photography, oils, and watercolors online and at locations where she teaches or at other appropriate locations in the community. Student work created at workshops can also be exhibited.

Please contact with at least 1-12 months notice to be sure to book selected dates. The earlier the bookings the better the booking date availablity. Please note extra fees for travel and overnight accommodations. Travel fees are standard mileage rates for the state of Kansas at .56 cents per mile.