Katie Lebel is a multimedia artist and educator based in Phoenix, Arizona, with eleven years of experience teaching children's art. She currently works as a youth instructor at Mesa Arts Center, where she teaches ceramics and mixed media classes to children. Her approach is grounded in formal training in Reggio Emilia–inspired practices, deepened through a study abroad program in Reggio Emilia, Italy, focused on early childhood education pedagogy — emphasizing the process of art-making, the hundred languages children use to understand the world around them, and our duty as educators to meet them where they are and offer meaningful learning provocations.

In her own studio practice, Katie works primarily with clay and textiles, alongside illustration, painting, drawing, and digital design. At the heart of her work — both as an artist and an educator — is a curiosity about the connection between creativity and healing, and how making art can be an act of expression, a form of care, and a celebration of life.

Follow her work at @katielebelmakes on Instagram.