MEET OUR TEACHERS
Workshop SLC has a dedicated team of professional artists who teach our weekly programs. Learn more about them below!
KAORI FAIRBOURN
STUDIO MANAGER
WATERCOLOR INSTRUCTOR
Kaori Fairbourn was born in Kobe, Japan and is now currently residing in SLC, UT. She has had the opportunity to live in 3 different continents as a child which has helped her mind expand to the beauty of landscapes and sceneries. She has studied Art and Art History at Utah Valley University and coupled with her extensive travel experiences and her love for colors has helped influence her to become the artist that she is today. Kaori has done numerous commissions in the past which specializes in wedding invitation designs and landscape paintings.
She believes that watercolor has not only impacted her creativity but also has given her the power to let her mind rest and breathe through the everyday stress in life. Her hopes and wishes in life are to help anyone feel at ease and joyful as they see her paintings.
jIM mCGEE
FINE ART INSTRUCTOR
Jim McGee was born in Philadelphia where his interest in art started at an early age. He received a BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in 2001 before moving to Salt Lake City to pursue an MFA in painting from the University of Utah. Jim has been a professional artist for 20 years, exhibiting his work in galleries and museums, as well as receiving numerous commissions, grants, and awards.
In addition to making art, McGee has been teaching art for over 15 years. He has taught drawing and painting at the University of Utah as well as visual arts at Juan Diego Catholic High School, where he also served as department chair and Visual Arts Director.
When he’s not creating art, Jim enjoys traveling, cycling, being outdoors, and Italian cooking. He currently lives in Holladay, Utah with his son Louie.
samantha dasilva
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR
Samantha da Silva (1978) is a Brazilian-born artist living in Salt Lake City, UT. She is a third-generation artist shaped by migration, assimilation, and her desire to create. She has moved over forty times as a result of natural disasters and life circumstances. Like many who have experienced migration, she underwent a process of assimilation at the crucial age of 10, and her relationship with things was forever altered by having to leave so much behind. Her artwork has become a navigational tool that helps to connect her to new surroundings and provides a form of consistency in a life full of movement.
She is best known for her large-scale relief sculptures that resemble topographic maps and cracked earth, made from found materials such as dirt and sawdust. The themes of this body of work revolve around belonging, spirituality, mapmaking, and resourcefulness.
As an educator, da Silva has taught at various public and private institutions in Canada, the United States, Hawaii, and France, and her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Bravo TV, HGTV, and others.
LOUISE CHRISTENSEN
FINE ART INSTRUCTOR
Hi friends, my name is Louise. I've spent my entire life creating and art has always been my greatest love. My background is in portrait work, but overtime I've learned that my true passion lies within art curriculum planning and teaching. I have taught hundreds of classes to just about every age and loved it.
Throughout my years of teaching and managing art spaces, I’ve found that working with children has been particularly rewarding for me. There is nothing more fulfilling than curating special art experiences that I would have loved myself as an art kid. I believe all children possess a unique, creative voice innately, and I love to encourage my students to channel that individuality through art within my classes. I like experimenting with all different kinds of materials and making sure to always provide a safe space for my students.
I grew up here in Utah and am so excited to continue building enriching art classes for children within my local community. I cannot wait to create with you all!
CHRIS MAGGIO
DRAWING INSTRUCTOR
Our Drawing Instructor, Chris Maggio, formerly taught college-level figure drawing, among other courses. He is a Medical Illustrator by degree, as well as a concept artist, architectural illustrator/designer, product designer, cartoonist, painter, master sketch artist, and draftsman/engineer. His personal favorite creative genre is anything nautical.
morgan allen
POTTERY INSTRUCTOR
Hi friends! I am Morgan Allen. I was born and raised in Indiana, where I was fortunate enough to of been exposed to my only consistent passion I’ve found in this life, ceramics. My ceramic journey began as a wee 15 year old and has continued to blossom ever since. Although, i’ve been in contact with clay for almost 10 years my knowledge for all pieces and parts of the ceramic process started developing in 2020, after I graduated college. I received my degree in in Elementary Education with a concentration in art and specification in ceramics, so I am able to be an art teacher but not limited to only being an art teacher!
I moved to Utah in 2021 with the intention of starting my 20’s in a new state. Here i’ve been able to grow my ceramic business, create new relationships, and stare at mountains on a daily basis (10/10 would recommend). I suppose when i’m not immersed in mud, I love indulging in camping, paddle boarding, soccer, photography, traveling, reading and whatever else resonates with me at the time!
I am so excited you’ve decided to embark on your ceramic journey, I can’t wait to meet you and watch you grow as an artist in my cute little class (-:
KENDYL SCHOFIELD
OIL PAINTING INSTRUCTOR
Kendyl Schofield is a visual artist based in Salt Lake City, Utah, working primarily in oil paint. She earned her BFA with an emphasis in Painting and Drawing from the University of Utah in 2020.
Her recent studio practice has focused on Utah landscapes, plein air studies and commissions of pets (primarily dogs). In a classroom setting Kendyl strives to support the artist inside everyone and foster creativity while being a resource for both technical and creative development.
Outside of the studio Kendyl enjoys spending time with DIY home renovation projects and getting away to camp/travel with her partner and dog as much as possible.
noah eikens
POTTERY INSTRUCTOR
Grown under the big skies of Montana, Noah is a Salt Lake City based ceramicist. He found pottery while attending the University of Puget Sound and hasn’t stopped playing with mud since. His recent work centers around sculptural alteration of wheel thrown functional pieces, through which he explores whimsical portrayals of the human form.
Noah brings an extensive background in education to his classes, with experience teaching everything from genetics to hang gliding. He knows that people learn most effectively in fun and comfortable environments and does his best to keep everyone around him from taking things too seriously.
Besides pottery, Noah also enjoys playing music with friends, snowboarding, climbing, flying, and general tomfoolery.
BLAIR MUNDORF
POTTERY INSTRUCTOR
Hi everyone! I’m a ceramic artist from Baltimore, Maryland, and I’m thrilled to be teaching pottery here at Workshop SLC. With four years of teaching experience, my focus is on wheel throwing, but I also love guiding students through the art of hand building. My passion is sharing the joy and creativity of pottery with others. I first discovered ceramics in 2012 during my senior year of high school, and it was love at first sight! I went on to study ceramics at Towson University, where I earned my degree in Art & Design.
CHASE HENSON
DIGITAL PAINTING INSTRUCTOR
Chase Henson is an independent fantasy artist residing in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up in nearby Provo. While attending Salt Lake Community College’s Aviation Maintenance program at the age of 22, he often found himself doodling in class. A year later Chase decided to leave aviation behind to pursue his newfound passion and entered the Illustration program at Utah Valley University. Throughout his time there, Chase discovered a fascination with world religions and mythologies.His studies of Hindu Gods and Goddesses have allowed him to rediscover his own spirituality and inspire his personal projects today, including the work displayed in The Book of Olith. Along with his flourishing career as an independent artist, Chase currently teaches art at a residential treatment center for high school students with high incidence disabilities.