Rita Salm (they/them)
Rita’s website
Sequoya Library

Rita is an illustrator and artist. As a non-binary and queer illustrator, they focus on making things that are meant for everyone. Rita enjoys using a colored pencil texture and hand-rendered typography in their illustrations and designs! Some of Rita’s favorite things to make are patterns, designs for cards, and just little doodles.

Annie Aaker (she/her)
Pinney Library

Annie Aaker has lived in Madison for the last 12 years, but only just got her Masters in Library Science and discovered the chaotic joy that is youth librarianship. She has been an artist since she was a kid with a sketchbook full of ballerina drawings and Calvin & Hobbes comics. Now, she works to help kids find and bring to life their own creative ideas, while coming to understand that our art "mistakes" can sometimes be the coolest art masterpieces.

Claudia Linnea (she/her)
Claudia’s work
Alicia Ashman Library

Claudia Linnea is an art enthusiast and painter in the making. She works in museum education at the Chazen, supports artists at ArtWorking, and cloud watches on her days off. 
When working with others she encourages them to express their personal visions, she aims to create a space for celebrating difference.

Elias Mittelstadt (he/him)
Elias’ website
Lakeview Library

Elias Mittelstadt is a designer and artist based in Madison, WI. His practice is inspired by technology, nature, history, and cartography and utilizes 3D printing, digital design, and found objects. In addition to his practice, he assists local artists and specializes in CAD and technical drawings for products. Elias has created courses, workshops, and programming for people of all ages and enjoys teaching new skills and seeing the diversity of creative expression when people are given the same prompts and materials.

Christina Theobald (she/hers)
Christina’s work
Hawthorne Library

Christina is a Community Artist who is passionate about making art accessible and fun. Utilizing a variety of mediums and techniques, Christina hopes to show participants of all ages how a creative practice can help build relationships and relieve stress. All skill levels are encouraged to join this experimental and playful summer residency!  

Lexie Olson (she/her/they)
Lexie’s work
Meadowridge Library

Lexie Olson is an artist and storyteller based in Madison, Wi. Her practice centers around the intersection of visual and written language, and her body of work communicates the innate drive for people to create stories through images which begins in early childhood. In the classroom, she is passionate about encouraging a welcoming space where all students can have the ability to reflect and share their own stories and experiences through their art. 

Lelia Byron (she/her)
website
Monroe Street Library

Lelia Byron is an interdisciplinary artist who makes paintings, sculptures, murals, installations, and public art projects. Lelia’s projects often include an investigative component and frequently begin with interviewing diverse groups of people around different topics related to human rights, environmental rights, the complexity of communication between individuals, and the creative process. Lelia has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts (University of the Arts London).

Ella Deitz (she/they)
Goodman South Library

Ella Deitz is a writer, performer, and organizer from Madison, Wisconsin. She is a First Wave Scholar at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where she will be graduating in May 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Gender and Women’s Studies. Ella works in Youth Programming at The JVN Project, a registered student organization and 501C3 nonprofit that works to empower the greater Madison community through the elements of Hip Hop. Ella was the first-place recipient of the Therese Muller Fiction Prize in 2021 and 2022, has been published in Illumination Magazine, and commended by The Adroit Journal.