Arts Are Core:
Summer Arts Integration Conference
July 29, 2026
8:00 am–4:00 pm
Utah State University
Presenters
Keynote Speaker: Dovie Thomason
Dovie Thomason is an award-winning storyteller, recording artist, and author. The rich oral traditions of her mixed heritage of Scot Traveller, Lakota and Apache, first heard from her grandmother, set Thomason on a lifelong path to listen and learn and share the stories in a style where laughter, learning, and respect come together. She creates a rapport and bond with listeners of all ages through her engaging storytelling and animal voices, while sharing her life’s experience of Indigenous oral tradition and values, transforming it for today’s audiences. Dovie has used her storytelling to advise the UCLA Film School on narrative in modern film, NASA on indigenous views of technology, the Smithsonian Associates’ Scholars Program and the premier TEDx Leadership Conference. Her role as a traditional cultural artist and educator has been honored by the National Storytelling Network’s ORACLE: Circle of Excellence Award and the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers’ Traditional Storyteller Award. Dovie’s work actively supports language arts by inspiring a love of spoken word, encouraging reading, strengthening literacy and listening, and modeling powerful storytelling techniques that enhance writing skills. From Headstart classes to international honors, Dovie is respected for her impact as a cultural artist and educator.
Tina Misaka
Tina Misaka is an alumna of the University of Utah Modern Dance Program. Tina has danced and performed with Repertory Dance Theatre and other professional dance companies around the world. Tina has served as a dance educator and taught throughout the United States and Europe. She served as rehearsal director for New Carte Blanche (Bergen, Norway) and acting dean of Danshogskolan (Sweden). In 1998, Tina was honored with the Salt Lake City Mayor's Arts Award. Tina is the recipient of the 2014 Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education. For the past 14 plus years, she has served as a highly qualified licensed dance educator in the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP). Tina is renowned across the state as a master dance pedagogue and an expert in the field of arts integration. As a dance educator, Tina promotes young people's artistic enrichment as well as their personal growth. Tina is currently teaching at Tanner Dance and various dance residencies.
William Estrada
William Estrada is an artist and educator whose work is shaped by his experiences in California, Mexico, and Chicago, informing both his creative practice and teaching philosophy. He serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art Education and Assistant Professor at UIC, and spent 23 years as a teaching artist at Telpochalli Elementary School. As a speaker and presenter his focus is community programming, arts integration, and social justice. Awards and recognitions include the 2016 Teaching Artist Community Award from 3Arts Chicago, the 2021 National Leadership Award from the National Guild for Community Arts Education, and the 2023-2024 NALAC Catalyst for Change Fellow. He was also named “The People’s Art Teacher” in The Reader’s People Issue 2023, a 2024-2025 cohort member for the Mural Arts Initiative’s Strength Through Solidarity Initiative and was the subject for the Mobile Street At Cart Project-Localish, which won a 2025 Emmy Award.
Cynthia Davis-Nordfelt
Cynthia Davis-Nordfelt graduated from Brigham Young University with a double BFA in Theatre Education and Music Dance Theatre. She also has endorsements in Elementary Drama teaching from Southern Utah University and Shadow Puppetry from Focus Five (an extension of the Kennedy Arts Center). Her teaching experience includes: Hillcrest High School Theatre, including the International Baccalaureate Theatre class, Montessori Theatre classes for 5+ years, and elementary BTS Drama Arts. She has also had the opportunity to work with the Utah State Prison women population. Cynthia has presented at Arts Are Core, Arts Express and District Professional Development Days. She loves singing and is in her sixth season singing with Utah Chamber Artists. She believes the arts, in all forms, are essential for a full and happy life.
Kim Montano
Kim Montano has been teaching music for 20+ years, with experience in public school, private studio, university, and Montessori settings, and has a wide range of experience from preschools to drumlines. She currently works as the Program Director for Arts Education at Westminster University. Kim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science from Utah State University; and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree with a concentration in Music Education from Westminster University. She has been a previous presenter at several state-wide and national professional development conferences, and training workshops. Kim is crazy about her family (three almost-grown kids, a husband, and a small spoiled dog), playing percussion, musicals, and Disney trips.
Laura Hawley
Laura Hawley is an artist and educator who delights in enabling creative expression. She holds a BFA in art and a minor in Chinese from Utah State University. Laura loves every art form she tries, but especially paper collage, bookmaking, watercolor, and printmaking. For many years she facilitated the Creation Station at Summerfest. This involved providing enjoyable and approachable art opportunities for hundreds of participants of all ages, including dance, drama, and music activities, as well as visual arts. At River Heights Elementary School, Laura taught art for eight years, collaborating with the K-6 classroom teachers in every subject making art forms accessible to all. She firmly believes that the opportunities available in the art studio to problem solve, learn collaboration, and make meaningful decisions are vital components in preparing students for lifelong learning and contribution to their communities.
Katherine Ross Hejazi-Far
Katie Hejazi-Far holds a Bachelor of Music Education from West Virginia University and a Master of Music Education from Old Dominion University. She began her teaching career in Virginia before relocating to Utah, where she taught as a Beverley Taylor Sorenson music educator. Katie currently teaches an arts integration course at Utah State University and serves as a Professional Development Partner with the BYU Arts Partnership. She is passionate about supporting teachers through meaningful, accessible arts integration and has presented at local, state, and national conferences. In addition to her work in schools and universities, Katie creates resources and shares ideas with educators through her social media platforms, Hello Miss Music Teacher. She can be reached at hellomissmusicteacher@gmail.com or on Instagram and TikTok @hellomissmusicteacher.
Sarah Butterfield
Sarah Butterfield is a Utah State University alumni with a BFA in Theatre Education and a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. She teaches PreK-6th Grade in two rural elementary schools in Duchesne County as a Beverley Taylor Sorenson Drama Educator. One of her strengths and passions is in arts integration – she especially loves the challenge of combining theatre with other subjects such as science, math, social studies, and ELA. One of her ongoing projects is her after school theatre club, where she loves to write and adapt plays for student performances. She is a past recipient of the Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education and loves to learn through the arts.
Melissa Wrigley
Melissa Wrigley is a Beverley Taylor Sorenson art educator with 10 years of teaching experience. She creates cross-curricular art projects through hands-on exploration and is passionate about arts-based learning, fostering a classroom where creativity and curiosity grow. Her approach to teaching is shaped by a range of life experiences, including growing up in rural Idaho, living in New York City, and spending a summer in Japan, which influence her use of cultural and nature-based connections in the classroom. As an elementary art teacher, she has had student artwork featured in public displays, including on a bus through the Art in Transit: From Schools to Community program. She is also an award-winning photographer. She lives in Providence, Utah, and enjoys hiking, travel, visiting art museums, and spending time with her family.
