Meet Our Teachers

Emily Bider – Art, Jewelry Design

As the daughter of an antique dealer, Emily developed a love of art and design early in life. Surrounded by the interesting objects her father bought and sold and captivated by their history, she began collecting vintage jewelry years ago and reworking it into one-of-a-kind necklaces, bracelets and earrings. “As easily drawn to the sparkles of rhinestones as to the history of an antique locket, she combines disparate elements into compelling new designs.”(Cybele Spring 2006)

Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art with a focus on visual art and art history, Master’s of Education in Elementary Education with a focus on arts integration and is a Registered Yoga Teacher. Follow Emily on instagram @emilybiderjewelry

Katy Boucher – Metals

Katie has an associate’s degree in metalsmithing from Heartwood College of Art. She studied under Alice Carroll. Katie has participated in various craft fairs selling her work. She has been making jewelry her whole life and likes to incorporate mixed mediums into her jewelry making, such as resin, beads, and clay. She did take a brief pause in her jewelry making to start a family but is excited to get back into it and join the River Tree community.

Barbara Fraser – Piano, Voice, Therapeutic Arts

Barbara brings together an eclectic background in the arts, education, and therapy as a music instructor. Her specialties include teaching piano and voice students of all ages to read music, training her students with a unique approach combining classical and jazz theory. She brings extensive experience directing early childhood and school-age arts and educational programs.

She has 20 years of musical training on piano, voice, bassoon, and clarinet. Barbara has a BS in Child Development and Educational Psychology, and a secondary focus in Fine Arts, from Union College in New York. “My primary role as an educator is to create a warm, exciting atmosphere wherein my students want to explore and learn, creativity and uniqueness are fostered, expressing feelings and collaboration are modeled and supported.”  Visit my website: frasercreativeexpression.com

Lucy Webb Hardy has been sewing for 55 years.  She greatly enjoys being with children in a variety of capacities, including as a former 4H leader where she taught sewing.  She is a retired para-professional from public schools, the most recent being Kennebunkport Consolidated School. She is a mother to two adults and a grandmother to precious preschool twins.  She lives in Wells with her husband David.

Lauren Hastings Genova – Violin

Lauren Hastings Genova holds a Bachelor’s of Music in violin performance and a Master’s of Ethnomusicology from Boston University.  She also attended The Royal College of Music in London, England during the autumn of 2006.  Prior to university, she attended Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA and the New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School program.  As a violinist, Lauren has toured internationally.  She has studied privately with Dean Stein of the Portland String Quartet, Yuri Mazurkevich, Rosemary Furniss, William Fedkenheuer, and Ferdinand “Dino” Liva of the DaPonte String Quartet, among others.  Lauren currently performs as a member of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Amarantos String Quartet, Alhan Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, and other various Maine-based ensembles.

Along with classical music, Lauren is devoted to and encourages an open-minded approach to music performance and study.  Along these lines, she also enjoys collaborating with many of Portland’s rock musicians.  As a violin teacher, Lauren utilizes various pedagogical methods that she tailors to the student and his/her learning style and interests.

In 2006 Mrs. Lawler graduated with a B.F.A in Dance from the University of Arizona. She was invited to dance in Italy alongside Prima Ballerina, Evelyn Hart, and was also a featured performer at The Broadway Theatre Project under the direction of Ben Vereen. Courtney has had the honor of performing at Gus Giordano’s Jazz Dance World Congress, as a member of Boston’s own Urbanity Dance Project, and has danced professionally in Japan at Tokyo Disneyland. Regional Theatre credits include Hello Dolly, Mame, La Cage Aux Folles, Joseph…Technicolored Dreamcoat and No No Nanette with Tony award winner, Donna McKechnie. Along with having judged dance competitions throughout the country, Mrs. Lawler has taught all genres of dance in and around the Boston area for almost 20 years.

Courtney received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2015 and started working at Maribeth Crupi Physical Therapy, LLC, a private practice in MA that specialized in treating dancers. After four years of treating dancers, she and her family relocated to Kennebunk, ME. She took a hiatus from teaching and treating to raise her three very active sons who are all currently enrolled in the Kennebunk school system. She looks forward to resuming her passions of teaching dance and incorporating safe dance techniques to ensure all her students a long healthy dance career.

Heather Lewis – Visual Arts

ACCOMPLISHED VISUAL ARTIST, TEACHER, COACH Heather Lewis possesses a life-long immersion in the arts beginning in Delaware with artist parents, fine art training at The Philadelphia College of Art, and over three decades of actively creating art for exhibition and sale. PASSIONATE about helping others reconnect with their own creativity, she is a seasoned studio arts instructor and creativity coach who inspires learning through her engaging and encouraging teaching style. She has taught and conducted workshops throughout the northeast for all different age levels from pre-school to college.

Heather is an adjunct studio arts professor at York County Community College. “As with her paintings, Heather’s classroom instruction serves as a magical conduit through which others discover their own dreams, visions, images, and feelings. She creates a learning environment where her students feel safe to explore and, simultaneously, challenged and stretched to their highest potential. Heather truly embraces and models the belief that her classroom provides the venue to set the creator in each of us free. “ Read more on Heather Lewis here

Abby Nolette – Dance

Abby is a recent graduate of Kennebunk High School. She plans on getting a minor in psychology, majoring in dance and education. She is attending the University of Southern Maine for the year, planning on attending Roger Williams University for the 2022/2023 year. She has worked with children most of her life, leading them to discover and create.

Abby has been dancing for almost 15 years. She has been dancing at River Tree arts since the start of the dance program and has been assisting since. She will be teaching the younger dancers, along with Irish steps.

Sam Smithwick – Guitar, Drums

Originally from Mississippi, Sam Smithwick is a teacher and singer/songwriter who performs and offers instruction in songwriting, literature, history, rock band, guitar, bass, and ukulele. A graduate of Auburn University and the University of Southern Maine, he resides in Kennebunk and spends his time writing, performing, and teaching. Sam toured nationally and worked in concert management for nearly twenty years. Teaching a range of styles and skill levels, Sam specializes in creative writing, the blues, and coaching beginner musicians.

Russel Whitten – Visual Art

In 2004, at age 22, Whitten was juried into the 70-member Ogunquit Art Association, Maine’s oldest art group founded in 1928 to bring together professional artists to exhibit their finest work and provide an educational forum to enhance the cultural life on the Seacoast.

He received two scholarships to study fine art at Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk, where Hardy, West and Lethem were his teachers. Whitten went on to complete a year’s course of study at the prestigious Art Students League of New York, after which he came back to Maine and pursued the OAA. Russel is well versed in several mediums & styles. He has shown his work throughout New England, including the Barn Gallery. Follow Russ on Instagram @whittenrussel