Art Educator &
Creative Strategist
Bringing visual thinking strategies and hands-on creative experiences to people of all ages and backgrounds in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Nelli Nedre
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About Me
I am an Art Educator, Facilitator, and Creative Strategist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I attended art school as a child, later pursued higher education in fashion and costume design, where drawing, composition, and visual studies were foundational to my training. I participated in art competitions, and creative practice has always been central to my work.
For over 15 years, I built and led my own sustainable fashion brand, managing complex creative and production systems.
After earning my Master’s degree in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), I intentionally deepened my commitment to art as an educational and reflective practice.
Today, I work as both educator and practitioner.
Having a strong classical academic art background, I intentionally build my work beyond traditional artistic frameworks. I am deeply interested in exploring diverse artistic directions and languages, and I bring this openness into every class I design.
In my teaching, I help people experience the richness and multiplicity of art, encouraging them to move past fixed expectations and discover their own unique voice.
Alongside teaching, I continue my own artistic practice: drawing, experimenting, and researching, staying connected to art not only as an educator, but as an artist.
My main compass is curiosity.
Curiosity that we learn to activate regardless of age.
I teach as both an artist and researcher, with a deep belief that pedagogy should connect creative practice with lived experience.
My classroom is a space of inquiry, care, and collective reflection — where students are encouraged to think critically, explore their personal narratives, and experiment with new ways of seeing and making.
I believe in interdisciplinary art — where materials, ideas, social questions, and personal histories intersect. Art moves between disciplines, cultures, and systems, and I design my classes to make these connections visible and tangible.
Sustainability is an important dimension of my work. Coming from a fashion background, I have long worked with material thinking — understanding how objects are made, where they come from, and what stories they carry. I am especially drawn to fiber art, craft traditions, and historical cultural references.
I integrate diverse sources — contemporary art, archives, interviews, film, and hands-on studio experimentation. I value process-based learning, dialogue, and the freedom to explore beyond rigid artistic definitions.
Each class I design is personal. I bring my own artistic vision into the space while creating room for others to discover their unique voice.
I see teaching as a reciprocal act. I learn as much from my students as I hope they learn from me. My goal is to support people in becoming not only more confident creators, but more attentive and engaged human beings.
Education & Experience
Art has shaped my path from the very beginning. I completed six years of professional higher education in Fashion and Costume Design, with continuous academic training in drawing, composition, color theory, and visual studies. This classical foundation formed my sensitivity to material, form, and visual language.
For more than fifteen years, I worked in the creative industries as a designer and creative director, developing projects at the intersection of material practice, visual culture, and sustainability. My background in fashion deeply influenced the way I think through materials, process, and the cultural narratives embedded in objects.
For many years, I have been designing educational programs for both children and adults across a wide range of themes. Regardless of the format or topic, creativity has always been central to my approach. No matter the subject, I build dialogue through the visual image. I believe that visual language opens space for reflection, conversation, and deeper understanding.
In 2023, I earned my Master of Arts in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where I expanded my research into pedagogy, interdisciplinary practice, and art as a space for dialogue and reflection.
I have also completed professional facilitation training in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), an internationally recognized method of guided art dialogue developed through research at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Harvard University. VTS uses open-ended questions to strengthen observation, communication, and critical thinking skills across ages and communities.
Today, I bring together my academic art training, material-based practice, interdisciplinary thinking, facilitation work, and long-term experience in educational program design to create learning environments where people can discover and strengthen their own voice through art.
Upsala Circus
Educational Program in Collaboration with Upsala Circus Foundation
A year-long educational initiative developed in partnership with Upsala Circus Foundation. Over the course of the program, I organized and facilitated a series of workshops with designers, artists, curators, critics, and photographers. Together with children, we developed a collaborative creative process from concept to realization. Participants designed prints, explored visual language, and created original garment concepts.
The program culminated in the production of a capsule collection developed from the children’s designs. The collection was presented as a meaningful outcome of the year-long work, connecting education, authorship, and social engagement.
Fashion as Art
Online Course for Adults and Teenagers
Fashion as Art is an interdisciplinary online course that explores fashion as a cultural and artistic language. Through lectures, interviews, visual analysis, and discussions, we examine fashion in dialogue with contemporary art, photography, cinema, literature, and design. We discuss collaborations between artists and designers, cultural contexts, visual codes, and the systems that shape the fashion world.
Participants develop their own independent research-based project, which becomes a significant personal exploration and artistic statement. The course encourages critical thinking and helps translate theoretical inquiry into a creative outcome.
Author Art Classes
My author classes are immersive creative journeys designed for children, teenagers, and adults. Each program is built as a tactile exploration of material, image, and idea. I invite participants to move through visual language not only intellectually, but physically through texture, fabric, drawing, collage, construction, and experimental processes.
These classes are not based on copying or repetition. They are structured as guided creative investigations, where each participant develops their own interpretation and voice.
- —Material-based exploration (textile, paper, mixed media)
- —Visual research and discussion
- —Interdisciplinary references (art, fashion, culture)
- —Collaborative exercises
- —Individual project development
Some classes are studio-focused, others are dialogue-centered. Many combine both.
In-Person
Studio-based classes in the SF Bay Area. Hands-on instruction in drawing, mixed media, textile, and visual thinking. All ages and experience levels welcome.
Online
Live interactive sessions via Zoom. Participate from anywhere in the world. Materials list provided in advance. Individual attention in a small group setting.
Custom Workshops
Tailored workshops for schools, community organizations, and private groups. Curriculum designed around your goals, theme, and participants.
Corporate & Group Programs
I design facilitated art-based programs for professional teams and organizations, focused on strengthening communication, creative thinking, and collaborative dialogue.
A core component of my corporate format is based on Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), an internationally recognized methodology developed through research at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Harvard University. Through structured dialogue around artworks, participants strengthen observation, listening skills, perspective-taking, and evidence-based communication.
In addition to VTS-based sessions, I integrate my own art-practice formats that encourage reflection, material exploration, and creative problem-solving.
Formats
- —Tactical short-format sessions
- —Extended workshops
- —Multi-session development programs
- —Introductory individual art-practice sessions
- —Hybrid programs combining dialogue and hands-on practice
Programs can be designed as standalone experiences or as structured series that combine multiple approaches. Each format is adapted to team size, goals, and location (in-person or online).
Benefits
- —Enhanced observation and critical thinking
- —Improved team communication and active listening
- —Creative problem-solving frameworks
- —Inclusive facilitation that values diverse perspectives
- —Measurable impact on collaboration and innovation
Get in Touch
Or Book a Consultation Directly
Art Club
Meet · Talk · Think · Connect
Art Club is not a lecture and not an academic seminar. It is a space to meet, talk, think, and connect. I gather curious people from very different professions and backgrounds. We look, we talk, we listen, we reflect.
Sometimes the meetings include an art-based practice. Sometimes it is purely dialogue. For me, these meetings are about creating a unique experience each time — a space where art becomes a mirror, and participants can reveal something about themselves through the conversation.