Abbigayle is a fiber artist and creator behind Unraveled Dreams Co. For the past three years, she has been creating handmade crochet goods with a focus on whimsical, one-of-a-kind, and practical creations. Her work ranges from custom wearables and accessories to unique home decor pieces, all thoughtfully handcrafted with creativity and care. Abbigayle is excited to share her passion for fiber arts and inspire others to explore the creativity of crochet.
Holly Jordan is currently a substitute teacher for Lee County, working with students of all ages, including those with special needs. Art is her passion- it’s how she relaxes and recharges- and she’s excited to share that experience with others. She’s been in Florida since 2012, is very family oriented and cares deeply about the community. She looks forward to bringing her creativity and teaching experience to the Alliance.
Dr. Joy Alexakis works in leadership and higher education, where she teaches and supports professional development. She has lived and worked in southwest Florida for the past 11 years. When she is not working, she enjoys being outdoors and traveling especially to Greece each summer as a way to reset. She began making organic sourdough bread a few years ago as a way to practice mindfulness to balance work and life responsibilities, and it has remained a favorite way to slow down and stay grounded. She is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and passion for sourdough bread making through the class!
Tom Humbert brings a unique blend of scientific precision and artistic mastery to his Renaissance oil painting workshops. He holds a degree in physics from North Carolina State University, where his studies led him to explore fine arts through both undergraduate and graduate-level painting courses at the School of Design. This distinctive combination of analytical training and creative development gives Tom a rare perspective on structure, form, and technique in painting. Tom studied privately under the late Frank Covino, widely regarded as a master painter of classical methods. Through this mentorship, he gained deep firsthand knowledge of traditional Renaissance techniques, including underdrawing, underpainting, color, and glazing. Tom has further expanded his expertise through the study of painting conservation, working from established conservation texts and restoring more than 100 paintings and frames. In addition to his artistic work, Tom tutors high school and college students in mathematics and physics, reflecting his strengths as both a right-brain creative thinker and a left-brain analytical problem solver. He has taught numerous painting workshops over the years, guiding students of all levels in developing classical skills. A gallery of student work is available on is website, showcasing the strong results his instruction consistently produces.
Raised in South Carolina, educated in Alabama and British Columbia, Walter Cheatham now lives in the swamps of Sanibel Island in Southwest Florida with his wife and two children. He is the owner of Anthrogenic Education, LLC which focuses on education consulting for non-traditional education institutions, innovative curriculum design and out-of-the-box implementation. While Walter has had many roles in his life and though he does on occasion harbor dreams of becoming a raccoon, the roles most important to him are those of husband and father.
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