Teacher Bios

APRIL ROIS GOODSON

Art Instructor, Spring Manor

April was born in a small town in Arkansas. Her family was fairly nomadic moving sometimes twice a year. Consequently, by the time she was thirty, she had lived in twelve states. She has been in Seattle eight years and loves the Northwest. She is part Cherokee and spends time researching her family history and culture. She is currently studying ecology, psychology, herbalism, permaculture and is interested in sustainable building. She plans on attending the University of Oregon (Eugene) in the fall of 2009.

She says:

“Most of my artistic endeavors are inspired by textures, colors and architecture found in Nature. I feel moved to replicate or share my interpretation of what I see everyday. I am also very inspired by Native art, specifically sculpture and handmade objects for daily use.

One of my first art memories is from age 5. I was fascinated by hot air balloons and when I went to draw an umbrella I attempted to combine the two. I ended up redrawing the piece several times in order to get it right. Eventually, I asked my mom for help.

Here at Spring Manor, I love hearing the students talk about their experiences and history with art. I do my best to support them in manifesting their creative visions. I am constantly impressed with the skills the students bring to the group and how much they encourage each other. I feel really lucky to have had such a welcoming group with which to share art every week. I will miss the students of Spring Manor, their unique perspectives and paths to expression. I plan on visiting Circle of Friends and I look forward to hearing more stories of art and friendship in the years to come.

Chloe Houvner

Chloe is finishing her last year as a Creative Writing major at the UW and is equally passionate about fiction and poetry. She led a weekly writing group of poetry and personal journaling. She loves to teach and help others and treasures the eight months she spent learning and writing her friends at Spring Manor. As graduation approaches, she's planning to begin publishing poetry, while finishing up longer works of fiction.

Judy Heim

Art Instructor, Noel House

Judith is a northwest native. She received her design education
at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. Her career experiences include Interior Design, Exhibit and Event design, Photography and
Graphic design and mixed media fine art. Judith taught various design courses for 17 years at the Art Institute of Seattle.
Currently, Judith is doing free lance design work, creating art
and serving on the Board for Circle of Friends for Mental Health.

“For the last two years, I have volunteered weekly, facilitating an
art session for Circle of Friends for Mental Health at Noel House Women’s shelter and fill in periodically at Wallingford House and Emerald House.
The reward is many smiles and being told that I bring color, lightness, and an opportunity for people to rediscover their creative spirit. One woman said: “Programs like this have helped me to find the lost pieces of myself and put them back together”

You can find examples of the kinds of art opportunities I have created for our weekly art sessions on the Scrapbook page/lesson plan section of this website. The challenge for me has been to create “stand alone” encapsulated projects that are not dependant on what happened last week or what is going to happen next week because there are different people at each session with varying levels of artistic skill and experience. There are also a group of “regulars” who come to most every class. So I want the art that they do to sustain a continuing interest and value for them as well. From the beginning I saw the need for color, lots of color and tactile experience wrapped with small sound bites of technique and encouragement. Remember what Alexander Calder said: “If you can imagine it, you can make it.”

Abbey Taylor

Drama Teracher Seattle Central Comminty College

Abby went to Abilene Christmas University in Abilene, TX and received her BFA in Theater with post graduate studies at Harvard in acting. She is now an actor in the Seattle area. She has 7 years piano teaching experience with students ranging in age from 4 to 89 years old and has played piano all over Seattle for musical productions. Her theatre background also includes directing for 3 different theater companies. This summer she will be returning to the Kitsap Forest Youth Theater Camp to work with children. She began teaching drama for Circle of Friends in September of 2007.

Barbara Angersbach

Harborview Day Treatment

Barbara Angersbach was born in Illinois and grew up in Minnesota. She has lived in
Seattle now for 25 years. In addition to living in Seattle she also spent time
in the desert along the Mexican border where she taught natural history for the California Parks Service and substituted in the public schools. She attended the University of Washington as a major in Fine Arts. She later switched majors and recieved a degree in Ethics and Human behavior and is working on a master's degree in Health Policy Studies. For several years she worked as a lab technician in a biotech. After leaving that job, she asked herself what the world needs most. What she concluded is that the crux of problems in society hinge on inadequacies in education and mental health services. Her remedy was to teach an out patient art class at Harborview Hospital, as well as teach art to middle schoolers--the most pivotal years for learning. This is why she teaches art at Circle of Friends. In addition she volunteers at the YMCA after-school program.

Laura Murphy

Emerald House

Laura Murphy is a visual arts instructor for the Emerald House.  From Spokane, WA, she participated in several art classes, focusing on watercolors, and was an active member of her high school’s wind ensemble and community youth orchestra, playing the clarinet and violin. 
Laura is thrilled to be given the opportunity to help students cultivate their often unrealized artistic talents and communicate their perspectives and emotions through a universal medium.  Currently, Laura is pursuing a B.S. degree in Psychology at the University of Washington.  During her free time, she enjoys running, reading, hiking and spending time with friends and family.