mychele sims-hernandez
assistant artistic director
Mychele has been inspired to think outside the box visually, physically and mentally with the guidance of mentors in various fields. She has served as the Assistant Artistic Director for the Kittsville Youth Foundation since 1996.
She received her Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA in World Arts and Cultures (an Anthropology hybrid). Her studies combined culture and language as they related to dance as inspired by Katherine Dunham. Mychele was also an Artsbridge Scholar in Creative Movement for teaching dance to troubled teens. She has studied dance and folklore from Africa, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and the South Pacific. She has traveled the world performing anthropological field work while attending UCLA. Professionally, Mychele works in the criminal justice field and holds a Master's Degree in Criminology, Law and Society from UC Irvine.
Drawing from all her experiences, she creates art based on the connection of culture as a creative expression. In 2004, Mychele joined the Teada Works Workshop. Her performance-art piece “Abstractly AFRIKAN” gained local recognition (L.A. Weekly).