ELIZABETH PARAVICINI
CAMP OWNER/DIRECTOR
AKA-"WONDER WOMAN"
Elizabeth wants to remind you, that YOU ARE WORTHY, just as you are in this very moment.
You are Worthy of Love, and You are Worthy of Having It All! She wants to remind you that nothing in this life is impossible. You just have to
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! LOVE YOURSELF! BE YOU!
Summer 2024 LET'S GO! ART CAMP IS A VIBE!
IT'S A PARTY!! *throws confetti everywhere* :)
She is extremely GRATEFUL for life and that she gets to do what she LOVES everyday!
This will be her 21st Summer running camp and she's excited to see all our amazing returning campers, and meet all our new camper families!
Elizabeth has been working with children/teens of all ages for 24 years, through enrichment and volunteer programs, tutoring, teaching Math, Art and Science! She strives in creating a safe, positive, loving, creative environment for kids, because she has a great passion for Education and the Arts!
She enjoys providing children with leadership
opportunities where they can share their voice, succeed as leaders, grow as individuals and shine bright, while stepping into the person they are meant to be in this world. She is extremely passionate in giving back to the community through the arts!
When she is not busy running camp, Elizabeth is teaching art, tutoring, and runs an amazing After-School program with her rockstar, dedicated team during the school year. In her down time, you'll find Elizabeth creating & selling her art, hosting art birthday parties, and creating programs about Self-Love, Confidence, and Healing for the community.
Being a part of community programs that help children and families celebrate who they are, is what Elizabeth's heart is all about!
You will also find Elizabeth giving back to one of her favorite non-profit organizations, Worthy Of Love every single month as the Muralist of Love.
Worthy of Love is a non-profit organization that throws birthday parties for the homeless kids and families at 5 different shelters, every last Thursday of the Month.
Please know, that when you sign-up for Valley Art Camp, that part of your tuition goes to also help share our love and light, for our resilient Worthy of Love families, thru art and craft activities that we provide monthly for the parties.
To learn more about Worthy of Love and how to support them, please visit: www.worthyoflove.org
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BRENT ARTHUR JAMES GERIS
PROFESSIONAL MAGICIAN
Badge has been teaching at Summer Art Academy for 20 years! He and Elizabeth, were two of the original staff members at camp! Badge not only teaching magic and games at camp but he owns the ONLY magic shop in Southern California called The Magic Apple. He is also a magic consultant for TV and film. He will be teaching some awesome magic tricks, a lot of fun games along with trivia, bingo and more this summer!!
To learn more about the Magic Apple Store on the Second Floor visit their website:
https://themagicapple.com
Visit them at:
Magic Apple Store
11390 Ventura Blvd, 2nd Floor
Studio City, CA 91604
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CHRISTINE TERRY
AWESOME ART EXPLORER
Meet Christine! For the past 2 decades, she’s been sparking creativity in kids through printmaking, drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography. During the school year, she's a dynamic Visual Arts teacher at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks. She holds a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Printmaking and Art History from the Massachusetts College and a Master’s in Art Education from CSUN. This summer marks Christine's 20th year spending her summer with the amazing team at The Art Camp. Christine can't wait to dive into another fun-filled summer, bringing her boundless energy and creativity to inspire our campers!
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MYSTERY MIKE
AKA, MIKE HENNESSEY
Mystery Mike Hennessey has been the owner and operator of Mysteries By Mike (www.mysteriesbymike.com) for over 12 years now. His company provides interactive, educational mystery shows that use riddle and clues to teach children to read, write, spell, count, team work and so much more. To date, he has written, produced and acted in over 10,000 shows for over 250,000 children throughout the country, writing a total of more than 125,000 riddles. He has created numerous tv shows for children and has written a number of children's books as well. Mystery Mike is so excited to be returning to the Summer Art Academy and bringing his unique and famous "Secret Agent Training" and "Treasure Pirates Training" courses. He looks forward to entertaining while educating your children as they have a wacky, fun and enlightening experience this coming summer.
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JENNIFER PORTILLO
ANIMAL HANDLER & EDUCATOR
Jennifer Portillo, aka "Jungle Jen", has loved animals her whole life especially reptiles. After attending the University of California Los Angeles and specializing in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, Jennifer found a way to share her passion for animals by teaching children about them. She is the co-owner of Reptacular Animals, a company that educates and entertains children through animal parties and classes. Their large collection of almost 250 animals ranges from reptiles to furry critters, parrots and farm animals are all part of the family and have been raised with love and expertise. Jennifer has taught after school animal classes for over ten years at many prestigious schools around the LA area. Jennifer is so excited to be back again at the Summer Art Academy for another fantastic summer!
To learn more about Reptacular Animals and how to support them, please visit their website:
https://www.reptacularanimals.com
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HIKARI FREUNDLIEB:
B.A., NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
Hikari has been making invitations, announcements, scrapbooks and various paper and other crafts for many years. She has a small business “Handmade by Hikari” where she creates cards, stationary and home decoration items which she sells in Japan. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media Studies from Northeastern University and also took many graduate classes in Advertising and Public Relations. This year will be her fifth year teaching her own classes at the Art Camp. In the past she worked for Big Cheese. She is excited to be back again this summer and teach new popular projects this year!
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TAMMY ROJTMAN
MULTI MEDIA ARTIST
ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE, FINE ART, EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES
Tammy is a freelance artist who has completed privately commissioned pieces throughout
Los Angeles. She has been a Elementary Art Instructor with after school programs within the LAUSD school districts. This summer will be her third year as a Summer Art Camp Instructor of her own classroom!!
Having worked with children for twelve years, her passion is fueled by their individual unique creativity! Children have an innate ability to interpret the obvious. They are innocent, and the gift they share is one which Picasso was famous for trying to achieve within his lifetime,
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”- Picasso
Each Summer, I encourage our young artists to be unique and find the distinct style of their very own! Multiple fine art medias, clay, and textiles are introduced along side basic color theory and patterns. I want young artists to have fun, lots of fun while using there imagination- their creativity
is limitless!
Tammy works as a Geriatric Medicine Technician and private healthcare therapist remainder of the year.
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MARVELLOUS MS. MARI
TEACHER EXTRODINAIRE
Mari has worked as a versatile enrichment educator for over eight years at schools throughout Southern California and Art Camp. She has taught many classes ranging from science, dance, Lego animation and sports, to acting, chess, team building games and the mysteries of spies and more. Mari is excited to return to Art Camp and all the fun, hijinks, creativity and wacky good times that will be had by everyone for the summer.
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NADER HANNA
PROFESSIONAL MIND READER, HYPNOTIST & MAGICIAN
Nader Hanna is a professional mind reader and hypnotist based in Los Angeles. Known for his mind-bending feats of ESP and hypnosis, Nader has a unique ability to engage his audience in a way that will leave them in wonder and awe. He has performed at corporate events for companies such as NBC Universal and for major celebrities and film directors like John Landis, Joe Dante and Tippi Hedren. This Master Mentalist's mind bending show is an exhilarating journey into the impossible. Couple that with his professionalism, warmth and flexibility and Nader Hanna is an ideal choice for intimate group parties, trade show booths, and corporate events.
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SHELLEY LEVINE
ARTIST AND CRAFTER
Shelley has been working with children for the last ten years as a preschool educator, early interventionist and special education teacher. She has also been running Mad for Crafts, an after-school enrichment art program, in a multitude of schools in the San Fernando Valley. She has taught many different classes including canvas painting, jewelry design, mod podge, candle making and sewing. Because there is nothing more exciting than bringing art to children, Shelley is thrilled to be returning to the Art Camp this summer.
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DAVID WOHLSTADTER
Founder; "The Big Cheese"
David earned his Bachelor of Arts degree
from UCLA in 1975. His vision of starting a
series of comprehensive summer art
programs for young children began 23
years ago when he saw a need for an
alternative to traditional summer day
camp programs. He brings his creativity,
enthusiasm and love of children to each
program he created.
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“When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day
what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to
teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said,
'You mean they forget?'” - Howard Ikemoto
Owned and Operated by GoGo Cart Productions, Inc.
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