Art Begins with People
Inspiring Creativity | Creating Collective Joy | Connecting Communities with Care
"Art is not meant to be perfect; it is meant to be alive, engaging, and shared. At People Around Us Workshops, we activate the power of collective creativity to grow skills, discover creative voices, and build meaningful human connections. Through sustainable, hands-on art experiences, we come together to celebrate the beauty of our diverse communities, spark imagination, and create meaning together that lasts beyond the moment."_Leila Ghasempor
I create hands-on art workshops for teens, adults, seniors, families, and adults with intellectual disabilities, exploring textile arts, upcycling, sustainability, painting, sculpture, and creative processes.
I partner with schools, libraries, community organizations, and families to design accessible and engaging art experiences that inspire creativity, connection, and self-expression.
COSTUME WORKSHOPS
Looking for a unique creative experience? I can design a workshop tailored to your organization’s theme, audience, age group, or special event.
WHAT I WILL PROVIDE FOR YOUR WORKSHOP
To make hosting easy and stress-free, I provide a fully managed workshop experience:
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Capacity & Skill: Accommodates up to 40 participants. Designed for all skill levels—no prior art skill or background is needed.
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All Materials Included: All sustainable, upcycled, and high-quality materials are fully provided by the artist.
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Full Marketing Support: I will design custom promotional materials, including professional posters and video ads, to help you promote the event.
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Workshop Documentation: I will capture beautiful photos and highlights during these session to share with your community and celebrate the participants' creative journey.
To see these workshops in action and hear the moving journeys of our participants, please see our WORKSHOPS HIGHLIGHTS below or visit our [YouTube Channel Post Section].
Sign up through the links in our Upcoming Workshops section below, and don’t forget to check our CALENDAR for next month’s classes down this page—or SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER to stay updated!
Fig 1. Leila next to the Messenger of Peace installation at the Los Altos Library, showcasing participants works.
"As a social poet and community educator, I see my workshops as a form of living social practice / social sculpture, where creativity becomes a tool for connection, care, and collective imagination."_Leila Ghasempor
LEILA GHASEMPOR
Leila Ghasempor is an interdisciplinary artist, sustainable maker, and community educator dedicated to cultivating vibrant spaces where art is experienced as a joyful, collective energy. Her educational work focuses on inspiring creativity through fun, engaging, and hands-on workshops that foster love, hope, peace, and sustainability through shared artistic practice. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a BFA in Sculpture, and a Minor in Art History. For Leila, art is creativity in motion rooted in connection, accessibility, and shared experience. It is not about perfection, but about being alive and creating meanings together.
As the Workshop Chair at FabMo, she helps communities reduce textile waste and discover environmental awareness through upcycling workshops. She is deeply committed to making creativity accessible to everyone. In her programs, children, adults, seniors, and individuals with special needs come together to create side by side, discovering joy, meaning, and community through making.
She also runs People Around Us, a multimedia platform dedicated to sharing the journeys of local independent creators and fostering community exchange. Her mission is discovering artists, sharing their stories and amplifying their voices.
STANFORD RESEARCH CENTER
In one of my community workshops at the Stanford Research Center, a 74-year-old woman was passing by the space when she stopped after noticing a tulip flower created by a 4-year-old young artist. Inspired by the child’s work, she asked if she could also sit down and create a tulip of her own. She shared how meaningful it was to see creativity across generations and felt excited to participate herself. 💗🌸🙋♀️.
Fig 2. Stanford Research Center, community workshop for their community, participants were from children above 4 years old to adults and seniors
HIP HOUSING
“I cancelled my doctor’s appointment to be here today.” 🥹 Hearing that from one of my participants truly hit home. Sometimes, the best medicine isn’t found in a waiting room—it’s found in community, in friendship, inspiration, and the shared joy of creating together. Watching these amazing souls pour their energy into making bracelets reminds me why we create. It’s never just about the finished piece; it’s about the love, presence, and connection we offer one another. 💗🌸
Figure 3. Hip Housing Community Centers, participants were seniors.
SUNNYVALE & MOUNTAIN VIEW LIBRARY
In one of our fabric flower workshops, two participants created a beautiful shared flower—an expression of love through art. Interestingly, without planning it, they each chose fabrics that reflected their partner’s colors. When I asked if this was intentional, they were surprised and realized it was not, yet their intuitive choices beautifully mirrored their connection. A similar moment also happened in another workshop with an Indian couple, where color selection again seemed to reflect their bond in an unspoken, instinctive way. 🌸
Figure 4. Sunnyvale and Mountain View Libraries, participants were youth, adults, and seniors.
REDWOOD CITY LIBRARY
It was heartwarming when a mom asked if her daughters could join us during the workshop—and of course, I happily said yes. When they arrived, they amazed me with their talent and creativity. Each person approached the work with their own perspective, curiosity, and rhythm—and that’s what made it so meaningful. From the youngest hands experimenting with materials to decades of lived experience shaping thoughtful details, the room felt alive with connection.
It was a reminder that creativity doesn’t belong to a specific age—it grows, evolves, and stays with us throughout our lives. 💗🌸
Figure 5. Redwood city and Los Altos Libraries, participants were children and seniors.
HISTORY SAN JOSE MUSEUM
I designed this interactive yoga installation for children ranging from toddlers to 13 years old, inviting them to explore movement, creativity, and collaborative play. It was fascinating to watch how each child engaged with the installation in their own unique way. One brother and sister continually reconfigured the cubes, transforming them into skyscrapers, cityscapes, and a house, while another group of children incorporated the cubes into yoga poses and enthusiastically encouraged their father to join them. Witnessing their imagination, problem-solving, and joyful participation reinforced how open-ended installations can inspire both creativity and meaningful family interaction.
Figure 6. History San Jose Museum, Yoga installation project for children at San Jose Roots festival.
ONE STEP BEYOND
Working with the students from One Step Beyond was a deeply rewarding experience. Each student expressed themselves in a unique and meaningful way. One student, who is blind and could not see the colors or art materials, created a yarn sculpture by carefully selecting and arranging different colors and textures with remarkable confidence and intuition. Witnessing this process was both humbling and unforgettable—it felt as though he instinctively understood the language of color and composition. Moments like these reminded me that creativity is not limited by ability, and that art has no boundaries. Every individual has a unique voice worth celebrating. I am grateful to have shared this journey with them and look forward to continuing this meaningful work.
Figure 7. One Step Beyond, workshops for adults with intellectual disabilities. This is an inclusive art program at Art Bias, made possible through the generous support of Dragonfly Community Arts.
"If my knowledge is a drop of water, it becomes the ocean, when my students use their hands to create." – Leila Ghasempor
Teaching is my greatest work of art.
In addition to community workshops, I provide after-school art programs for high school students and offer private art instruction. My teaching practice encourages creativity, critical thinking, self-expression, and hands-on exploration through a variety of artistic mediums and techniques.
Whether working with youth or adults, I strive to create engaging and inclusive learning environments that inspire confidence, curiosity, and meaningful creative growth.
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OUR WORKSHOPS CALENDAR
Check our calendar events for future art classes.