Executive
Elected Positions
NICOLE PORTER
President | Communications Team
Membership in the BCATA offers us community. The richest resource we have as teachers is each other and the BCATA offers us opportunities to share, grow and support each other in art education. I currently teach art at Fleetwood Park Secondary in Surrey. I love what I do. It feels right to put my apron on each morning, roll my sleeves up and get ready to work alongside my students. Being a part of helping students to grow as a young artists, to help them find their visual voice, to provide a safe space and opportunities that foster creative thought is inspiring, energizing and gives me purpose. Teaching art means I have messy hands all the time and my clothes have paint stains marking the passing of assignments long after they have been completed. Teaching art means I have a hive of creative activity in my classroom that to others looks like chaos but to me looks beautiful. I love what I do.
MASON HARTMANTreasurer | Communications
I acknowledge that I live, work, learn and create on the ha-houlthees of the Hupač̓asatḥ and Tseshaht Nations. I am thankful to be able to live in the beautiful Alberni Valley, on Vancouver Island, surrounded by mountains, forests, and water, which inspire and breathe life into my creative spirit. I am an Artist
Teacher or Creative Facilitator to Grade 8-12 Artists at Alberni District Secondary School. I look forward to entering the studio everyday excited to make messes, explore creative possibilities and participate in Artful discoveries with young Artists. Studio 120 where I teach, transforms each semester from a 2D studio, with Drawing, Painting, Printing and everything in between, into a 3D studio with a focus on Ceramics. Life in the studio is always exciting. I teach mainly Studio Arts 2D 11 and 12, Studio Arts 3D 10-12 and one block of Grade 8 Art Elective.
In 2020 I completed my Masters in Art Education, with a focus on vulnerability in the studio and the influence being vulnerable has on the studio community as well as practice and process. This research has changed the way I facilitate in the studio. I have notice that I take more creative risks and that my students are more comfortable with being vulnerable in their creative process.
As an Artist, I take lots of Artful walks looking at the small vulnerable bits of nature or made materials. I reflect on the discoveries and treasures I find during these walks when I am creating. Thinking about how discarded items can be so beautiful when you stop to look at them or find the right angle. This is a direct representation of my own journey in life and my search as a Transman for that one part of me in the mirror that I identified with pre-transition.
I absolutely love my “work” as an Art Educator, maybe not the cleanup part or the switching of studios.
Being a member of the BCATA has opened up a community for me as an Art Educator, which can be a isolated place when you work in a small community.
BRITTNEY TOWNROW
Indigenous Curriculum Rep
I am a proud member of the Heiltsuk Nation and currently serve as the Indigenous Education Representative for BCATA. My work centers on fostering connections to community, land, and one another through art and education. As an Adjunct Professor and Indigenous Education Coordinator, I focus on integrating Indigenous perspectives into curriculum and supporting educators in creating meaningful, land-based learning experiences. Art has always been a powerful medium for storytelling and connection in my life. I am passionate about using art education to nurture creativity, cultural understanding, and reciprocal relationships among students, educators, and communities. Whether weaving branches with students or land-based art practices, I strive to inspire others to deepen their connection to the land and the rich knowledge it holds. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my daughter and family and finding creative and meaningful ways to connect to my culture and community.
DANIELLE UNGER
Primary Curriculum Rep
Teaching for almost 20 years and exclusively are for the last 12, I started my career in Winnipeg and moved out to Vancouver in 2006. Soon after I began my M.Ed in Art Education at UBC, I began working at West Point Grey Academy where I teach K-7 Art and am the department head of Junior School Visual Arts. I am excited to be part of this art teacher community and hope to bring new ideas and vital resources to primary teachers of art across the province.
MYRAJEAN MARSHALL
Intermediate Curriculum Rep
Uy skweyul. My name is MyraJean. I’m an AmeriCanadian, and am incredibly blessed to live on beautiful Vancouver Island, surrounded by the wild mysteries of the Salish Sea, on the lands of the Hul ‘qu ‘minum speaking peoples. I am an artist, a teacher, and a proud mother of four. I teach visual arts, textile arts, and journalism at Frances Kelsey Secondary School in Mill Bay. I am humbled to teach our Indigenous Art Studio course in collaboration with our local elders and Indigenous support staff. I’m passionate about arts integration across the curriculum and about weaving community connections, both literally and figuratively, through the arts. I’ve been working with and teaching children and youth for well over 20 years. I joined SD79 in 2018. I have a degree in communications from Gonzaga University. This is likely why I view art as a powerful form of communication in a challenging and changing world. I also hold a Masters in Teaching from Concordia University where I focused on experiential learning through visual arts. I joined SD79 as the Art Lead at Mill Bay Nature School where I spent 4 years immersed in the spirit of the child, working alongside Cowichan elders, and rooting myself in Indigenous Ways of Learning. It was a powerful time of growth and deep learning for myself and my own Cree children. During this time I began my Masters in Arts Education at University of Victoria. There I focused on the stories we share about ourselves, our pasts, our presents, or ancestors, and our traumas. By interrogating the stories we can’t tell through visual and meditative practices, can we somehow release the demons that tell each of us we are not enough? I am still working on the integration of CBT and DBT techniques into arts curriculum with a focus on textiles, assemblage, and of course more traditional visual arts. I am honoured to serve as the intermediate curriculum rep for BCATA this year. I look forward to sharing lessons that integrate mental health, indigenous acknowledgements, and experimental art making that can be scaled to work for artists young and old and especially those awkwardly growing in between. If you’ve ever raised chickens, you can no doubt picture the awkward, strung-out and plucked-looking pullets as they transform between fluffy adorable chicks to confident and settled members of the flock. These are the students who get me up each morning, ready to make beautiful messes in the art room and out. They are our xe xe smun ‘eem, our sacred children. Huy steep qu Siem, Thank you friends. @myrainbowartteacher
SOFIA TRUJILLO
Graduation Curriculum Rep | Communications Team
I am an Art Educator and the Fine Arts Department Head at École Salish Secondary, part of the Surrey School District. In my role, I teach students from Grades 8 to 12, guiding them through their artistic journeys and helping them discover their creative potential. Additionally, I serve as the President of the Surrey Art Teachers Association, where I collaborate with fellow educators to promote and enhance art education within our community. Outside of my professional responsibilities, I am passionate about traveling, photography, reading, and creating art. These activities not only enrich my personal life but also provide fresh perspectives and inspiration that I bring into my classroom. Spending quality time with my family and friends is equally important to me, as it helps me stay grounded and connected. Being an art teacher is a passion of mine because it allows me to inspire creativity, nurture self-expression, and witness the joy that art brings to my students. Guiding them through the transformative process of creating and expressing themselves through various artistic mediums is incredibly fulfilling and a constant source of inspiration for both my students and myself.
LEANNE WHYNOT
Photography & Media Curriculum
SHARON RICHARDS
Visually Speaking Editor
Past positions: Membership, President, Past President, Treasurer, Webmaster, Conference Co-Chair
I teach art at Westsyde Secondary in Kamloops, which is also the high
school I attended. Although I work mainly in acrylic in my own studio
practice, my work is defined more by the element of colour than it is by
a particular medium or genre.
Why membership in the BCATA is important:
I value membership in the BCATA because it connects me to inspiring visual arts educators around the province. I’ve been hooked every since I attended my first BCATA conference.
SHANNA NELSON
Recording Secretary
MATT SINCLAIR
Past President
Teaching in the Arts has been an incredibly fulfilling, humbling and enlightening life for me. I teach Art and Photography courses at King George Secondary School in downtown Vancouver. Though teaching takes up the majority of my time, I've found continuing to practice as an artist has strengthened my enjoyment in the classroom and passion for finding new opportunities for my students. I work in many mediums including painting, drawing, photography, music and sculpture. I also love bikes of all kinds, but particularly BMX.
Why you view membership in the BCATA as important:
I view membership in the BCATA important because so many art teachers work on islands in their schools so to speak. There is often only one or two per school and that few in some districts. It can be hard to network, find new information or simply just find peers and the BCATA is an excellent source for that along with all of our other forms of professional development.
Appointed Positions
REGAN RASMUSSEN
University of Victoria Representative | Art in Public Places | Advocacy
Past positions: President, Past President, Conference Co-Chair, Intermediate Rep, District Rep
An artist/educator who has taught K-12 and post secondary studio art and curriculum classes, most recently at Royal Bay Secondary SD62 and University of Victoria.
Currently a member of arc.hive, an artist run centre in Victoria.
www.reganrasmussen.com
www.arc-hivearc.org
Why you view membership in the BCATA as important:
The BCATA is welcoming group of professional artist / educators devoted to promoting quality arts education K-12 and post secondary. Belonging to this association connects us, enriches us, and reminds us why we create art, and find joy in mentoring others to discover and develop their ‘inner artist’.
DAVID SANDQUIST
Membership
I currently teach at DW Poppy Secondary and enjoy painting as my primary art form although I have been expanding my carving practice (wood and stone) over the past few years. I think our PSA offers art teachers a host of benefits in the shared knowledge and experience of our membership, whether it is from our publications filled will helpful ideas for the classroom or our Conferences that provide both practical profession development as well as collegial collaboration and camaraderie. I have personally benefited from my membership in the BCATA, and I look forward to giving back in my role on the executive.
BARBARA SUNDAY
Retired Teacher Representative
I have been fortunate to have enjoyed a lengthy career teaching art in public schools in West Vancouver, at all the grade levels. In my recent years, I have become involved in offering the Advanced Placement (AP) Art and Design courses. I am currently involved as an AP consultant, workshop presenter, and scoring team member for AP Art and Design. I very much value working with teachers and first-year faculty who are located across the US and in a variety of countries.
In my current BCATA position, I am working to promote inclusion, networking, and an exhibition opportunity for our retired members.
HEATHER PASTRO
Vancouver Island University Representative
Artist, Teacher, Researcher, Professor of Art Education at Vancouver Island University. Heather teaches Art Education for pre-service teachers in the Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University.
Why I am a member of the BCATA…
I have been involved with the BCATA executive since 1992 - an organization that I feel very passionate about!
The executive members of the BCATA are hard working professionals and like minded advocates for art education. As members of the BCATA, we have the opportunity to collaborate and implement change for positive growth and development of art in education, not just locally and provincially, but globally, through our network of art educators and art organizations all over the world.
Our annual conferences, newsletters, and journals are the best- extremely well thought out and designed with the needs of our provincial classroom teachers and learners always at the forefront.
The BCATA is a welcoming professional organization that offers so many opportunities for teachers to explore their love for art, teaching, creativity, and commitment to children and students in the K-12 system and teacher education in our province.
My involvement in the BCATA, over many years, has endured many changes in curriculum models and delivery of art education throughout all of the grade levels. However, the BCATA members through affiliation and collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the BCTF, have ensured that art education remains at the “heART” of education and a critical component of our children’s education in BC. Many BCATA members are my longtime friends and colleagues, and my career has been enriched because of their friendship, and commitment and dedication for art in education.
SHANNON DUNN
Thompson Rivers University Representative
BROOKLYN BELMONT
Art in Public Places- Vancouver
PHYLLIS SCHWARTZ
Art in Public Places- Victoria
Phyllis Schwartz is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in photography, ceramics, collage, and publishing. A graduate of Emily Carr University with a concentration in photography, she received the Canon Photography Award in 2010. Her work has been exhibited and published locally and internationally, with pieces in collections such as the Farmboy Collection at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia and St. Paul’s Hospital Art Collection. Recent exhibitions include Illuminations and Impressions in Hamburg, Light in Texas, and Apeiron: in the Whitemud Valley at Victoria’s Xchanges Gallery. Originally from Brooklyn and raised in Texas, Phyllis moved to Western Canada in the 1970s, where she developed her artistic practice. Inspired by her artistic family and early photography experiences, she infused creativity into her teaching career before transitioning to a full-time artist. She is currently a member of Metchosin ArtPod, an artist-run centre showcasing her work in their gallery. Phyllis collaborates with Edward Peck on projects that engage the community through art-making. Together, they curated Intervals: Photography in Flux for Vancouver’s Capture Photography Festival and published Artists in Residence: Mary Filer and Harold Spence. They also released the second edition of Seeking the Nuance, a book about nuances of glaze making in the ceramics community in Vancouver that is inextricably tied to the work of Bernard Leach, founder of the Leach Pottery, St.Ives in Cornwall, UK. Recently, they explored themes of permanence in a prairie community during their residency at the Wallace Stegner House in Saskatchewan. Schwartz's work has appeared in PhotEd and Aeonian magazines, and she is currently part of Agora's Experimental Photography Mentorship, which exhibited at the 2023 Experimental Photography Festival in Barcelona.
MARIE-FRANCE BÉRARD
BCATA Archivist | UBC Representative | BCATA Journal Editor
Committed to art museum education for more than twenty-five years, I was Responsable des visites at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal from 1995-2008, then I had the great pleasure to work as gallery educator for over a decade at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and I am currently a full-time lecturer in art education at the University of British Columbia. Other exciting challenges for me are being president of the Special Interest Group on Education & Mediation in Museum (SIGEMM) within CSSE, and co-editor of the Canadian Art Teacher. After an M.A. in Art History from l’Université de Montréal, I completed my Ph.D. in Art Education at UBC. My research interests are the notion of the art museum educator as the Deleuzian ‘mediator’, interrogating the concepts of interpretation in the art experience, in unsettling received ideologies and pedagogies in art education, and developing spaces of encounter for pre-service teachers. In my spare time, I am a devoted apprentice of ceramics and cello.
Since I work with UBC teacher candidates (the elementary generalists and the secondary arts cohort), being a member of the BCATA has been extraordinary as a way for me to reflect on my practice, to better grasp current issues in art education in B.C., to learn about stimulating projects developed across the province, and to enjoy the collegiality of amazing art educators.
I am grateful to live, learn and work on the ancestral territories of the ʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
JUSTINE CHEUNG
BIPOC Art Educator Rep
I am happy to be joining as the inaugural BIPOC Art Educator Rep for the BCATA. Art Education, in particular through the lens of underrepresented groups, has and still is a big passion of mine. I am a 2nd generation immigrant from Hong Kong and am so grateful and humbled to live, work, raise a family, and continue my journey on what it means to be an unsolicited settler on the traditional unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. The path ahead may be tricky, but I believe having compassion and keeping an open mind and open heart will lead to better listening and understanding.
My art teaching career spans 15 years and counting. Most of my experience lies in independent schools as I have taught at 5 different schools. I studied Visual Arts and have a BA and BEd in Secondary Methods in Art, and a Masters of Museum Education from UBC. I also studied and taught in Japan for a cumulation of 2 years.
In my spare time, I love to spend time with my daughter and partner. We love to go swimming, go for bike rides, and of course, make art! Aside from being a teacher, I am also part of an art collective called Yactac (Young Asian Canadian Twin Artist Collective). We have been curating art events and supporting young, contemporary artists in the local art scene since 2007.
ROJIA DADASHZADEH
BCATA Member at Large Outside Lower Mainland Rep
Rojia Dadashzadeh is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and researcher who teaches both the IB MYP Visual Arts Program and the Culinary Arts Program at Brockton School in North Vancouver. A member of the International Baccalaureate Educator’s Network (IBEN) and a certified IBEN Conference Workshop Leader, she integrates her expertise in fine arts, design, and culinary arts into her teaching practice. Dadashzadeh holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Waterloo, a postgraduate diploma in New Media Design from Sheridan College, Le Grand Diplôme in Cuisine and Pastry from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, and both a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Arts in Art Education from the University of British Columbia.Her teaching practice emphasizes human and non-human reciprocity, materiality, and environmental justice, while her curriculum delves into critical themes such as human rights, power dynamics, politics, identity, and intersectionality. She often integrates the works of underrepresented and marginalized artists to foster diverse perspectives in her classroom. Dadashzadeh’s artistic and pedagogical work has been featured in publications such as Preview, The Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, and A City Without Art?. She regularly presents at national and international conferences and contributes to educational journals. Her most recent publication appears in the Canadian Society for Education Through Art/Canadian Art Teacher journal (Vol. 20, No. 1, 2024).
FRANCES ANDERSON
BCATA Member at Large
Outside Lower Mainland Rep
I teach Studio Arts, Media Arts and Photography at Prince George Secondary School in School District 57. In my personal art practice I work primarily in watercolour and photography to explore ideas around connection and belonging. I enjoy listening to audiobooks, hiking, and road trips with good company and a good podcast to digest and discuss. I love learning new things, solving problems, making stuff and being in community. I have been teaching at the high school level for just a few years as my teaching career has taken many twists and turns over the past 20+ years including 5 years in Kindergarten. There are times when I feel like a complete beginner and others times where I feel proud of the skills I have gained through my years of teaching. I am pleased to be joining the executive of the BCATA this year and I am looking forward to our time together. I am grateful to live, work, and create on the unceded ancestral lands of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation.
COLLETTE DOAN
BCATA Member at Large
Outside Lower Mainland Rep
DONNA USHER
Webmaster | Communications
Donna Usher taught Photography, Graphic Design, and Arts & Activism at the Langley Fine Arts School for over 24 years. During that time, Usher also produced the Arts Matter lecture series for 10 years, co-organized Compassion 2 Action Conference, co-founded Project Kenya Sister Schools (now PA-MOJA), lead the LFAS Photographic Mosaic Mural, initiated “This is Kwantlen” public art installation, and curated countless photography exhibitions and projected shows.
Now Donna has recently retired to explore new creative possibilities and is now living on Galiano Island.
The BCATA is a great venue for BC Art teachers to connect and share the art of Art teaching.