Teacher bios

Sheila Ali

Director of the IFCI, Curator, an Art and DIY tech instructor, and Maker. Sheila holds a PA Teaching Certificate for Visual Art (K-12), a BA from Brandeis University, and an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College. For over thirty years she has worked both as a teacher and education coordinator in places such as the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Silver Eye Center for Photography, Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas and the University of Pittsburgh. Her artwork and films have been shown at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Las Vegas Museum of Modern Art, the Three Rivers Film Festival, and many other venues. Sheila has received over 25 grants for her educational programming such as from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Penn Avenue Arts Initiative and Artists in the Cities, the Grable Foundation, the Pittsburgh Foundation, the Sprout Fund, the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, the Makeshop Maker Micro grant program, the Allegheny Arts Revival Grant, PNC Charitable Trust, and the Boye Foundation. Awards include: Hive Sprout Fund Learning Digital Badge for innovative teaching, Making Sparks awarded by Sprout, National Congressional Recognition for Outstanding Teaching in the Arts, Las Vegas, and the John Hopkins Literary Award. In 2023, she was the recipient of the Aggie Award, honoring her excellence in community activism in Pittsburgh, from the BGC. She has also taught art as the A in STEAM of Pittsburgh Public Schools. Sheila has been active in the Penn Avenue Arts District since its humble beginnings.

Teresa Marticcio (AKA “Tree”)

Tree is a fun enthusiast and one of the ways she has the most fun is creating and collaborating on a theater project.  Shes lived in Pittsburgh for 17 years and has written and performed in over 100 short and long performances. From Impersonating Frank Sinatra to Playing a lonely seat turtle floating around in space, to twirling hot dogs and dancing as an eggplant. Tree likes to introduce new people to theater and believes anyone with a desire can do it. Tree is also the co-founder of The Glitter Box.

Peter “Rocky” Cristobol

Since 1946—for the last 70 years—Kraynick's bike shop has been a unique home for bike lovers of all likes. Whether they’re Pittsburgh natives, college students, or transplants from distant lands, whether they’re newcomers who don’t know how to hold a wrench or seasoned gear heads, Kraynick’s is a welcome home to anyone and everyone, home to all who ride and all who want to ride. It’s a place where people from all walks of life come together because of the bicycle.

My name is Rocky Cristobal. I am one of Jerry's friends, and I have been a volunteer at the bike shop for the past four years. I am now the the keeper of the shop. I work to keep prices low, to continue to let patrons have free access to the workspace and tools, and to keep the free advice and mechanical knowledge spreading to future generations of Pittsburgh riders.

Katy Dement

Offered her expertise as a papermaker to educate the public in the metro Atlanta school systems and as an independent art educator with Young Audiences / Woodruff Art Center, Georgia Council for the Arts and other community outlets since 1990. While continuing her independent studies in fiber and costume design, she attended Georgia State University majoring in Art History and psychology. Currently DeMent continues her studies in printmaking, paper making, independently working on welding and sculpture. She is an obsessive gardener and beekeeper too. These natural influences are reflected in her work. DeMent’s achievements are varied and numerous she continues to show her work at art festivals and galleries. In 2009 she was awarded Best of Show, Kentucky Festival held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Jett Downey

Jett Downey is a classically trained Mezzo Soprano as well as an improvisational pianist and guitar player.  She has been working creatively with both singers and dancers for over 20 years.  Jett has served as the pianist for Interplay Pittsburgh, an improvisation troupe which uses storytelling, movement, and music, since 2006. She also writes music for the First Unitarian Dance Choir's winter solstice performance each year.   Jett has  played keyboard and guitar for rock bands including The Beautiful Mistakes and her own eco-spiritual rock band, Earthtique. Jett produces her own shows and is known for creating interactive events with guided movement and singalongs!  She loves working with children and youth. In addition to operating her own piano/vocal studio, The East End Song Studio, she volunteers as the Music Leader for the Shadyside Presbyterian Youth Group.

Michelle Soto (aka Miss Ella Campaign)

A fashion forward herbalist, educator, gardener and dog lover. As a former public school and Montessori teacher she now works in school and community gardens as a Garden Educator with Grow Pittsburgh.  She loves guiding students to self discovery and nurturing their natural talents.  She also founded and runs Cutting Root Farm and Apothecary, an organic flower and herb farm in Butler PA.  She grows over one hundred different kinds of herbs to make tea blends, tinctures, and body care products.  As a member of the Stonefruit Community Herbalists, Michelle is committed to strengthening our community’s health by offering herbal medicine to those for whom alternative health practice might be out of reach. Michelle believes that by introducing children to the magical worlds of plants they can help heal themselves and others with plant magic.

Roderick “Jesse” Bowes

Jesse is a professional acrobat.  That comes along with the mindset that we are always improving.  From watching the circus as a toddler, to studying acrobatics at the University of Maryland with the Gymkana performance troupe, a desire to perform partner balancing was born.

Over the years, many creative movers formed the practice of Acro Yoga.  When Jesse began studying over a decade ago, finding a new performance group meant working with new folks and teaching.  After working with every accessible regional community and lineage of teaching, they still have a reputation of being a hidden treasure of D.C..

Given the right training, you can have adventures with friends, develop your own community of acrobats, and even put on performances.  If this sounds like fun, get ready for a practice that will evolve over your lifetime.

Hong Zhao

Hong is from Wuhan, China. She is the Deputy General Editor of “Children's Art”, a magazine in China. She has been invited for several years now to teach Chinese arts at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination. Zhao Hong graduated from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts. Besides oil painting, she is also interested in exploring art forms such as watercolor, Chinese painting, cartooning and Chinese calligraphy. Her portrait sketches are lively and vivid. Her watercolors, often of subjects from nature, are fine and delicate. She feel that her life and art are affected by the Chinese Taoist concept of harmony with nature and the Vipassana spirit.