Sheena Rae Dowling (she/her)
Sheena is a co-founder of Anam Cara Recovery Arts, multidisciplinary artist, educator, and teaching artist working across painting, sculpture, and installation. She holds an MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute and a BFA in Painting from San Diego State University. Her artwork has been exhibited throughout the United States and Mexico.
With more than 20 years of experience teaching art in classrooms, museums, nonprofits, private studios, and galleries, Sheena is passionate about making art accessible and using the creative process as a tool for connection, reflection, and healing.
Her teaching practice centers on creating supportive environments where participants can explore creativity without judgment or the pressure to produce a particular outcome. Through visual art, she helps individuals develop emotional awareness, process lived experiences, build confidence, and strengthen their capacity for self-expression and connection.
Sheena is trained in Healing-Centered Engagement, Trauma-Informed Care, Conflict Resolution, and Restorative Justice. She currently teaches with A Reason to Survive, women’s treatment facilities, and a variety of nonprofit and community-based organizations.
Aisleigh Bodie-Reeves (she/her)
Aisleigh is a co-founder of Anam Cara Recovery Arts, theater artist, somatic educator, and teaching artist committed to integrating creative expression, embodiment, and restorative practices into recovery and learning spaces. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from San Diego State University and has spent more than a decade working in theater as a producer, director, playwright, performer, and educator.
In addition to her work with Anam Cara, Aisleigh has worked with a variety of communities and organizations as a teaching artist, including Imagine Brave Spaces, Playwrights Project, and The Turning Point Home, where she has served as a Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS). Her teaching practice draws from theater, storytelling, improvisation, body-based awareness, and creative writing to help participants explore their experiences, strengthen connection, and discover new ways of expressing themselves.
Aisleigh’s work is deeply informed by her own lived experience navigating recovery from addiction, co-occurring mental health disorders, neurodivergence (or, as she likes to say, being “neurosparkly”), and motherhood. These experiences have shaped her belief in the power of creativity, connection, and embodied practices to support well-being. She brings both professional training and personal experience to creating spaces that honor the complexity of people’s stories while making room for curiosity, play, resilience, and possibility. She has training in Somatic Experiencing, Peer Support, Healing-Centered Engagement, and Trauma-Responsive Care.
Aaron "Boree" Reeves (he/him)
Boree is an operations specialist and teaching artist with Anam Cara Recovery Arts, as well as a mixed-media artist, designer, and fabricator. His work is rooted in curiosity, experimentation, and the belief that play remains an essential part of personal growth throughout adulthood.
Drawing from his degree in industrial design from San Francisco State University and his self-directed creative exploration, Boree creates highly textured artworks that exist between painting and sculpture. Much of Boree’s creative practice has been shaped by learning through curiosity, getting his hands dirty, and allowing unexpected ideas to guide the process. His DIY approach continues to influence both his artwork and his teaching, where he encourages participants to move beyond self-doubt and experience creativity as something accessible, physical, and deeply human.
Boree has training in restorative practices and is committed to creating spaces where individuals connect and create. As a teaching artist with Anam Cara, Boree creates opportunities for participants to reconnect with curiosity, play, experimentation, and the joy of making.
