Lynden Educators

Jeremy Stepien, Director of Education
With over ten years of experience in art education and administration, Jeremy has worked with art organizations throughout Milwaukee including the YMCA, RedLine, Milwaukee Art Museum, and Walker’s Point Center for the Arts. He joined the Lynden staff as director of education in April 2010. His experiences as a youth mentor, line therapist for children with autism, and art educator have contributed to his patient and responsive approach to teaching, one that encourages experimentation and discovery. Jeremy earned his BFA from MIAD in 1999 with a major in painting and a minor in drawing, and he continues to work in a variety of media in his home studio in Bay View. He has been active as a volunteer with Milwaukee Empty Bowls for nine years, and joined their board in 2011. Jeremy’s family enjoys urban homesteading, camping, canoeing and the arts.

Anna Grosch, Education Implementor
Anna Grosch is an art educator with a strong background in community-based curriculum and an affinity for urban education and social justice. After three years as Lynden's Graduate Fellow, she has joined our staff to to manage partnerships with schools and nonprofits, and to work directly with teachers at Lynden and in their classrooms. Grosch recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Master of Science in Art Education. Her research focused on community-based art education, museum education, and place-based learning.

Claudia Orjuela, Bilingual Art and Nature Education Specialist
Claudia Orjuela is an art educator who uses the arts as a vehicle for cultural integration and environmental awareness. During her time as a graduate fellow at Lynden, she was influenced by our critical place-based education mission and the potential of outdoor education. Orjuela’s multicultural background influences her practice of promoting diversity and awareness of critical issues through the arts. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Orjuela earned her BFA at the University of Barcelona, Spain and her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Denice Niebuhr, Guest Educator
Denice Niebuhr has been an early childhood educator and has recently retired as a teacher of four-year-olds within the Milwaukee Public Schools. As an alumna of the Innovative Educators Institute at Lynden, she has a strong background in connecting nature and the arts with children of all ages. Professional development provided by the Kid Curators program at Arts@Large also prepared her to complete museum projects based on project-based learning. She has participated in the arts programs at the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Milwaukee Ballet Company, and she used music to enhance learning when assisting in the development of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Early Childhood ACE program. Niebuhr is currently a board member of Reflo Sustainable Water Solutions as an educational consultant, and a self-taught steel wire jewelry artist. Hiking, watching movies, and going to the theater and art museums are things she enjoys.

Melissa Courtney, Guest Educator
Melissa Courtney is known for her interdisciplinary work in paint, print, and textiles. Her printmaking and paintings convey rich texture while playing with concepts of human emotion and connection. Her paintings and prints draw on conceptual imagery and her love of vintage textiles. Courtney’s work has been shown in various galleries and businesses, and is in collections in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Montreal. Courtney has enjoyed teaching at the Lynden Sculpture Garden for the past six years, and also offers private classes and tutoring. In the past, she has worked at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Sharon Lynne Wilson Center, and Museum of Wisconsin Art.


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