Meet Your Muses
Mindy S. Apel is the Owner, Artistic Director, and Lead Teacher at The Paintbrush. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in photography from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in elementary education from DePaul University. She taught kindergarten at Resurrection Catholic Academy for four years, and prior to that she was an assistant teacher and French teacher for pre-K through 8 at Catherine Cook School. Mindy decided to leave formal teaching behind and pursue more artistic endeavors. Mindy brings her extraordinary gift for working with children and her love of art and music to The Paintbrush.
Melanie Ann Apel is the Owner and Coordinating Director of The Paintbrush. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts from Bradley University, and earned a subsequent bachelor’s degree in Respiratory Care from National-Louis University. She worked as a pediatric respiratory therapist at Children’s Memorial Hospital for six years. Melanie has also been a freelance writer of predominantly children’s books (plus the popular pictorial history Lincoln Park: Chicago) since the mid-1990s and her most recent book, Cystic Fibrosis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, was published in the spring of 2006. Melanie is a stay-at-home single mom to two energetic little boys. She brings her organizational skills as well as her amazing ability to multitask to The Paintbrush.
Helen Wanderstock (Creative Arts Workshops)
Carol Koeller (Drawing Workshop)