imagine That! Staff

Lola Broomberg started these camps when her daughter  Taj was one. Now her daughter is 20 – how did this happen? After all these years Imagine That! is still the highlight of Lola’s summer, a perfect antidote to  her more serious other life as a therapist and adjunct faculty at UO and Lane. She loves watching the magic of a group of children collaborating with each other and a crew of inspired teachers in creating a shared playful vision. Limitations slip away as we spend time in this realm of possibility. Again and again, this journey enlivens us all and restores in our faith in what is possible when people work together and treat each other well.

Happily embarking on her fifth summer as part of the imagine That! team, Rachael Carnes  holds a degree in Theater from Reed College, as well as secondary training in Dance and Drama Therapy from the New School in New York City. She has worked as a teaching artist in the schools, throughout Oregon and Washington, since 1993. Rachael writes professionally about dance and theater, is the founder of Sparkplug Dance, a local non profit dedicated to making movement a learning tool for all children, and serves on the faculty of Lane Community College, offering classes to pre-service teachers in using dance and drama in the classroom. Whether she's leading a workshop for grown-ups, or helping kids in the World's Greatest summer camp create their very own all-original musical, Rachael's motto is "When you're laughing, you're learning."  Rachael will be teaching drama at the second camp.

Hailing from the Big Sky State of Montana in 1988, Scotty Perey graduated from the University of Oregon School of Music (Composition, '94) and proceeded to build a community of nearly a thousand students and their families over the past two decades, both privately and within the 4J School District, as well as from the ten past seasons of imagine That! Enjoying everything from music to reading to writing to hiking to skiing, playing with his band, “The Sugar Beets” or traveling all over the world, Scotty can safely say that there is no job in the known universe more custom-tailored toward the very essence of his being than teaching music at imagine That!   Scotty will be teaching music at camps 1 and 2 and three this year.

Sasha Johnson-Freyd will be teaching art at the first imagine That! session this year. She is an artist, college student, gardener, and researcher. She loves to pick blueberries and go hiking with her family, and to cuddle her cat and chickens. Sasha is an Imagine That! alum and has been involved in the camp for more than 10 years. To her, Imagine That represents the magic, love, joy, and creativity of childhood that she hopes to continue to enjoy for the rest of her life.

Mari Livie is a fibers and ceramics artist.  Her work can be seen in galleries throughout Oregon.  Most days she is busy stitching, snipping, piecing, and  building in her home studio.  During the school year Mari is also an Artist in Residence for Lane Arts Council.  The summer months, however; she sets aside for Imagine That, where she is ceaselessly inspired by the quirky costume creations and innovative set solutions of the imagine That! campers.  Mari will be teaching art at camps 2 and 3 this year.

Jon Bilenki moved from Baltimore to Eugene back in 2000.  He traveled around before he settled down.  He went to school and started a family.  These days he gets to teach Spanish and Music to lots of fabulous folks, young and old.  When he is not teaching or parenting, he plays lead guitar in a band called Poli High.  Jon enjoys hiking, biking and eating locally. So exciting to have the fabulous Jon Bilenki join our team this year. He is teaching music at the third camp 2012.

Kellee Blanchard has been teaching dance for 20 years and is the director of Moving Joyfully, here in Eugene. She can think of nothing more fulfilling than spending her days teaching dance to children. Kellee feels right at home at imagine That!, as she loves to play and to use her imagination. Spending last spring in Colombia, S.A. teaching disadvantaged children has brought her new inspiration to live life to the fullest and she is excited to use that inspiration in a joyful second season with Imagine That!  Kellee will be teaching dance at all three camps this summer.

Born on the Coast, raised by sea lions, this young man, Tall Nate Beard has a serious inclination towards the absurd. Nate is a collaborative writer and director of sketch comedy, long-time improviser, and has training in authentic movement, dance, and theatre. His youth-based theatre work originates on the Oregon coast and has led him here to the Willamette Valley. He has come to believe that there is no group more worthy of his time than the brilliant, thoughtful, hilariously talented people at Imagine That!  Nate is a man of many roles at imagine That! He’s our all-round funster.