Michelle Perez Fuentes, Executive Director, born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, first started at Working Classroom as a student at the age of 11. They joined the theater program and over the years started expanding their artistic skillset through visual art and new media programs at Working Classroom. It was then that Michelle was introduced to the social justice issues in Albuquerque, and they quickly got involved with their communities through Working Classroom programing.   

In Fall 2019, Michelle attended The Oxbow School, a semester-long boarding school for the arts in Napa, California. After that, they graduated from Atrisco Heritage Academy High School in 2020. Since then, Michelle has apprenticed with The Harwood Art Center and led projects with Working Classroom, such as leading and painting a mural in 2022, as well as a few printmaking workshops in the last two years. They have also worked with Three Sisters Kitchen as a producer for Cooking for Generations.  
 

Michelle is an interdisciplinary artist, but they work primarily with printmaking, as well as digital drawing and digital painting, with a large focus on character creation and storytelling. Michelle also occasionally works in audio editing and is always looking to expand their skills.