A Buenaventura Art Association Program
Meet the Artists
Our instructors are working artists, educators, and wellness advocates from across Ventura County.
Friday Treur
Word & Wonder
A deeply empathic human, raised on Wonder Woman & Charlie’s Angels, FRIDAY GRETCHEN dwells in Ventura, California where she advocates for the arts: literary, visual & performance. She was one of five local poets that established the offices of poet laureate & youth poet laureate for Ventura County. She’s performed her work internationally and has been published in Miramar, Solo Novo, Spillway and within several anthologies. Her book of poems, Unkindnesses, debuted in 2019. ………….
Lynne Okun
Word & Wonder · Rhythm & Tide
Lynne Okun is a multi-media artist, therapist and passionate life-long learner. Lynne is nspired by the power of the arts as a tool for learning about the world around us and inside of us. She has a unique ability to combine her playful and dynamic intuition about human nature with her personal warmth and the wisdom of her professional background. Currently she offers expressive arts workshops and designs experiential curriculum
Rima Muna
Intuitive Painting
Rima will offer an intuitive abstract painting process as a way to access inner truth, voice and emotion. She will facilitate a meditation at the beginning to help participants access calm as a precursor to the creative process. Visual language does not require thought or words, and can be felt on a universal level. Participants will warm up using drawing exercises on mixed media paper. The exercises will encourage them to practice making marks and authentic gestural lines. Finally, they will create a painting on watercolor paper/canvas panels (12x16") using color and line and shape to express their intuition. Participants will be encouraged to use their fingers to paint as a way to access direct sensory input
MB Hanrahan
Mobile Mural Project
MB Hanrahan is a multimedia artist who works with paint, installation, collage, photography, film, books and performance. Her projects lend to the collaborative experience with social awareness outcomes. Her projects range from micro to macro applications — from single small projects to interior/exterior murals, including very large grant-driven City and County partnerships. MB is a teacher to students of all ages.
Janice Chan
Go With the Flow (Watercolor)
Janice Chan is recognized for her watercolor-based work and an observational studio practice that extends to drawing and abstract realism. She exhibits and teaches in regional and out-of-state settings and maintains an active presence in the Ventura arts community through shows, events, and public programs. Chan's work reflects a sustained interest in disciplined visual study — line, structure, and nuanced color relationships — developed through formal training and ongoing professional practice. She has participated in local cultural programming and is engaged in arts education through community-oriented instruction and demonstrations.
Betsy Zuck
Deep Puppetry
Betsy Zuck is a certified Deep Puppetry facilitator, passionate to share this practice through the BAA's collaboration with Vibewell. Betsy’s intensive background in theater, film, and events inspire her personal practices honoring existence rather than demanding performance. Additionally, Betsy is a Beat the Odds drum circle facilitator—a social emotional behavioral practice utilizing hand percussion and verbal expression, and a Daemons and Tea facilitator—an exercise of drawing, sitting with, and embracing what we create. Currently, Betsy works with Focus on the Masters, a local non-profit art archive and outreach program, as Education Manager and Interviewer for the Artist Spotlight series.
Jillian Nye
Rhythm & Tide
Jillian Nye is a threefold artist: visual, performing and healing arts. She has held a residency at the WAV (Working Artists Ventura) from 2010 to the present. Her passions include nature, community building and travel.