Colorado Facilties

---

Melissa served as a 6-12 Language Arts teacher and as a school administrator in Denver Public Schools serving differentiated classrooms in Pathways schools for a total of 15 years. She has a background in trauma informed classrooms as well as certification in Crisis Prevention and a strong understanding of supports and strategies for learners of all backgrounds. Melissa believes in equity in the arts and that every human can create. In her spare time she and her husband enjoy road trips across the country documenting and raising awareness about historic roadside attractions and classic neon signs

Joy Giles joined the Art Garage team in 2018. She is an instructor and the Community Liaison. Before coming to the Art Garage she was an art teacher for K-8th grade students in the Denver area for 13 years. Before that, she taught English in Japan for 5 years to students ranging in age from 3 years old to adults. She has a BA in Printmaking from The Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. She believes everyone has some kind of creative inclination and helping people find theirs is a passion of hers. Through art, she loves to learn and teach about world cultures, geography, and history. She is very happy to be a part of the Art Garage family.