I am Lara Hincapie, an accomplished artist and thespian, and a recent graduate, having earned a Master of Business Administration degree.

From a very young age I joined the exciting world of theater as an aspiring actress, singer, and dancer. Throughout my youth I trained not only as a performer, but I was also introduced to what would become my first passion–scenic art (painting) and scenic design.

I graduated from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, with a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Theatrical Design and Technology. After earning my first degree I spent several years working around Colorado and Texas with various theater groups, and primarily worked as the Charge Scenic Artist for The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and was published by The Guild of Scenic Artists for an article about a faux texture process I created and implemented for an award-winning set design at the FAC. I also have years of experience freelance set designing for different theaters’ for-youth productions, as well as freelance mural painting.

I recently graduated with an MBA from the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Aside from teaching, I also work as Next Level Homeschool’s Administrative Assistant.

I spend my free time working with my best painter friend for our self-started company, Scenic Spark, painting murals, faux-finishing, and specialty painting for residential and commercial properties throughout the state of Colorado. I also enjoy teaming up with my brother, who is a poet, to create children’s books, which he writes and I illustrate.

I have long been drawn to arts education for young people, in large part due to my own childhood and that the arts shaped my life from a very early age. I have taught musical theater acting and dancing to ages ranging from 4-18, as well as studio painting and theatrical painting to high school and college ages. I enjoy teaching art to younger ages, because it helps kids discover themselves, to better understand who they are and who they might want to become; art teaches us about life in so many ways. For me, as a kid, participating in drama was a way to push the limits of my comfort zone, and the perfect challenge to my restless spirit. I have a new found love for teaching literary arts as well, including play studies. But I love teaching the arts in general, especially to youth, because I seek to guide the growth of their inner artist, so that they might find a sense of direction in life through the arts (whether literary, theatrical, or visual arts)– like I was so lucky to find for myself as a young person and turn into my life’s work.