photo by Christina Gandolfo
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I'm an educator, facilitator, organizer, performing artist, and arts education & social justice consultant based in the Tongva/Kizh/Chumash/Tataviam lands known as Los Angeles, CA. I love developing and facilitating creative educational programs that engage people of all positionalities at the intersection of the arts, social justice, and social-emotional wellbeing!
I'm also the Arts Education Specialist for the Entertainment Community Fund, the Director of Youth Programming for Everyday Arts, and a faculty instructor in the Studio Arts Department at Loyola Marymount University. I have a Doctoral degree in Social Justice Leadership for Educational and Professional Practice from Antioch University, a Master of Arts in Theater Education from the University of New Mexico, and have been honored to present my award-winning work in many publications and on many stages. I live with my husband, Ewen Wright, in Elysian Heights, where I love to sing, dance, cook, swim, write my Substack, and play with my toddler as much as possible. |
Laurel Butler is a brilliant, passionate, and influential arts educator. She brings an asset-based approach to education, uplifting community voices and ensuring that the work is always centered around our youth's development. Laurel is the rare genius who excels at communicating to a wide range of audiences, with a remarkable ability to break down complex academic concepts into clear, tangible objectives. Her talent as a performing artist is both wide-ranging and genuine, and she is adept at synthesizing her love for the arts with her commitment to education and social justice. A natural leader, Laurel inspires those around her to improve their craft, step just outside their comfort zone, and be the best version of themselves possible.
Matt Bogdanow
Director of Education & Grants, Everyday Arts
With over 20 years of experience as an Arts Educator, my experience working with Laurel is unmatched. Her knowledge of research and hands-on pedagogy in arts education and working with youth is the perfect recipe in supporting administrators and educators. She holds a safe space for participants to share, build community and walk away with tangible resources to inform and implement in their classrooms. Laurel inspires everyone to be reminded of the true transformative power of the arts in the lives of young people. She is a gift to any individual, school or organization that has the opportunity to work with her!
Marissa Herrera
Executive/Artistic Director, 4C Lab
In my work at the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture I have had the good fortune to collaborate with Laurel Butler on a variety of projects and to see her work first hand as a teaching artist and expert facilitator. Laurel’s gifts as a dancer and choreographer are matched by the creativity, emotional power and the intellectual stimulation that she brings to every convening. It is a rare that an artist is talented as well in communicating with clarity and connecting with classroom teachers in ways that fire their imaginations and inspire new ways of engaging youth in the arts. Any room in which Laurel is guiding the practice is transformed with sparkling enthusiasm, laughter and the joy of discovery.
Gregg Johnson
Program Manager, Arts Education
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
Working with Laurel is ALWAYS something I look forward to. Her immense experience, contagious enthusiasm, and empowering leadership skills make collaboration both personally and professionally inspiring! She is a dependable and reliable partner that provides the highest quality of work for a diverse range of publics.
Dr. Jessica Bianchi LMFT, ATR-BC
Art Therapy Clinic Director and Assistant Professor
Loyola Marymount University Department of Marital and Family Therapy
Laurel came into our school like a graceful yet powerful force of knowledge and truth. She is a teacher, a guide, and a witness. The intellectual depth and study of social justice she has engaged in feeds her personal and intuitive approach to teaching and connecting with others. She can move seamlessly between cultures and environments, reading the needs of others and thoughtfully approaching who she is interacting with and what they might need from her, in that moment. When I think of the power of modeling to influence young people and adults, Laurel was modeling the social and culturally responsive behaviors for all of us.
Jennie Willens
Director of Academic, Student and Community Affairs PK-3
Echo Horizon School
Laurel, you are pure magic. The PD that you led in Monrovia this week for 50 of our MUSD teachers on integrating theatre and dance in the curriculum, along with how you touched on social emotional learning, was gold for our teachers. I am such a huge fan of yours and your genius work. You completely bowl me over every time. You have the ability to change people's energy, to engage them, and to inspire them! Thank you so much for coming out to work with us!
Patrick Garcia
Director of Performing Arts
Monrovia Unified School District
Ever growing, ever conscious, Laurel dedicates her efforts to abolition and liberation. Rejecting performative allyship, she constantly gives to causes that make the world a more just, beautiful and educated place. She's also a fantastic friend and sagacious co-conspirator.
Andrew Murphy
Director of Policy Fellowships & Programs
Leadership for Educational Equity
Laurel is by far the most incredible teacher I have ever had, and has become my biggest role model. It is hard to find examples to show how much care and passion she brought to her students because she inspired us with every second of her lessons to the point that we would still be talking about the class for hours or even days after the class had ended. Laurel has made such an amazing impact on her students in so many wonderful ways; she has changed the way we value and engage with art, how we value and take care of ourselves in our everyday lives, how we engage with society and how to simply be the best person you can be! I know that is a lot to say, but this teacher is packed with wisdom, kindness, and meaning. I wish every student in the world could have the chance to have her as a teacher (again, this is saying a lot but I deeply truly mean it) because she has the ability to teach any human on this planet how to be kind, respectful and conscious (and much much more...).
It is safe to say that this class has changed my life. It has given me new perspectives on my art practice, relevant information on what can largely be described as the human rights issue of our generation, and tangible avenues to become involved in direct action activism through meaningful community building. The classes, source material, and guest presentations were all spot on - Laurel is incredibly knowledgeable and has the experience to back it up, and some. She is an incredible resource for UCLA, and our university is blessed to have her active presence on campus.
This was one of the most meaningful classes I have had the opportunity to take during my undergraduate career. Laurel's ability to facilitate developing a strong class community over only ten weeks is incredible. We not only learned about important theories and concepts, but also had the opportunity to actually go into a facility, which many of us had not before. I feel lucky to have taken a course that will help guide me towards becoming part of the resistance against the prison industrial complex. I only wish that more UCLA students had this kind of educational experience!
Laurel has been my favorite professor at UCLA. Never have I had a professor so dedicated, knowledgeable, and passionate about her students and their learning experience.
Laurel is a fantastic teacher. She is fun and warm and welcoming and inspiring and everything you could possibly want in a professor. Her enthusiasm for the subject was evident, and it really inspired the class. I loved her class and enjoyed coming to it each week!
Laurel is an exceptional educator and overall human being. I've never had a class that so deeply changed who I am as a person. I wish more than anything that I could stay in college a little longer just to be taught by her again.
Undergraduate student evaluations, UCLA Visual and Performing Arts Education program
Matt Bogdanow
Director of Education & Grants, Everyday Arts
With over 20 years of experience as an Arts Educator, my experience working with Laurel is unmatched. Her knowledge of research and hands-on pedagogy in arts education and working with youth is the perfect recipe in supporting administrators and educators. She holds a safe space for participants to share, build community and walk away with tangible resources to inform and implement in their classrooms. Laurel inspires everyone to be reminded of the true transformative power of the arts in the lives of young people. She is a gift to any individual, school or organization that has the opportunity to work with her!
Marissa Herrera
Executive/Artistic Director, 4C Lab
In my work at the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture I have had the good fortune to collaborate with Laurel Butler on a variety of projects and to see her work first hand as a teaching artist and expert facilitator. Laurel’s gifts as a dancer and choreographer are matched by the creativity, emotional power and the intellectual stimulation that she brings to every convening. It is a rare that an artist is talented as well in communicating with clarity and connecting with classroom teachers in ways that fire their imaginations and inspire new ways of engaging youth in the arts. Any room in which Laurel is guiding the practice is transformed with sparkling enthusiasm, laughter and the joy of discovery.
Gregg Johnson
Program Manager, Arts Education
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
Working with Laurel is ALWAYS something I look forward to. Her immense experience, contagious enthusiasm, and empowering leadership skills make collaboration both personally and professionally inspiring! She is a dependable and reliable partner that provides the highest quality of work for a diverse range of publics.
Dr. Jessica Bianchi LMFT, ATR-BC
Art Therapy Clinic Director and Assistant Professor
Loyola Marymount University Department of Marital and Family Therapy
Laurel came into our school like a graceful yet powerful force of knowledge and truth. She is a teacher, a guide, and a witness. The intellectual depth and study of social justice she has engaged in feeds her personal and intuitive approach to teaching and connecting with others. She can move seamlessly between cultures and environments, reading the needs of others and thoughtfully approaching who she is interacting with and what they might need from her, in that moment. When I think of the power of modeling to influence young people and adults, Laurel was modeling the social and culturally responsive behaviors for all of us.
Jennie Willens
Director of Academic, Student and Community Affairs PK-3
Echo Horizon School
Laurel, you are pure magic. The PD that you led in Monrovia this week for 50 of our MUSD teachers on integrating theatre and dance in the curriculum, along with how you touched on social emotional learning, was gold for our teachers. I am such a huge fan of yours and your genius work. You completely bowl me over every time. You have the ability to change people's energy, to engage them, and to inspire them! Thank you so much for coming out to work with us!
Patrick Garcia
Director of Performing Arts
Monrovia Unified School District
Ever growing, ever conscious, Laurel dedicates her efforts to abolition and liberation. Rejecting performative allyship, she constantly gives to causes that make the world a more just, beautiful and educated place. She's also a fantastic friend and sagacious co-conspirator.
Andrew Murphy
Director of Policy Fellowships & Programs
Leadership for Educational Equity
Laurel is by far the most incredible teacher I have ever had, and has become my biggest role model. It is hard to find examples to show how much care and passion she brought to her students because she inspired us with every second of her lessons to the point that we would still be talking about the class for hours or even days after the class had ended. Laurel has made such an amazing impact on her students in so many wonderful ways; she has changed the way we value and engage with art, how we value and take care of ourselves in our everyday lives, how we engage with society and how to simply be the best person you can be! I know that is a lot to say, but this teacher is packed with wisdom, kindness, and meaning. I wish every student in the world could have the chance to have her as a teacher (again, this is saying a lot but I deeply truly mean it) because she has the ability to teach any human on this planet how to be kind, respectful and conscious (and much much more...).
It is safe to say that this class has changed my life. It has given me new perspectives on my art practice, relevant information on what can largely be described as the human rights issue of our generation, and tangible avenues to become involved in direct action activism through meaningful community building. The classes, source material, and guest presentations were all spot on - Laurel is incredibly knowledgeable and has the experience to back it up, and some. She is an incredible resource for UCLA, and our university is blessed to have her active presence on campus.
This was one of the most meaningful classes I have had the opportunity to take during my undergraduate career. Laurel's ability to facilitate developing a strong class community over only ten weeks is incredible. We not only learned about important theories and concepts, but also had the opportunity to actually go into a facility, which many of us had not before. I feel lucky to have taken a course that will help guide me towards becoming part of the resistance against the prison industrial complex. I only wish that more UCLA students had this kind of educational experience!
Laurel has been my favorite professor at UCLA. Never have I had a professor so dedicated, knowledgeable, and passionate about her students and their learning experience.
Laurel is a fantastic teacher. She is fun and warm and welcoming and inspiring and everything you could possibly want in a professor. Her enthusiasm for the subject was evident, and it really inspired the class. I loved her class and enjoyed coming to it each week!
Laurel is an exceptional educator and overall human being. I've never had a class that so deeply changed who I am as a person. I wish more than anything that I could stay in college a little longer just to be taught by her again.
Undergraduate student evaluations, UCLA Visual and Performing Arts Education program