LEAH HUMMEL
design - education - creation
“A teaching artist is an artist who actively engages learners in consciously developing the aesthetics of their own processes for learning” - Arnold Aprill
I teach what I know, and my students teach me what they know. Together, we create a deeper meaning of the subject through our collective knowledge.
Read to learn more about the tenants of Leah's teaching artistry practices and experience.
Feel free to reach out for sample lesson plans and inquiries.
Inclusive Theater Arts Education for All Abilities
Leah believes that people of all abilities deserve individualized modes of access to curriculum, and that there is always a way to create curriculum to meet the needs of the learner. While in Chicago, Leah worked for the Niles Township District for Special Education from 2015-2021 as a paraprofessional and substitute teacher. This experience gave her multiple skills in accessibility partnerships and a wealth of new modes of access for arts education. They have extensive experience in A/AC devices (augmented and adaptive communication). Leah worked as an online Theatre Crafts instructor at the Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Program, serving Chicago's disabled Jewish community. They also served as the Site Coordinator at the Arc of the Capital Metro Area Downtown location in Austin, Texas, where they taught multi-disciplinary arts lessons.
Pictured: A student sits at a table with an adaptive sewing lesson made by Leah. They are using a paper plate and yarn to practice the motion of hand-sewing.
A core tenant of Leah's artistry is the inherent worth of educational, 'amateur', and community theater. From 2015-2020, Leah worked as the extracurricular costume and props designer at Niles West High School, in Skokie, IL. During her time there, she oversaw the design of over 25 productions, with a costume shop of student volunteers. Among the lessons they taught were: sewing, painting and dyeing, backstage wardrobe, hair & makeup, props construction, and design.
Leah most recently served as the University of Texas at Austin's Summer Theater Workshop 2024 Costume Show Manager.
Pictured: the Niles West Costume Shop working on "Little Shop of Horrors" under Leah's supervision. Several high schoolers sit at dress forms and sewing machines, stitching costumes.