Meet the Instructors
Come enjoy the incredible instruction they offer in our Art Classes.
Kelly Dorey
Kelly received a BA degree in Studio Art and Education from Mary Baldwin College. She taught Art and Drama (K-8) in the Lexington City Schools, worked with Fine Arts in Rockbridge (F.A.I.R), and taught Art in three Rockbridge County Elementary Schools. She created an Art curriculum that taught the fundamentals of Art and explored Art History, helping children to create artwork that accompanied and expanded on the Standards of Learning taught in the classroom. With over 25 years of experience working with children of all ages, Kelly recognizes the importance of Art and the creative process in children’s learning and development and has witnessed the many benefits art provides.
Melissa Branin Wheeler
Melissa is a multidisciplinary artist who recently completed her MFA in Art Practice at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has been working in ceramics for six years and maintains her own studio practice. She also teaches ceramics and book arts at Southern Virginia University, where she enjoys helping students explore creative process and material experimentation. Her artistic work investigates the relationship between the body and the materials of making. She is particularly interested in how art practice can nurture cognitive, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Through both her teaching and studio work, Melissa seeks to create spaces of transformation, connection, and discovery.