Shannon Venable

Program Director and Arte al Sole founder Shannon Venable of Santa Barbara, California, received a Master's Degree in Medieval and Renaissance History in 1998 and has worked as a freelance writer, editor, and educator in the fields of history, French and Italian language, the social sciences, and travel for over 16 years. Shannon is currently publisher of Italiakids.com, an online resource for international families in Italy, and owner of Venable Editorial Associates, a translation and editorial services firm. Her most recent publication is the volume Gold: A Cultural Encyclopedia (2011, Greenwood Press).

Carolyn Kenny

Instructor Carolyn Kenny of Santa Barbara, California, received an Interdisciplinary Master's Degree in Psychology, Anthropology, and Ethnomusicology with an emphasis on the arts in 1982. In 1987 she received her Ph.D. in Human Development, having conducted research on the role of the arts in human development. Presently, she is a professor of human development and indigenous studies in the Antioch University Ph.D. in Leadership and Change. She has taught and lectured in many countries around the world emphasizing the important role of the arts in human development. She is a recognized author on this topic and her works have been translated into several languages.

Marion Freel

Instructor Marion Freel, studied the History of Art and Architecture at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has since pursued her aspirations to engage with all levels of visual aspects of design, particularly when found in seemingly ordinary, yet ultimately profound, places. This is her third year teaching for Arte al Sole.