Amory Abbott is an American visual artist, illustrator, author, and publisher, with a creative practice that spans gallery exhibitions, illustrated media, writing, publishing, and community outreach. He approaches course curriculum with professional insight, curiosity, joy, and rigor. Beyond his work at ECU, Amory publishes an art book series on wildfire called Fire Season, showcases local comic makers through his publishing company Cauldron Books & Comics, and is the Executive VP for Vancouver Comic Artists Association that hosts VanCAF.

David Bergman is a life-long learner interested in many things including coding and robotics, interaction design, 3D modeling and prototyping, biomedical engineering, communication design, psychology, and saving the planet. His Bachelors degree, from SFU, is in Molecular and Cell Biology. He studied computer programming, including signal processing and game design at BCIT, and his Masters degree is from the School of Interactive Art and Technology at SFU in the field of information visualization: design, Gestalt theory, UX and mental map preservation.

Since graduating from Emily Carr University in 1984, Darren has worked in various roles in animation studios around the world. He is passionate about helping student storytellers bring their ideas to life in animation and storyboarding.

Sichen Grace “SG” Chen is a painter/illustrator, artist-researcher, and educator with a practice that spans between commercial illustration, gallery exhibitions, public art and community engagement. Together with students, she offers a holistic curriculum that combines inquiry-based learning, conceptual rigour and skill-building. She is passionate about investigating interpersonal and ecological relationships through saturated colour and layered textures. She is the co-founder and creative director of Atelier Aloera, a research-oriented climate collective and artist group.

Sarah Green is an illustrator from San Francisco based in Vancouver. She has illustrated over a dozen picture books, as well as book covers, stationar, and editorial columns for the New York Times.

Jim’s practice consists of drawing, ink-painting, artists’ books, zines, comics and room-sized installations. Drawing has been the centre of his work for 25 years and continues to be a near-daily activity and essential mode of nonverbal thinking. Drawing is his way of contemplating the tensions between the real and unreal, human and nonhuman, travel and transformation, invisible and speculative worlds. Though the content ranges from the biological to the phantasmagorical, there’s an enduring interest in human challenges and capacities to fathom deep time, and to empathize across species. Jim has also orchestrated collaborative projects, sometimes involving hundreds of people drawing together.

Sara is an animation artist, storyteller, poet, and art therapist. She holds a BA in Visual Communications and an MA in Animation from Tehran University of Art, and a Graduate-Level Diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute. She has been a longstanding faculty member in the MA Animation program at Tehran University of Art. Sara has supervised more than 70 practical and theoretical animation theses. She has directed short animations, written scripts, and contributed to numerous animation projects and workshops.

Hyein Lee has taught illustration and motion graphic design at OCAD University, Centennial College, and Sheridan College. She earned her Master of Design degree in Video Game Stylistics from OCAD University, where she won the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Scholarship. She holds a BASc in Geological Engineering from the University of Toronto and a BA in Illustration from Sheridan College. Her clients include CBC, Scholastic, Canadian Living, This Magazine and Planned Parenthood.

Miriam Libicki is an Eisner-nominated and Inkpot-awarded cartoonist with a BFA in Visual Art from ECU and an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC. Her graphic nonfiction is published by Fantagraphics, the Journal of Jewish Identities, and Abrams Books. Her work received the Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature, and she was the 2017 Writer in Residence at the Vancouver Public Library. Miriam exhibits and lectures internationally at galleries, comicons and academic symposia.

Rubén Möller works as an independent animator in Vancouver. He pursues film and digital production to evolve his theory and practice of new media structures. Through his own production company along with television and theatrical organizations he branches out these ideas into industry and education.

Justin Novak is an artist and an Associate Professor of Art at ECU. Justin worked for 17 years as a freelance illustrator in New York City, for a range of book, newspaper, and magazine publishers. A second career followed, as an exhibiting artist working primarily with ceramic and drawing media.

Chelsea has worked in art education for over 10 years and is passionate about helping students navigate art school and achieve their creative and academic goals.