Teachers

Alexandra Iglesias

Alexandra Iglesias is a former principal dancer with the National Ecuadorian Ballet and a talented visual artist. At a young age she entered The National Institute of Ballet Ecuador and remained there for eight years, during which she also participated for two consecutive years in international festivals in various parts of Europe and South America as part of a national folkloric group.

Alexandra has worked with Harbourfront Centre as a Visual Arts and Dance teacher since 2002. Her experiences and commitment to teaching have enriched the lives of students and has been invited to lead outstanding dance and visual arts programs in schools, summer camps and community centres across the GTA. Alex finds a way to make current connections while still educating and teaching the history of art, and continues to inspire young learners.

Anne Devitt

Anne Devitt is a local Toronto artist and has been a visual arts teacher at Harbourfront Centre since 1987. She completed her Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts at York University and a Bachelor of Education at the University of Toronto. She also attended what was known as the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1981 and again in 1983 on the Young Canadian Artist Scholarship. Anne has participated in various solo and group exhibitions with her work on display at art galleries throughout the GTA including the Living Arts Centre, the Glendon Gallery, and Cold City Gallery.

Anne has devoted much of her time to teaching visual arts to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and has taught in schools with the support of the Ontario Arts Council (Creative Artists in the Schools program) and at the ROM and Oakville Galleries. Working with young people at such a rich and vital environment as Harbourfront Centre has given her the opportunity to evolve and grow as a person, a teacher and as an artist.

Anne Gilbeau Picard

From a young age Anne Gilbeau Picard developed a passion for art through artistic exploration using a variety of mediums including textiles, clay, paint and drawing materials. Most recently Anne has experimented with watercolour, pastels and lino printmaking. Anne attended Ryerson University for Fashion Design and Merchandising and continues to participate in workshops and classes to further develop her artistic ability and find inspiration for her pieces.
As an art educator Anne has experience working with people of all ages and continues to share her love and passion for art.

Daphne McCormack

Daphne McCormack is a graduate of OCAD. After a successful career as an illustrator in both Canada and the U.S., she became an Artist Educator in various cultural institutions across Toronto, including: The Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Conservatory, Harbourfront Centre as well as Station Gallery in Whitby. She has enjoyed working with children on large scale murals within the Toronto District School Board.

Daphne finds inspiration from her students, both young and old, and of course, always hopes to inspire through technique, exploration and discovery.

Djennie Laguerre

Djennie Laguerre is a graduate of The Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, NYC and the University of Ottawa (Theatre and French Literature). She wrote and performed Rendez-vous Home/ Lakay at various storytelling festivals like Les Contes Nomades, Festival le loup de Lafontaine and toured the French and the English versions in Montreal schools and theatres with the iconic Black Theatre Workshop.(Anonymous) Women (Infintheatre).

She also has appeared in Film and Television including Mini TFO/TVO, Flashpoint, Degrassi Junior High. Currently is in development second one-woman show Mother Sea/Manman la mer after workshop production at Summerworks Festival 2007 a reading production of final French version to come 2019-20 Théâtre de la Catapulte, in Ottawa.

Helen Liene Dreifelds

Helen Liene Dreifelds is an emerging artist and workshop facilitator. Helen holds a Technical College Diploma in Textile Construction from the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles (2014) and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Human Sciences, specializing in Community Development, with a minor in Art History, from Concordia University (2009).

With over three years’ experience developing, leading and evaluating life skills and arts-based workshops in both French and English for children, youth and adults, Helen is committed to creating engaging, inclusive spaces that encourage critical analysis and experiential learning.

Kathrynn Rosati

Kathrynn Rosati has had a lifelong passion for the arts. Originally from Oakville, Ontario, Kathrynn attended York University in Toronto and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Later Kathrynn earned a Post Graduate Certificate in Cultural and Heritage Site Management from Centennial College.

Her teaching experience spans the last 10 years around the GTA including the Milton Centre for the Arts, Markham Museum, Whitby’s Station Gallery and The Living Arts Centre. Along with her teaching experience Kathrynn has been an administrator for education programs for the past 5 year.

In her current role as the Registrar for School Visits, Kathrynn is understanding and patience to help meet the needs of each individual school group. She is thrilled to be working in the city she lives and engaging her local community daily.

Kelly Hall

Kelly Hall has been sharing her passion for the arts through teaching at Harbourfront Centre since 2003. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, she developed her design sense by working in the fashion industry both in management and, in merchandising and visual display.

Believing strongly that young people can find their voices through the visual and tactile world, Kelly strives to make every child’s experience positive and self-awakening. Her inspiration comes from watching students thrive using often-unfamiliar mediums, and through seeing them discover that expressing themselves through art is empowering.

Martin Samuels

Martin Samuels is an Artistic Director and dance instructor with a passion for teaching and engaging in Urban and Latin dance styles. He has performed and taught dance in many different capacities for over 35 years. Martin spearheaded the first Post-Secondary Dance Team competition, helping to found and direct scholastic dance squads for George Brown College, Humber College, Seneca College, York University and Waterloo University. Martin’s company Caliente Drum & Danz has performed in numerous local events including the Caribbean Parade, TLN Latin Fest and Salsa on St. Clair. In addition to his role as a School visits educator, Martin is a major contributor to the Dancing on the Pier program at Harbourfront Centre.

Midori Fullerton

Midori Fullerton is a practicing visual artist, receiving her Masters of Fine Art from the University of the Arts, London, England in 2014. She also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (Honors), specializing in studio art from the University of Guelph. Upon graduating from her MFA, Midori worked with the respected UK contemporary arts institute, Grizedale Arts, as an artist. In 2016 she was commissioned to produce work for a collaborative exhibition with Grizedale at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

In 2017 Midori returned to her home in Ontario to live and work as an artist. Midori continues to exhibit her work and participate in juried exhibitions throughout North America and the UK. Alongside her artistic practice, Midori works as a visual arts educator with the Harbourfront Centre, as well as the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie, adding to the creative fabric of the public through dynamic and innovative visual arts programming.

Mike Smith

Mike Smith was born in Montreal and raised in Toronto. He is well-known across Canada as a b-boy with a natural ability for beat riding. In his 12 years of experience he has appeared in successful on-screen productions, television and music videos, as part of Breakfast Television, Much Vibe, and for Adidas and Tic Tac. He has performed alongside artists such as KRS ONE, Jin, Maestro Fresh Wes and Black Thought from The Roots, and has won many competitions in Canada both as a solo performer and with his crew, The F.A.M. (Future Art Movement). His main goal is to travel and compete against the world’s best on an international level and to increase his knowledge and experience of dance to share with the Hip Hop community and those seeking to learn the art of Hip Hop and b-boy dance styles.

Pat Allemang

Pat Allemang is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the Ontario College of Art and Design and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, holding Bachelor degrees in English, Fine Arts and Education. At OCAD she studied drawing and painting, specializing in Criticism and Curatorial Practice and Community Arts. Pat is a Primary/Junior Ontario Certified Teacher with additional qualifications in intermediate and senior visual art. Additionally, Pat was a middle school art assistant and a grade seven art teacher at Crescent School and has taught both visual arts and urban studies at Harbourfront Centre’s School Visits. Pat’s unique perspective on education is drawn from her broad university training. This background allows her to bring both her education skills to art, and her artistic viewpoint to education.

Pria Patroni

Pria Patroni is a certified teacher and artist educator who is passionate about creative, inquiry-based learning. Pria completed her Master’s degree in Child Study and Education from the University of Toronto in 2015. She has taught in a variety of formal and informal settings across Toronto as a private tutor, Guest Artist with the TCDSB’s Artists in the Schools program, and an independent dance educator.

In her role as an Education Officer with Harbourfront Centre’s School Visits, Pria aims to create safe spaces for students to think critically, create, collaborate, and express themselves.

Rani Sanderson

Rani Sanderson has worked for over 15 years as a film programmer, video artist and VJ in many venues around the world. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from York University, where she concentrated on community arts and environmental education. She is a trained digital storytelling facilitator, and runs StoryCentre Canada. In addition, she develops interactive creative literary programs for children with Small Print Toronto. Rani has collaborated on projects with Jane’s Walk, Luminato Arts & Culture Festival, FoodShare, Toronto Public Heath, TVO and Story Planet, among others.

Shelley-Anne Castro

A Toronto native, Shelley-Anne Castro has been performing on various stages across the globe behind amazing artists in many live televised performances including the Juno’s, Canadian Urban Music Awards, iHeart Radio Much Music Video Awards and has toured with top musicians and entertainers. Her passion for travel has lead her to the cruise industry, traveling to over 150 different countries as a dancer and singer. She was hand chosen for three different inaugural seasons and promoted to fleet Supervisor for Carnival Cruise Lines, managing casts and teaching choreography to industry talent and featured in many of their advertising and promotional content. More recently she can be found teaching children at ‘Danceology’ and ‘Barreworks’ here in Toronto.

“I have such great memories attending Harbourfront Centre as a child so I’m grateful to a part of this wonderful cultural organization and look forward to creating great memories within a new generation!”

Tim Walker

Tim completed his Bachelor of Arts Honours degree at the University of Toronto in Geography and Sociology. He went on to complete his Bachelor of Education at Trent University, and completed his Masters of Education at York University. When he is not managing the School Visits team, he serves on the Board of Directors for PAONE (Professional Arts Organization Network for Education) and Small Print Toronto. Tim is passionate about the arts and the role arts education can play in helping to build a more beautiful and empathetic world. As a geographer, he loves to see students out exploring the city they live in and all the diverse cultures Toronto has.

Zoe Edwards

Zoë Edwards is a contemporary dancer based out of Toronto. A Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts alumni, Zoë studied Modern dance and Ballet throughout her formative years. Since then she has graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Creative Expression.

Zoë has had the great opportunity to work with some of Toronto’s most well known choreographers and loves to explore new styles of dance. She has also had the chance to work at Children’s Arts Theatre School summer camp where she became a Senior Dance Counsellor choreographing dances for large scale productions and providing children with a great summer and theatre experience through dance. Zoe often attended festivals and performances at the Harbourfront Centre as a child and so being able to expose youth to the arts and its great facility is an absolute joy.