Our Team

Myranda oversees the Joy for Seniors program as Director for the project. She laid the initial foundation of the program and has ensured its continued success by securing grant funding, overseeing program planning and logistics, developing the Professional Development Artist Residency training program, and working with local care facilities and community partners to create the greatest impacts for underserved seniors in our community. Myranda is a trained educator with an advanced degree in music from the University of North Texas and more than twenty years of experience developing and leading educational arts and cultural programs for audiences of diverse ages, abilities, and levels of experience. As a specialist in Creative Aging programs, she works closely with staff, volunteers, and artists to ensure program activities are engaging, empowering, and accessible to older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Clare provides arts instruction and leads the development of collaborative arts projects for participants in the Joy for Seniors program. She is a professional full-time artist in the Austin area working in a variety of media, including stained glass, photography, illustration, and mixed media. For many years she taught science at the university level with a PhD in Entomology specializing in Animal Behavior. Her scientific career in academia as well as her lifelong immersion in Western classical music enriches and informs her approach to devising engaging arts activities for audiences of all ages, levels, and abilities. She has extensive experience in the classroom where she uses her creativity, wisdom, and passion for education to develop a deep appreciation for the visual arts and how they intertwine with our daily lives.

Aidé assists with arts classes, activities, and events for the Joy for Seniors program. Originally from Mexico and now based in Austin, she is a talented creative with experience working in 3-D and 2-D visual arts mediums, including ceramics, bee wax sculpture, stitching, illustration, and painting. She is an active member of the Austin community with a passion for volunteerism and enjoys working with seniors and older adults.

Renee provides hands-on assistance to artist instructors and participants during Joy for Seniors classes and events. She is a self-taught artist and writer with a passion for social justice and equity. From a very young age she has sought to imagine solutions to the world’s problems through art and creative thought. A native Austinite, Renee is currently pursuing a degree in mixed media and literary fiction at Hampshire College in Massachusetts.

Laura is a visual artist and art educator originally from Columbia. Her primary medium is printmaking. Through her art, she tells stories about gender-based violence, identity, healing, and the relationship with nature. She is also a children’s art teacher, developing educational activities focused on creativity and fostering an appreciation for nature.

Kristine is a visual artist trained in a variety of 3-D and 2-D mediums, with a special affinity for printmaking. She holds a degree in Studio Art from ACC, where she served as a studio technician assisting students with printmaking processes of intaglio, lithography, and relief printing. She is an experienced teacher, having taught art at the high school level for two years and completed an educational internship with The Arts Galleries at ACC. She is an active volunteer in the Austin community, always looking for new ways to utilize art and make it accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Sridevi Kalimishetty is a talented artist and maker specializing in blockprinting and traditional Indian crafts. She is the founder of The Art of Layers, a creative platform that brings traditional Indian crafts into modern, hands-on experiences. She shares traditional art forms like block printing and Tholu Bommalata through workshops that encourage mindfulness, creativity, and cultural connection. Her work creates calming, engaging spaces where people can explore art, slow down, and experience the joy of making.

Monica Sanchez, born in Austin, is a self-taught artist who grew up in both Austin and Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. Sanchez finds joy and purpose in being deeply engaged in the Austin community. She draws inspiration from her Tejano/Mexican culture and its respective bright colors that capture the beauty of both life and death, embraces death as a part of life, and depicts the significance and impact of her often marginalized community. Her art is inspired by the natural world and being a protective environmentalist is one of her lifelong passions. 

Courtney is a multi-disciplinary artist and illustrator based in Austin, Texas. She comes from a career in tech as a product manager where she trained new hires, led brainstorming sessions, and oversaw 0-to-1 launches of new digital experiences. Courtney is excited to channel her creative passion into helping others experience the transformative power of art.

Connie is a native Texan who has lived in Austin for more than three decades. She serves as the Vice President of the Resident Council and leads a weekly prayer group in her residential community. She enjoys the therapuetic qualities of art, and her favorite artistic medium is watercolor.

Debbe was born and raised in Austin. She is the proud mother of three and grandmother of two. She is actively involved in the Austin recovery community as peer supporter and advocate. Her favorite thing about art is the feeling of relaxation it brings her and the improvement she sees in herself each class. She especially enjoys meeting new people and seeing new faces through the Joy for Seniors program.

Rebecca was born and raised in Austin. She holds a Fine Arts degree from ACC and is trained in a variety of 2-D visual arts mediums, with a special affinity and talent for illustration. Her favorite thing about art is the opportunity to use your imagination and activate different parts of yoru brain.

Saundrah has lived in Austin for more than 30 years. She is the proud mother of six and grandmother of six. She leads a daily prayer group and serves as head of the birthday committee in her residential community. She is passionate about passing on life lessons to the next generation. She enjoys art as a positive, fun, and creative outlet to explore different mediums and try new things.