Dividing her time between the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the Veneto region of Italy, Nancy's work explores harmony, storytelling, and the magical spaces that emerge when imagination meets observation. As she writes in her artist statement, "Stories are at the heart of everything in my art," adding that transformation requires "not only attention to details, but an ability to step away from our 'self' to see how one is united with everything else."

On our day dedicated to experimentation, students in the Summer Fine Arts Academy had the opportunity to learn from painter Sonja Garcia, whose work explores portraiture, identity, and the complex relationship between artist, muse, and viewer. Born and raised in Oahu, Hawai'i and later studying art history and studio practice in Rome, Sonja's paintings investigate both the physicality of paint and the emotional spaces that exist between people. As she writes in her artist statement, her work is

As part of the Summer Fine Arts Academy, our Middle School students had the opportunity to meet illustrator, cartoonist, and writer Alejandro Toro, whose work explores storytelling through traditional drawing, painting, watercolor, ink, and comics. Born between cultures and having lived across Colombia, Mexico, the United States, Italy, France, and China, Alejandro brings a unique perspective to the stories he tells through images.