Amber Scardino is the founder and owner of Figment Creative Labs. She started teaching art and providing process art experiences out of her garage when her boys were very young in 2013. She loved watching the children’s amazement when they did fizzy experiments, their excitement when they tinkered and created “their greatest inventions”, and was constantly inspired by the children’s wonder and exploration when at play. This fueled her to continue her work and want to give those experiences to more children. As Figment has grown, so has the menagerie of animals that are cared for at Figment. Amber believes that caring for the animals teaches the children empathy and responsibility and is a calming welcoming part of the work done at Figment. When she is not at work Amber is home with her family on her mini farm which includes cows, goats, a pig, peacocks, chickens, and two dogs. Amber has a degree in business administration, painting and drawing and art history from LSU, but her passion is providing children with creative experiences that spark exploration, wonder, and play. As a mother of two and coauthor of the book series STEAM Kids, she believes that art should be a stress-free process that promotes self esteem and confidence. She hopes that Figment will inspire creativity in people of all ages, bring families together through art and encourage learning through play.
Sarah Kamalsky is a multi-faceted maker with a focus on ceramics, print making and fiber arts. A transplant from New England, she has been creating art and tinkering since her youth – determined to take on any project that could be made by hand.
Leaving behind a corporate career when her son was born, Sarah found her joy in connecting with other families and creating various art and nature based homeschool co-ops in the South Austin area, while building her home based ceramics business.
She loves finding community through art and watching the delight on children’s faces as they bring their ideas to reality through making. You can find Sarah teaching in our Homeschool Program.
Hanny Marin is an artist and teacher from Trinidad, Cuba. She speaks Spanish fluently, and can implement it in the classroom. She has a degree in Film-Making and worked at Haligon Fine Art in Miami where she helped artists realize their creations in 3D. She came to Austin in 2015 to restore a sculpture at Dimensional Place and it was during this trip that she fell in love and moved here in 2017.
Just a few years ago she started working with children as a creative instructor in a bilingual Montessori school. In this setting, she found her passion! Hanny’s favorite thing about process-art with children is seeing them exploring, expressing themselves, and enjoying the process and experience of art.
You will find Hanny teaching in our Creative Pre-k, Spanish Immersion, Art Birthday Parties, and Toddler Play Group programs.
Brooke Andrews is a Creative Pre-K teacher at Figment and a home grown Austinite. She graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. Brooke has worked with children for the past 22 years in preschool settings, fine arts programs, as well as dance, gymnastics, and fitness.
Her experience ranges from infants through Pre-k. Ms. Brooke enjoys facilitating children’s learning and development through play, art, music, and nature.
Melissa Stimac is a multidisciplinary artist from Southern California, who has spent several years teaching children’s art workshops. Additionally, she has extensive experience working as a Paraeducator substitute teacher for preschool and K-12 grade levels.
Her favorite aspect of teaching visual art is helping children to bring their own creativity and vision to life. You can find Ms. Melissa teaching one of our Creative Pre-K Classes and our Tues/Thurs Younger Homeschool Group.
Mary Helen describes herself as a compulsively creative individual. In addition to making and selling her own illustrated art and ceramics, running her own mini art studio, and teaching at Figment, Mary Helen works as a food stylist for culinary media productions. She has even dabbled in creating props and special effects for small films.
Mary Helen loves art best of all, but science and technology are also huge passions for her. She is Figment’s resident geek, in charge of all things 3D printed, laser cut, and computer focused. She even helped design this website.
M.H. teaches homeschool, after school, Figment’s classes for grownups, and the after-school science lab. When she’s not making a mess at Figment you can find her making a mess at home with her two kids.
Hello! I’m Kris Higgins.
I’m thrilled to join the Figment team as the Birthday Party Coordinator. If you’re looking to plan the perfect birthday party, I’m here to help! Figment offers a magical setting for celebrations, where children can immerse themselves in a unique, creative learning environment.
A little about me: While I cherish my hometown of Houston, living and working in Austin has been a lifelong dream. After many fulfilling years teaching PreK, First, and Second grades at Austin ISD, I recently retired. Now, I feel fortunate to spend my days with our wonderful staff, crafting exciting birthday celebrations, exploring new places through travel, creating memories with loved ones, and taking leisurely walks with our dog, Stella.
Kelsey Bryant is a born and raised Austin-ite who enjoys creating with different mediums from acrylic paint to crafting to makeup artistry. She found comfort in creating from an early age and wants to share that with her community.
She graduated from Austin Community College with a degree in studio art in 2022 and hopes to use that to continue her artist career. In her free time, she likes exploring Austin’s ever-changing food scene, exploring the Greenbelt and outdoor trails, playing video games and listening to stories of true crime.
Adriana was born in Bogotá, Colombia where she graduated with a Marketing and Advertising degree. She grew up on a farm on the city’s outskirts and spent her childhood connected with nature and surrounded by animals. After raising her two daughters, she realized she enjoyed coming up with creative hands-on activities as a way for them to learn and explore. Adriana loved witnessing their progress, nurturing their curiosity, and discovering that she wanted to share her experience with others.
Adriana has worked with families and their children for over 14 years designing personalized activities tailored to each child’s interests. She often uses an immersion approach to teaching Spanish and uses the outdoors as her classroom. She has been described by the families she works with as being “a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend!” In her free time, Adriana enjoys hiking, cycling, camping, or playing pickleball. She is always adventuring and enjoying these moments surrounded by her friends and family.
Heidi Lowell is a local artist who creates her own watercolors with Texas soils and pigments. You can find her art over at www.HeidiLowell.art. She comes to us with an abundance of teaching experience including awards like Teach of the Year and the District Innovation in Education Award. She is equally passionate about her own art and sharing the creative process with students of all ages.
Jennifer Perkins is an artist, writer and creative content designer who has lived in Austin for over 25 years. Much like many people here after graduating with her degree in psychology she never left the area. She also never used that degree and instead has worked in the craft industry for over 20 years. During that time she has hosted television programs, was the editor-in-cheif of a magazine called Kids Crafts 1-2-3 and authored 5 books 4 of which are about children’s crafts. She still works regularly with HGTV and has created content for Michaels, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Amazon and more. She also teaches creative workshops around the country.
Jennifer started at Figment teaching adult craft classes in the evening sharing her love of all things vintage and kitschy with everything from felt tree skirts and bookbinding to Easter egg dioramas and shell covered mermaid heads . After occasionally substitute teaching for AISD when her two children were younger Jennifer realized she missed working with kids in a creative capacity. Recently at Figment she has transitioned into afterschool teaching and will also be a summer camp instructor.
When not at Figment Jennifer can be found chauffeuring her two teenagers around, roaming the aisles of a flea market or at home in South Austin with one of her art journals covered in paint.
Bonnie Brushwood is a ceramic artist, educator, and all-around creative sparkplug who believes that art is best when it’s a little messy and a lot joyful. A graduate of Texas State University with a BFA and all-level art teaching certification, Bonnie brings a rich blend of studio practice, playful exploration, and deep community involvement to everything she does.
Her journey into art education began in earnest after years on the road as part of her husband’s magic show, where she first met him backstage—he was on sound, she was assisting a magician, and the rest is showbiz history. While her husband’s popular YouTube series Modern Rogue and Scam Nation grew, Bonnie was raising three wildly creative daughters (plus two dogs and a very opinionated lizard), and steadily building her own body of work in ceramics.
At Figment, Bonnie combines her love for teaching, parenting, and studio life into experiences that help kids tap into their own creativity. Whether she’s sculpting with students, crafting with her girls, or walking the dogs while dreaming up her next project, Bonnie is always looking for ways to bring a little more beauty—and a little more magic—into the world.
René is a versatile artist, educator, and studio manager with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Pictorial Arts and an Associate of Arts in Painting. Growing up in the dynamic San Francisco Bay Area, René’s creative work and career have been shaped by the region’s diverse art scene and innovative spirit. An accomplished artist, René’s work has been featured in Content Magazine in Silicon Valley, reflecting her unique voice and the depth of her practice. With a love for travel, she draws inspiration from global experiences, constantly seeking new cultural and creative influences that enrich her work.
In addition to her artistic practice, René has held leadership roles such as Program Manager for a nonprofit organization, where she was instrumental in developing and managing arts-based initiatives that engaged diverse communities. In addition, she created an extensive art and cooking curriculum that empowered students to explore their creative potential and gain confidence through artistic expression.
With a rich background in studio management, René has worked across a variety of creative environments, from tattoo shops to art studios and galleries. This hands-on experience has provided a strong foundation for her understanding of the inner workings of the art world, making her adept at curating and organizing spaces where creativity can thrive.
Adriana Cantu, a Latina writer, socio-political advocate and creative writer, was raised in the Rio Grande Valley and later attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas. After college, she returned to Austin and started a blog and website on parenting, which furthered her journey in art and crafting.
Currently, Adriana is a valued member of our party team at Figment, where she can be found on weekends leading birthday parties. She loves every aspect of her job, from helping families create lasting memories to being creative and exploring with the children and pets at Figment.
Rochelle is an early childhood education enthusiast who has been working with preschoolers and in the child development field for the past 26 years. Open-ended children’s art and following interests & curiosities of the heart are her jam. She comes to Figment Creative Labs to share in the magic and joy of birthday celebrations and to bring smiles and helping hands to each and every party she encounters.
Rochelle enjoys eating her way through local food spots with her family, raising her plant babies (carnivorous plants are her newest loves), practicing the dance of hula and learning about Hawaiian language & culture with her Kumu and hālau sisters. She currently runs an in-home preschool program that is centered on all things play-based, artsy, and imaginative.
Maggie hails from Virginia—Northern Virginia, specifically (think Washington, D.C., not rural farmland). She has a B.A. from The College of William & Mary and an M.Ed. from George Mason University. In 2015, Maggie and her husband moved to Austin “for a year or two” and, like many others, fell in love with the city—they haven’t looked back since.
When she has a moment to herself (aka when she should be sleeping), Maggie creates and sells colorful jewelry and accessories, runs a bookstagram account where she reviews mostly thrillers and romance novels, and recently started a business offering her services as a special education parent advocate.
Maggie spent a decade as an elementary special education teacher but chose to leave the classroom after the birth of her daughter in 2021. She hasn’t once regretted the decision to stay home with her daughter—and now her son, too. After sending her daughter to Pre-K at Figment and falling in love with its creative and nurturing approach, Maggie joined the Figment team as a birthday party guide.
