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Hi! I’m Ella Weltner, but most people call me Willy. I am an artist, curator and art educator living in Portland, Oregon. I’m originally from Boise, Idaho but have lived in Portland for 10 years. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and got a minor in Art Practices, specializing in textile art, sculpture, and acrylic painting, at Portland State University.  I then completed my Master's in Art Education degree, also from PSU, in June 2024. The program provided me with the opportunity to teach art as a student teacher at West Sylvan Middle School.  After graduating, I taught Intro to Art and 3D Sculpture at Oregon City High School in 2025.

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I have recently stepped away from teaching and am currently the Assistant Curator at Studio Art Direct where we focus on putting local art in architecture. This position has given me the absolute pleasure of working directly with local artists and putting their work in buildings in the form of originals, canvas reproductions, wallpaper, or sculpture. I feel really lucky to be in the business of making sure things are beautiful.  

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I continue to develop my artistic practice by making set designs for theater productions, photo shoots, window displays, etc. My work is shifting more towards large form art pieces, so I can really immerse the viewers into the worlds I like to build. When I’m not curating, I am making set pieces for local theater productions. I have experience working with Shaking the Tree theater company, Kickstand Comedy, and high school theater programs. If you would like to inquire about artistic work, please send me a message below. I look forward to hearing from you!

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