THEATER     |      ART     |    PROPS & STAGE DESIGN    |     MUSIC    |     DANCE & MOVEMENT     |     CREATIVE WRITING


FACULTY

The Multi-Arts faculty brings together professional artists and educators from the Pioneer Valley, New York, and around the world. Accomplished leaders in visual arts, theater, dance, fashion, music, and film, these internationally recognized artists create a rich, multicultural learning experience. Through their passion, enthusiasm, and humor, they inspire children to explore their creativity and imagination.


CATALINA ARRUBLA – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 
Catalina is the founder and Executive Director of Multi-Arts. She is also a professional oboist and oboe teacher, and directs chamber music ensembles. 
Catalina was formerly the director of the publications department of the Ministry of Culture in Colombia, her native country. She has been recipient of a Community Service Award from the Amherst Chamber of Commerce "for her passionate and profound commitment to the performing arts in the Pioneer Valley, and recognition of her work through Multi-Arts. "HER PASSION IS INFECTIOUS!" –Amherst Chamber of Commerce.
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JULIO NEIJENS – ART DIRECTOR & TEACHER
Julio is an artist based in Deerfield, MA. He graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he majored in painting and drawing. His paintings have been shown in exhibitions in Chicago and New England. Julio is a landscape and portrait painter. He has worked as head carpenter and painter in theater productions in Chicago, as well as a set designer in opera productions in Massachusetts. His outdoor art workshops, "Approaches in Drawing," explore ways of approaching nature through drawing.  He is the art director and teacher at Multi-Arts. 
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NORMA JEAN HAYNES  –  HEAD TEACHER & MUSIC
Norma Jean Haynes (she/they) is a musician, educator, and community organizer raised in Western Massachusetts. A banjo player and vocalist, Haynes leads the nationally touring folk band Norma Dream. Haynes is a OneBeat Fellow and the author of Make Music: A Kid's Guide (Storey Publishing, 2019). She graduated summa cum laude from Smith College with a degree in Education and French Studies, and has taught music widely in Western Massachusetts, including at the Common School and with Little Roots. 
JOSH GOLD – HEAD TEACHER
​MIME  &  CIRCUS  &  BLACKLIGHT THEATER
Josh is a Multi-Artist from head to toe. From making music, DJing, drawing, painting, crafts, writing, storytelling, photography, video, costumes, puppetry, mime, dance, and circus—he does it all! His unique curriculum and repertoire of enrichment classes links the arts with academic knowledge. Teaching for over 25 years here in the Pioneer Valley, Josh has been an inspiration for countless students.
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INES ARRUBLA – CRAFTS  &  WRITING  &
​FLAMENCO DANCE
Ines is from Colombia, studied flamenco dance in Spain, lived for 15 years in The Netherlands and toured Europe with her flamenco dance company to enthusiastic audiences. Besides dancing, she also loves writing, reading, and teaching, to pass on to others the passion of her many passions. In the present she works as a writer and editor. Ines has been working at Multi-Arts for over 24 years.
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AMY MARES – HEAD TEACHER - FABRIC ARTS
Amy is a queer artist and bodyworker living and working in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Their art takes many shapes, including: fiber arts, collage, drawing, sculpture and theatre. They have been making art with children for many years and love supporting youth in the cultivation of their creative spirit! Along with being an artist Amy is also a community organizer.

GABRIEL CIFUENTES – HEAD TEACHER 
​THEATER
Gabriel CiFuentes is a Colombian theatre artist and educator in the Pioneer Valley. His artistic focus is on acting, directing, and sound designing. During the school year, he teaches English as a second language to students in the Easthampton school district. He believes that theatre and other artistic pursuits should be a vital component of children's education. He applies his artistic experience to help others develop a healthy sense of self-esteem, perseverance, and critical thinking.

OLIVER BRUBAKER – HEAD TEACHER 
THEATER
Oliver is an artist who has been happily involved with Multi Arts since 2018. Whether teaching art, theatre, fashion, or even puppetry, he enjoys teaching kids for the sheer fun of it! Holding a BA in Studio Arts from UMass, Oliver has received multiple awards for his animated short, The Toad in the Hole (2023).  In 2025, he published and co-authored the children’s book Bugs and Trucks.

AIDAN O'NEILL – HEAD TEACHER 
idan (he/him) is a writer and musician currently based in Hadley, MA. Through working with children across camp and school settings, he has discovered his passion for inviting the jubilance of youth into interactive environments of play and learning. In 2025, he received a BA in English from UMass and continues to write essays and poetry. He has played music since childhood, and enjoys leading song circles, jamming along to bluegrass, and songwriting.

XINEF AFRIAM – THEATER
Xinef  is a Multi-Arts alum with over a decade of experience working with youth in creative spaces. A theater director and playwright, Xinef has collaborated with award-winning regional companies such as Barrington Stage Company, including their nationally recognized Playwright Mentoring Project. They are passionate about fostering young voices and helping students explore the power of storytelling and performance.
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​DARLA STABLER – FASHION & WRITING
Darla has been teaching with Multi-Arts since 2017. Her classes often focus on fashion and improv, and she also enjoys drawing, sculpture, and writing. Darla also works with children as site coordinator at Greenfield Recreational After School Program, and as a Clinical Supervisor at Camp Wediko. 

SEAMUS CONNOR – HEAD TEACHER
​DANCE 
Seamus is an enthusiastic musician and dancer, with a particular interest in contra dance, Celtic and old-time music and an appreciation for the social and spontaneous aspects of dance. They help run a contra dance series in the northern Berkshires, as well as participating in jams and dances around the area. Seamus also loves working with children and teaches fifth grade during the school year. They’re very excited to be joining Multi-Arts this year!​

​JOHN McPHEE – THEATER
John, an actor and educator, uses theater for personal growth. He earned a BA in Theater from UMass (2017) and an MFA from The Actors Studio Drama School in NYC (2020). Since then, he has worked as an actor in NYC and New England. John has been a Theater Arts Professor at American International College, taught English at Northampton High School, and now teaches Lee Strasberg’s Method Acting at the Hartsbrook School. He enjoys playwriting, gardening, and traveling while working as a cybersecurity instructor for Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.

LIZ O'BRIEN - DANCE 
Liz is a movement educator, performance artist, and dance maker who lives in western Massachusetts. Liz’s approach to teaching emphasizes playfulness, creativity, and finding pleasureful movement as a tool towards self-expression. A graduate of Hampshire College, they work in the realms of dance, performance, and somatics, reflecting on the intricacies of having a body in the world today. Liz is also a guild certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner. ​

DOMINIC DeLONG-RODGERS  – THEATER
Dominic DeLong-Rodgers is a long-time teaching artist, and current graduate student at The University of South Carolina. Dominic has taught for the past several years at the nationally recognized Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, where he has also maintained a practice of professional performance. Having worked as an educator with all ages - preschool to college - Dominic believes everyone has a story to tell, and his passion is helping young people unleash their voices and express their creativity.

LEA CHIARA – ART
Lea Chiara is a visual artist, teacher and songwriter from Northampton, Massachusetts. She works in a variety of media, including mask making, painting and mixed-media sculpture. She holds a BS in Fine Arts from Skidmore College, and has been making art with her students for over fifteen years in various educational and extracurricular settings, including her own self-directed paper-mache theater camps. Her projects and studies in the arts have led her to travel to Guatemala, Mexico, Italy and Mongolia. You can see some of her work at www.leachiara.org.
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DANA MAPLE – HEAD TEACHER
Dana went to Hampshire College for Art and Landscape Architecture, then to the Conway School for Ecological Design. She has a lifelong love of arts, from sculpture to fiber arts to writing, and loves working with young people. She works for a non-profit tree nursery, does agroforestry and design, and enjoys doing craft projects as well as writing. 

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​MAIA KINNEY-PETRUCHA – THEATER 
Maia is a children’s playwright and theater educator based in New York City and Amherst, Massachusetts. Her background in cognitive science drives her love for theatrical research, and for the power theater have to heal and foster empathy through storytelling. She believes that collaboration between young and adult artists is vital for inspiring new ideas. She is passionate about exploring how theater and in all art expressions can spark change. 

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​WHAT PARENTS SAY

"The talent, dedication, and enthusiasm of the Multi-Arts executive director and her staff are extraordinary. The group is constantly striving to provide children in the community with new and varied creative workshops and the staff is willing to work with very tightly controlled budgets to try to grow their programs."