Educational Background/Training

• Masters of Regional Planning, Cornell University
• Bachelors of Arts, Sociology, UMBC
• 25 years as a professional photographer
• Conflict Mediation Certification
• Play Facilitator Certification

About the Artist/Ensemble

Jessica Wallach is a seasoned teaching artist, visual storyteller, and leader in accessible, student-driven arts education. She crafts experiences where people of all ages explore and express how their minds and bodies work, how stories unfold, and how the arts support learning, mental wellness, and connection.

Her interdisciplinary residencies integrate photography, stencil-making, painting, and drawing. She frequently collaborates with teachers and other artists to design inclusive programs grounded in Universal Design for Learning. Jessica’s sessions are relaxed and responsive, with open-ended prompts and abundant materials that meet students where they are.

She is especially known for developing stencils as assistive creative tools—combined with materials like tissue paper, dot markers, torn paper, acrylics, or photography—to help participants create artwork in concert with their bodies, not against them. Her work has been featured in disability arts festivals and events like the Kenmore Neurodiversity Conference and George Mason’s Heal Together gathering.

Educational Program Description

Classroom Based Programs Include:

• The Science of Seeing: Light Over Time — Explore how light, time, and observation shape photographs through artistic experiments that connect photography with STEAM.
• The Power of Cell Phone Photography — Discover the creative potential of the camera already in your pocket.
• The Body Is Good — Join Jessica’s participatory art project by designing photographs and stencils from the perspective that the body is good and the body works.
• Art in Motion— Explore how movement shapes the images we make through dance, embodied observation, and collaborative photography.
• Literature Through Photography & Visual Art — Interpret literature through photography, mixed media, and artistic inquiry.

Other Programs

• Student assemblies—large-group, interactive sessions where students learn how photography works through movement, real-time image capture, and storytelling. These events are designed for school-wide participation.
• Family Art Nights -_ bring students, families, and staff together through a 30-minute interactive presentation followed by a 30-minute collaborative artmaking experience, co-led with a second artist.
• Professional Development — These include professional development sessions on using photography to make learning visible, supporting wellness through creative practice, and designing inclusive experiences using adaptive materials and visual art.

Fees

Single workshops $500; residencies starting at $6,000; Family & Community Art Nights starting at $1,350; Professional Development $600–$750/hour; Planning & Evaluation Meetings $400; Curriculum Planning $200/hour; federal mileage applies; fees negotiable; funding may be available.

Audiences

• All Ages
• College/University Students
• Adults