Leana (Fayetteville, AR) is the artist behind stationery and gift brand May We Fly. With a focus on botanicals and nature, Leana loves using watercolors to make artwork that inspires delight and celebrates the beauty that is found every day. In addition to creating and designing her products, she enjoys helping others discover the fun of painting.

Fran (Eureka Springs, AR) began practicing mosaics in 1990 under the guidance of James Hubbell. She has furthered her studies in Italy and workshops in the U.S. She is inspired by the reflective qualities and design of Byzantine mosaics, translating them into modern materials.

Darla (Holiday Island, AR) is an artist and luthier who began her interest by customizing existing guitars as a hobby, eventually gaining professional training while attending Galloup School of Lutheri. Building cigar box guitars was a way to continue practicing fret work that soon turned into a passion that she now focuses all of her art towards.

Doug (Eureka Springs, AR) has been working with his hands, in various media, his whole life. He has taught many people how to create their own work in glass bead making, kayak building, pottery, woodworking and drum making. He is passionate about sharing his skills with others.

Stephen (Highland Park, MI) is a designer and craftsman from Detroit, MI, and earned his BFA from the College for Creative Studies (CSS). He is an instructor at CCS teaching design and fabrication, and manages the Metal’s Division at Ganas MFG.

Matthew (Wolcott, CT), ABS Journeyman smith and Forged in Fire Champion, has been a full-time smith since 1998 specializing in historical blades and culinary knives. He has won several awards for his knives, has written for Knife Magazine and had his work featured in many publications.  Matthew has taught bladesmithing throughout the US since 2007 and is a partner in Falling Hammer productions and its subsidiary Dragons Breath Forge. 

Brenda (Durant, OK) is an accomplished pine needle and gourd artist. She creates beautiful art from gourds, pine needles, and other bits of nature. Brenda is the recipient of numerous state and national gourd art awards and exhibits nationally. 

Sarah Doremus lives in Deer Isle, Maine in a house up a mile-long dirt driveway that her wife, Linda and she bought because it fulfilled her most important housing requirement: It is private enough to hang laundry naked. She was trained as a sculptor but after college in a metalsmithing studio and her work has since been jewelry sized. Sarah produces work for galleries and private clients and teaches workshops around the country (including Penland, Peter’s Valley, Arrowmont, and more). Her work is held in private and public collections, has been included on blogs and in publications, and has been part of numerous shows. The bulk of her time is devoted to teaching art at two rural Maine elementary schools, where her work often takes the form of collaboration with 8 year olds.

Diana (West Fork, AR) earned her degree in Fine Art with and emphasis in photography from the U of A 2009. She has been teaching the photography and Photoshop classes at Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale for the last ten years.

Jason (Eureka Springs, AR) has been a percussionist for over 30 years and is the owner of New World Drums. He has apprenticed with master drum builder Doug Powell beginning in 2017, and has assisted Doug in several drum-making classes at ESSA.