MEET YOUR SUMMER ART CAMP INSTRUCTORS!
All classes are taught by Certified Art Teachers and/or Art Professionals which undergo a background check as required in the Jessica Lunsford Act.
Lakeland CAMP Instructors
Rachel Eason (Lakeland, Florida)
M. of Ed. Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Converse College in Spartanburg SC, Ceramics Professor at Florida Southern College
I am so excited to adventure through camp with all the student artists joining us on this summer journey! I believe art connects us. It is my intention, with each activity we do, that you release your self expression and radiate your unique artsiness out into the world. It is going to be fabulous!
Ever since my first spin with clay at the age of four, I love to get my hands dirty. Whether its throwing clay on the wheel or designing plants on pages to create fabulous stains through boiling, my connection to earth’s elements is what inspires my journey.
I am the Adjunct Ceramics Professor at Florida Southern College where I inspire students in Ceramics 1 and 2 to seek their unique creative expressions through clay.
As an invited artist to Walt Disney World, I show and sell my art at EPCOT festivals and special events at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, and other resort locations. My art is in private collections all over the world. My current work can be seen at RachelleEason.com.
Paul Peterson (Lakeland, Florida)
BFA, Sculpture, Ringling College of Art and Design; Art Teacher at Southwest Middle
Growing up, I always liked tinkering around and building weird stuff including my first car and skateboards with windsurfing sails. After a skull fracture at the age of 11 which kept me from becoming a pilot for the Air Force, I decided that I would try to hone my artistic skills. I earned a BFA in Sculpture from Ringling College of Art and Design before moving to Lakeland 20 years ago. I have been teaching in the school system and at the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College ever since, teaching last 17 years at Southwest Middle School. During the last 5 years, I have expanded the Create-A-Skate program at our school by building a skate press with my students and making custom skateboards to share my love of board sports and engage them in relevant applications for the math, science, and art.
Kaitlyn Reynolds (Lakeland, Florida)
B.A., Illustration, Moore College of Art & Design, Philly, Art Teacher at Union Academy
I am a Lakeland based illustrator and art instructor who spends her time creating artwork with the purpose of being beautiful or bringing laughter to the viewer. I work in colored pencil, watercolor, oils, mixed media, as well as digital.
I grew up going to Harrison School of the Arts where I majored in visual art. Then graduated with a degree in Illustration from Moore College of Art and Design, and have since illustrated for such clients as The Caring Cradle, Walt Disney World Resorts, Lakeland Community Theatre, and Wedding Story Writer. Currently I teach Art, Yearbook, and Photography at Union Academy and I stage manage at Lakeland Community Theatre.
As a Polk County girl so close to Walt Disney World, I grew to love all things Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel. Artistically, I particularly love to draw flowers, mermaids, and silly characters. I also grew up in the theatre which has given me the opportunity to paint sets while listening to lots of Billy Joel and Elton John in addition to enjoying and acting in many shows.
Kyndil Rogers (Lakeland, Florida)
BFA, Graphic Design, Florida Southern College; Art Teacher at Davenport School of the Arts
I am a local artist and art teacher from Lakeland. I grew up going to Rochelle School of the Arts and Harrison School of the Arts and of course, majored in art. I earned a BFA in Graphic Design and a minor in Advertisement Design from Florida Southern College. I have artwork all over the city of Lakeland and a few places around the States; hanging in Apple stores, restaurants, Harrison School of the Arts, spas, and other local businesses and homes.
I am constantly working on different styles of artwork to learn and grow my artistic skill set. I love to bring fresh new ideas into my personal classrooms. I taught elementary art at Citrus Ridge Academy when it first opened, and now teach art at Davenport School of the Arts, with a focus of digital and two-dimensional art.
I am very excited to be a part of this wonderful summer camp. We are going to have a blast!
Chris Roll (Lakeland, Florida)
M.A., Art Education, Buffalo State College; Art Teacher at Lakeland Senior High
I am an award winning two-dimensional mixed media artist, and a visual arts teacher, living in Lakeland. In 2013, I earned my Masters Degree in Art Education from Buffalo State College, Buffalo, New York. After teaching for many years at Sleepy Hill Middle, where I was award Teacher of the Year in 2014, I have moved to teaching at the high school level at Lakeland Senior High School. In addition to teaching high school art, I also teach evening classes for adults and teens at the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College. I am excited to return to the Museum this year as a summer camp instructor. I’m confident we will have fun together this summer with hands-on lessons, inspired by field trips to Florida Southern College and Lake Morton, and by interacting with the Museum’s collection of art in a way that will challenge and inspire, the artist in each of us!
Winter Haven CAMP Instructors
Katie Fernandez (Auburndale, Florida)
B.A., Psychology, University of South Florida; Art Teacher at Auburndale Elementary
Art has always been “my thing.” While I was in elementary school, I was allowed to be in a program for students that showed artistic promise, and that was it, art was everything. I moved to Polk County in 1992 and in high school at Auburndale High, I was known as “that art girl.” My most proud moments were painting the sets for the school play, designing the school play program, and winning the senior t-shirt design contest. I became an artist from that point on.
My ultimate goal was to become an art therapist so I majored in Psychology at the University of South Florida. After working in a corporate setting for many years, I went back to school and took a slew of art courses to gain my certificate from the Florida Department of Education to teach art. During my time at school, I won several awards for my artwork and the college purchased two of my pieces for their permanent collection.
Since then, I have had the amazing fortune of holding the art teacher position at Auburndale Central Elementary, and the opportunity to teach the After School Art program and Spring Break Art Camp at the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College. It is all a total blast!
I am not just a teacher but also an artist. When I have time, I like to participate in local art festivals. My favorite medium to work with is graphite, but I tend to do a lot more acrylic painting these days. I try to know how to do a little bit of everything and teach what I know to others. Teaching children has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life aside from being a mother. Inspiring young minds is my passion and I hope to do it for many years to come.
Thanks to our Polk Museum of Art Education Sponsors who help make our programs possible:
