Karen McClellan

Arts Can Teach Founder, Executive Director

Karen is a professional musician, small business owner and strong advocate for the arts in education. She is dedicated to making the arts accessible to young people in Windsor-Essex schools and community settings.

Karen began playing cello in her public school’s music program, leading to a BMus and AVCM in Performance and Teacher Training. Her expertise as an artist educator has allowed Karen to combine her enthusiasm for the arts and education in a dynamic and engaging atmosphere. Since 1999, Karen and her cello have delivered hundreds of engaging music-infused classroom sessions with students as the creative leaders.

Karen is a valued leader and artist mentor, supporting, training and empowering artists from diverse disciplines to discover and share their creative strengths. Karen serves on the Board of Directors for the Arts Council Windsor and Region.

Karen performs with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, London Symphonia, in faculty recitals at the School of Creative Arts and in rock/pop duo Front Row Cello with singer-guitarist Ted Lamont.

In 2018 Karen founded Arts Can Teach to continue and expand dynamic hands-on learning and artist-teacher partnerships in Windsor-Essex schools and community settings.

Dance

Anh Nguyen

Dance

Anh Nguyen is a dance artist and composer. He is currently the resident choreographer of HNM Dance Company, collaborating with other innovative artists and organizations on multidisciplinary projects. Anh makes regular guest appearances with other progressive dance companies, symphony orchestras, art galleries, festivals, and universities.

In recognition of his contributions to artistic and cultural life, Anh was given the Mayor’s Award of Excellence for Outstanding Artist. Anh’s choreography and compositions have been presented internationally by various dance and music ensembles. The Globe and Mail writes, “Nguyen’s complex, energetic crisscross diagonals and clean, economical, athletic movements are as elegant as they are refreshing.” The Courier-Journal describes Anh’s choreography as “PURE PLEASURE.”

Louise Paquette

Dance/Creative Movement

Louise Paquette, BFA, began her dance training in her home town of Windsor. She founded the Dare 2 Dance studio, teaching ballet, jazz and modern dance techniques. Paquette is a sessional instructor at the University of Windsor in both the Dramatic Art Department and the Faculty of Education.

Louise has more than 20 years of classroom experience teaching core curriculum through dance. She enjoys integrating curriculum topics with movement and dance to capture the student’s interest and then guide them as they enjoy learning in a new way. Louise aims to create a caring and comfortable environment where students are encouraged to express their ideas physically. Louise is passionate about sharing her love of movement and dance with students of all ages.

Drama

Laura K. Bird

Drama/Theatre

Laura has a BFA (UBC) in theatre and has worked for three decades as an actor, director, administrator, playwright, adjudicator, and producer. She has led students from age 4 years through 80 years in exploring and expressing ideas through drama. She loves playing with voice, movement, masks, and simple costumes and props to stimulate imagination and create stories. As a fan of children’s literature, she often uses classic and contemporary tales to jumpstart student engagement.

Laura believes that drama skills are life skills and enjoys seeing students grow in confidence while learning to express themselves, work together, pay attention to others, and find solutions. At its heart, drama is play and playing is brave, important work!

After years in BC and PEI, she has returned to Windsor and has worked locally with Blooming House Stage productions and Windsor Feminist Theatre, including being a coproducer of Fringe Windsor, returning the festival to the city in July 2025.

Puppetry

Matthew Romain

Puppetry, Music

“A puppet is so captivating that a child can’t help but pay attention to what it does and says. In the teacher’s hands it can be one of the most powerful and effective teaching tools. Moreover, when a student makes and uses a puppet, that power is in their hands, building confidence, developing language, and solidifying their learning. I love guiding students and teachers through those processes.”

Matthew Romain, the Laughtertainer, has been building puppets and performing since 1980. He teaches the art of puppetry to elementary, high school, and university students, and presents hands-on workshops for teachers, performing artists, and enthusiasts.

Matthew embraces each project with joy! Whether he’s teaching a puppetry class, or bringing characters to life for a television show, or animating giant puppets with the Toronto Symphony for audiences of thousands, or enlivening a children’s birthday party in a living room, his work consistently receives the highest praise. He has received numerous awards for excellence in his field.

Visual Arts

Kacie Auffret

Visual Arts, Art Therapy (Student)

“Every child has a right to learn, to be listened to, to be seen and to be able to express themselves. I believe art, in all its modalities, is a powerful tool to help enhance the learning experience for each child. I feel honoured to be a part of their learning journey, and to support their learning through art.”

Kacie Auffret, BFA (Hons), MFA, is a visual artist, yoga instructor, meditation facilitator and is currently training at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. She brings years of teaching experience, including one-on-one art sessions with children and teaching secondary school art classes. Kacie demonstrates her passion for helping others through integrating art with mindful activities, such as yoga and breath-work, to promote healing.

Kacie’s business, Your Inner Rewilding, has developed self-discovery programs using art as its core anchor.

Kacie is an engaging classroom facilitator dedicated to supporting each student to gain deeper awareness, insight and understanding. She offers a learning space that is open and welcoming to all.   

Maryam Safarzadeh

Painting, Poetry

Maryam Safarzadeh began painting at the age of 10 and went on to study many different art techniques (e.g., calligraphy, drawing, creating handmade tiles, acrylic) from Masters of painting in Iran. She studied Graphic Design at the University of Science and Culture of Tehran and has been painting since. 

Maryam’s favourite technique is oil painting on canvas. She also has experience creating large scale tile mosaics, murals, works of calligraphy, and illustrations. She writes poetry as well. Currently, the main subject of Maryam’s paintings are women. She says that it feels as if thousands of women are living inside of her, and she voices them through her paintings.

Maryam has been teaching art and creation for 20 years in art schools, institutes and colleges across Iran as well as in her own studio at SHO Art, Spirit & Performance in Windsor. Her workshops include a combination of Middle Eastern and North American influences. Maryam serves on the Board of the Arts Council Windsor and Region.

Michelle Soullière

Music / Visual Arts / Media Arts

Michelle Soullière is an artist educator in Windsor, Ontario, with over 15 years of classroom & community experience. She is a bilingual francophone. Michelle is dedicated to creating vibrant, inclusive learning environments where every student is empowered to explore, think critically, and express themselves through the arts.

Her practice is rooted in collaboration, working closely with teachers and students to develop and facilitate projects that deepen students’ understanding of core subjects like math, science, social studies and languages. Michelle’s approach blends elements of music, visual arts, and media arts together, transforming core curriculum concepts into accessible and enjoyable creative experiences. In classrooms, Michelle strives to encourage musical and artistic literacy and expression, and a lifelong appreciation of the arts.

She works in media including but not limited to stop-motion animation, video, printmaking, collage, painting, drawing, stencils, sculpture, songwriting, storytelling, hand percussion, ukulele, singing and piano.

Michelle draws on her background as founding member of Broken City Lab artist collective, her BFA visual arts degree from the University of Windsor, private music education in piano and voice, artist-educator training from Jumblies Theatre & Royal Conservatory of Music, and diversity training with Multicultural Council of Windsor.

Michelle owns and directs South Windsor School of Music, where she nurtures a love for the arts in our community’s youth and families (and herself!) through after-school music lessons and creative mentorship for budding musicians in both French and English. She enjoys veggie gardening and dancing.

Michelle Soullière
Musique / Arts visuels / Arts médiatiques

Michelle Soullière est une artiste-éducatrice à Windsor, Ontario, avec plus de 15 ans d’expérience en salles de classe et en communauté. Elle est dédiée à créer des environnements d’apprentissage vibrants et inclusifs, où chaque élève est encouragé à explorer, réfléchir de manière critique et s’exprimer à travers les arts.

Sa pratique est enracinée dans la collaboration, travaillant en partenariat avec les enseignants et les élèves pour développer et faciliter des projets qui approfondissent la compréhension des élèves dans des matières fondamentales incluant les maths, sciences, études sociales et langues. Michelle mélange des éléments de musique, d’arts visuels et d’arts médiatiques, transformant les concepts du curriculum en expériences créatives, accessibles et agréables. En classe, Michelle s’efforce d’encourager la littératie musicale et artistique et l’expression créative.

Elle travaille avec des médiums tels que l’animation en stop-motion, la vidéo, la gravure, le collage, la peinture, le dessin, les pochoirs, la sculpture, l’écriture de chansons, la narration, les percussions à main, le ukulélé, le chant, le piano, etc.

Michelle s’appuie sur son parcours en tant que membre fondatrice du collectif d’artistes Broken City Lab, son diplôme en arts visuels (Beaux Arts) de l’Université de Windsor, son éducation musicale privée en piano et en chant, sa formation d’artiste-éducatrice avec Jumblies Theatre et le Conservatoire royal de musique, ainsi qu’une formation sur la diversité avec le Conseil multiculturel de Windsor.

Michelle est propriétaire et directrice de South Windsor School of Music, où elle cultive l’amour des arts chez les jeunes et les familles de la communauté (et chez elle-même !) à travers des cours de musique après l’école et un mentorat créatif pour les musiciens en herbe, en français et en anglais. Elle aime jardiner et danser.