Kristi Ash co-founded The Studio in 1997 with her friend Lori Kotsonas in order to give visionary artists in Humboldt County a place to freely express themselves. Kristi is also the Director of The Studio and the Cheri Blackerby Gallery

Kristi has worked in agencies that serve people with disabilities in the areas of employment, supported living, recreation, homeless outreach and art therapy for the past 19 years in Missouri, the San Francisco Bay Area and Humboldt County, CA.

When not at The Studio, Ash can be found writing madly in worn notebooks and creating sculptures out of flour, sugar and butter.

Angie Valetutto

Angie Valetutto began in the 5th grade with playing the part of a flying monkey in the Wizard of Oz. Between the fllying monkey and living room performances, Angie grew up with a love of theatre. This eventually lead her to Syracuse University in New York, where she received her MFA in Theatre Design, specializing in Lighting. While pursuing her degree, Angie spent just as much time directing shows as she did lighting them.

Angie Valetutto was overjoyed to be hired on at the Studio in 2003 as an art teacher and also as the Drama teacher. Working at the Studio has ignited a love of outsider art, spontaneously bursting into dance, and a boldness to “just be oneself”.

Angie took on the role of Lead teacher at the Studio in 2004.  She also serves as a creative advisory team member for Synapsis, a local performing arts organization.

John Bensch

John Bensch has been teaching figure drawing and helping artists at the Studio solve problems in painting since 2001 and now is also running a video workshop two days a week. In the time he has worked there he has seen the place go through several growth phases, from one room and two teachers to five rooms with five teachers and a gallery. From just drawing, painting and paper mache, to the addition of ceramics, drama, printmaking and digital arts.

Besides teaching at The Studio, John also paints commissioned portraits from photographs. In addition he works on call at Cider House and New Choices, supported living homes for developmentally delayed people in Fortuna and Eureka CA.

Bensch's education includes two years studying anatomy and figure at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA and a year at the S.F. Academy of Art studying design and illustration. Concurrently, John studied old master's painting techniques from David Hardy for three years in Oakland. John's video experience is self taught. Bensch started making short films with his neighborhood friends using the family's wind up 8mm movie camera at the age of twelve, in 1968. On and off, film and video have been a part of his expressive endeavors ever since. He has been involved with Access Humboldt and has been a contributor of station identification spots.

Melissa Medina

Melissa Medina grew up in Los Angeles and eventually moved to the Humboldt area to attend Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. After graduating with a Bachelors in Studio Art, Melissa spent three years in the HSU Honors painting program. She was also a teacher’s assistant and lab assistant at HSU for several years.

Melissa has also worked on and off as a respite worker for the developmentaly disabled.

She paints abstract expressionist pictures and is enthusiastic about unrefined art. As she says, “Always be a beginner and have fun”

Jamie Walsh

Jamie Walsh has been an active promoter of DIY art and music for years on the north coast and extends this enthusiasm to her positions as teacher at The Studio and curator of the Cheri Blackerby Gallery.

Jamie grew up in Michigan, moved to California several years ago, and earned her B.A. from Humboldt State University in Art History in 2006. Her primary artistic interests include Dada, "Outsider" art, children's art, the psychology of art, Paul Klee, and Marcel Duchamp.

In her own work, she likes painting strange animals, distorted keyboards, old picture frames, and disassembling stuffed animals. She lives in Arcata in a mysterious tree house in the woods.