El Mariano Tapia-Kwan is an arts educator and facilitator that provides trauma-informed creative services to both groups and individuals. As a multi-disciplinary artist with multiple intersecting identities (TQPOC,) he enjoys fostering spaces of curiosity, change, and community. 

With an academic background in visual arts, (BFA Ceramics, Rhode Island School of Design ‘17,) El is well-versed in a variety of mediums including glass, jewelry, resin, textiles, block printing, needle felting, and more! He has also taken numerous classes and training in communications, counseling, and art therapy. Though not a licensed professional in mental health or social services, both fields inform his methods of instruction and connection with students and clients alike. The demographics of those he has served span ages, abilities, and socioeconomic differences. His favorite populations to work with are adolescents in carceral systems, LGBTQ youth, and adults battling anxiety around creating art. 

Regardless of the project or audience, El is known to bring a progressive and passionate brand of humor and awareness to any space. Special issues/topics/communities that are welcomed and affirmed in his sessions are: -Survivors of Sexual, Racial, and Religious Trauma -Queer, Trans, and LGBTQ community members  -People of Color -Kink/SW/BDSM participants and professionals -Currently and formerly incarcerated folks -Rural Residents -Social and/or Mental Service workers -Neurodivergent and/or Disabled Persons

Individual and group sessions are currently offered via Google / Zoom remotely, as well as in Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando, and Orange county in Florida.