LESLIE BROWN
Leslie Brown is an artist with a background in social science and an interest in bridge-building between Arts and Sciences - facilitating children within the workshop module in particular.
GAVIN FRANKEL
Gavin Frankel grew up in rural Ireland, a time and place that has ever since been a source of inspiration to him. He studied law at university, followed by a photography course in Paris. He was taught by the master printer George Fevre. When he returned to Ireland he held a successful exhibition of his street photography, images of everyday life in Paris. Frankel's first professional commission was to photograph 800 old houses for the National Architectural Archives. He then went to Dublin and began to photograph fashion and portraits. His second exhibition featured aspects of Irish country life: portraits and landscapes. Frankel then married and went to live in Seoul, South Korea for two years. He started to work for magazines, photographing architecture, fashion and travel stories. He has recently returned to Europe and has settled in Paris with his wife and children. Exhibitions of his personal work include: Paris Street Scenes (Cork 2000); Faces (Dublin 2001); Bamboo Forest By Night (London 2003).
GORDON MACLELLAN
Gordon MacLellan has been described as one of Britain's leading environmental educators. As 'Creeping Toad', Gordon works with groups to find ways of celebrating the relationships between people and the places where they live and work and play. He has a reputation for creating settings where people can challenge themselves, learning new skills, renewing their connection with the world and stepping beyond perceived limitations to dance, tell stories, lead processions, perform with
puppets...Gordon's work is increasingly international with work in Slovakia, South Africa and the USA in recent years.
He is well-known as a trainer and writer, with three books in print; Talking to the Earth and Sacred Animals (both published by Capall Bann) and The Piatkus Guide to Shamanism, (Piatkus). He is currently working on Celebrating Nature, a manual for creating community celebrations Gordon is a trained ecologist and experienced teacher. With an additional background as an artist, storyteller, puppeteer and dancer, his work in celebrations allows him to combine both scientific and expressive fields to create exceptional situations for the groups he works with.
TOM MASON
Dr. Tom Mason is a geologist. He trained at the Queen's University of Belfast, and spent 22 years in South Africa teaching at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban. He has extensive experience as a geological research professor, working on palaeontological topics ranging from the description of the earliest fossils on Earth to mammal-like reptiles of the Karoo and using their trace fossils to describe ancient environments. Having returned to Ireland in 1996 to take up his present post as Director of the Armagh Planetarium. He set up and trained the Planetarium's team of Educational Outreach staff who now provide a curriculum-broadening programme that is available to all schools and community groups throughout Ireland. He has worked with all age groups, has run science training workshops for Primary and Special Needs teachers and regularly presents interactive science workshops at special needs schools. Tom Mason sees his prime function as spreading the knowledge that science is in a constant state of flux which makes it a fun topic to study and enjoy.
CHRIS VIS
Chris Vis studied at the Royal College of Art, the Hague, Holland. After a career in advertising in Dublin he became Head of Art at St. Columba's College, Co. Dublin, till his retirement in 2001. Since 1993 he has been the Visiting Examiner for Art in Ireland for the International Baccalaureate Organisation from which duty he retired in 2005. He has a special interest in the value of Art within the larger educational framework.
