who we are
We are a collective of professional artists passionate about inclusive education.
Adam Kritzer, Founder & Director
Adam is an artist and educator. His films have won awards, screened at festivals worldwide and been released theatrically and on-demand. He is also a published writer and exhibiting multimedia artist. In 2016, Adam founded the Art Detectives. He has worked with hundreds of artists of all ages and abilities in one-on-one, small group and classroom settings, both independently and with VSA VT, Vermont’s state organization for Arts and Disability. He is also on the Board of Trustees for the International School Theatre Association (ISTA), a UK-based non-profit that works with over 240 schools in 100 countries worldwide. Adam graduated from Middlebury College and holds a Master's degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. He lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his partner-in-crime and their standard schnauzer, Upton Sinclair.
Abigail St. Onge, Head of Yoga Programming
Originally from Tupper Lake, NY, Abby began practicing yoga in college as an outlet for stress and anxiety. While living in Raleigh, NC, she discovered the practice of restorative yoga and fell in love with the deep relaxation techniques. In May 2019, Abby received her 200-hour yoga teacher training from the Asheville Yoga Center. Abby has been working with the Art Detectives since 2020 and is passionate about sharing the teachings of yoga with her students. She is a firm believer that anyone has the ability to do yoga. Her classes are unique to each student’s needs, to create an enjoyable experience while learning about breath, body and emotions in a safe, comfortable environment.
Matt Steiner, Teaching Artist & Mentor
Matt (aka the Marvelous Mr. Matt) is an actor, clown, filmmaker and educator. A Graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, Matt has spent the past several years working simultaneously as a professional artist and as a lead teaching artist with several organizations, most notably Lincoln center. As an actor, Matt has been on two national tours, performed off-broadway, and in film and television. He performs regularly with the clown troupe Logic Limited, LTD and is also currently the Co-Executive Producer for the independent film and tv production company One-Eyed Rabbit. www.themarvelousmrmatt.com
Levin Valayil, Teaching Artist & Mentor
Levin Valayil was raised in Texas and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. He attended the prestigious Berklee college of music where he received his b.m. in music therapy and voice/piano performance. He then received his MFA in musical theatre from Boston Conservatory. Levin has trained in New York and acted on stages across North America, in national commercials and in film. In 2020, he studied at the Steppenwolf Theater Company. Levin is passionate about how the voice and body can help us cultivate skills and tell our story. He is currently pursuing a joint career on Broadway and in therapeutic arts integration.
Dyer Rhoads, Teaching Artist
Dyer is an artist, theatremaker, teacher and performer from Portland, Maine. In 2021, Dyer was a guest artist with Spindleworks. Dyer is also a dramaturg and production associate for Nile Harris, most recently on This House Is Not A Home: fill it with air call it self care/there's a leak in this house, and for Cricket Brown on Hooters Play. They have also collaborated with and learned from Lincoln Center Education, the Children's Theatre of Maine, the Celebration Barn Theatre, Figures of Speech Theatre Company, Shakespeare & Co, and the North Carolina Symphony. Dyer is also Psychic Wolf. Psychic Wolf works with an ever-expanding community of collaborators to produce one-off performance events. Dyer was a Kenan Fellow at Lincoln Center Education in 2019 after graduating from University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Ruthy Valdez, Teaching Artist
Ruthy is a surrealist fine artist and arts educator based in New York City. She is known for her enigmatic figures and dreamlike backgrounds that are reminiscent of lucid dreaming. In the last 19 years, she has created her own unique artistic voice while captivating viewers with her vivid colors and intelligent subjects. Her artwork has been exhibited all over the US and featured in many publications and television shows on VH1, Food network channel and others. Her artwork has been exhibited at Miami Art Basel and won the National Bombay Sapphire Art Competition. She has taught creative writing and visual fine art to underserved public school students from ages 3 to 17, publishing their work in 3 books and exhibiting their work through their communities. Ruthy believes that social and emotional learning are essential in the creative and academic success of any child. https://www.ruthy-valdez.com/
Finnegan Shanahan, Teaching Artist
Finn Shanahan is an educator, interdisciplinary artist and member of boio, a musical duo that explores group expression using song, dance, puppets and props. He also creates mixed media visual artworks and recorded music. Since 2010, he has been a founding member of 23-person NYC new music ensemble Contemporaneous, and he released his first solo album with the group in 2016 on New Amsterdam Records. Finn received a BA in Music Performance from Bard College, and has spent the past decade performing internationally as a violinist, violist, guitarist and vocalist with a multitude of artists across different genres and art forms. During this time he has also regularly worked with people of all ages and abilities as a private teacher and participated in educational outreach in public and private schools. Finn’s creative and teaching practices are informed by a strong belief in lifelong learning through exploration, self-education, collaboration and play.
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Influences
What we do is deeply shaped by the following thinkers and texts:
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"Neurotribes" by Steve Silberman
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"Teaching to Transgress" by bell hooks
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"Art as Experience" by John Dewey
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"Teaching as a Subversive Act" by Neil Postman
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"Visual Thinking Strategies" by Philip Yenawine
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"Eye of the Beholder" by Abigail Housen
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"Visual Thinking Strategies for Pre-Schools" by Philip Yenawine
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"Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by Paolo Friere
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"Art and Visual Perception" by Rudolf Arnheim
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"Century of the Self" by Adam Curtis
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"Conflict is Not Abuse" by Sarah Schulman