STAFF & LOCATION
OUR STAFF & BOARD
Karen Ebben
President/Owner of Hazelmade Art Studio
Karen is the owner and lead instructor at Hazelmade Art Studio. She is a UW Madison grad with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education and a Master's degree in Education. Karen also has 27 years of teaching experience in Public Education. In addition to being an Art Educator, she is a wife and a mom to three amazing girls and two of the best dogs on the planet. When not teaching art, her favorite things to do are thrifting, eating sushi, listening to music, and spending time by the lake (any lake, really).
Sarah
Vice President
Sara is a retired art teacher with 36 years of teaching under her belt. She graduated from Mount Mary University with Bachelor's Degrees in Art Education and Art Therapy. She also has a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Sara is married and has 3 grown children. She also has the best dog on the planet (but don't tell Karen). She's getting used to being retired and fills her time reading, making art, and being in nature. It'll be easy to find Sara outside because she's not very fast. Look for her to be kayaking, backpacking, or biking, and she'll probably have a few sticks or rocks hidden in her gear (because you just never know when you're going to need a rock or a stick!).
Julia
Secretary
Julia is the Education Director at Winnebago Area Literacy Council. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a Curriculum and Instruction Master's Degree. She taught 18 years in public schools working with students who qualified for special education supports and programs in the areas of Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities, Learning Disabilities and Alternative Education. Julia is a strong advocate for marginalized, isolated, and neuro-spicy people of all sorts. Her current work focuses on developing effective Functional English programs for our community’s non-English speaking neighbors with refugee and immigrant status. Julia loves overcast days, rain, snow, and the cold. She finds sun and heat overrated. When not at work, Julia can be found eating Ruffles potato chips, painting amateur abstracts, crocheting misshapen garments and blankets, and sewing ill-fitting clothing. Oh, and she is married with 3 grown sons.
OUR LOCATION
Hazelmade opened its doors in the summer of 2019.
It started as a place to combine my love of making art with kids and my love of summer. I believe strongly in creating a connected and open-minded atmosphere, where kids feel nurtured, supported, and inspired. Hazelmade offers our community the most imaginative and engaging summer art camps in our area. As a teacher and a mom, I have carefully designed a program that I would seek out for my own children.
For two years Hazelmade operated out of my home art studio and backyard, but were excited for the 2022 opening of our new studio space on College Ave. in Downtown Appleton. In 2023 we moved to a brand new, amazing space on Richmond Street in Appleton! With our new space we have been able to open our doors for home-school art activities, afterschool art clubs, and special events!
As of 2024, Hazelmade is now a independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization! We are so excited to expand our mission, serve our community, and continue to grow our impact and creative space! You can find out more here:
