Barbara Beccio

Teaches at Desideratum

Actively teaching since 1988, Barbara is also an award-winning doll designer who brings her inventive and inquisitive spirit to her sewing classes, workshops in costuming, doll and mask-making, and sculpture. She brings her knowledge of clothing construction and textiles as well as many costuming techniques, to the classes that she teaches. Currently, she teaches adult as well as children’s sewing classes at her studio in Richmond, California. Having taught classes from pre-school to college as well as adult classes, she is able to bring versatility and creativity to a wide range of educational situations.

Since arriving on the West coast in 2001, she has taught at the Art Institute of California-San Francisco, City College of San Francisco, The Academy of Art University, FIDM, Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics since 2009, the College of Marin, Bay Area Discovery Museum, City of Piedmont Recreation Department in Piedmont, CA, and many children's classes in the Bay Area through Strings of Art and Leap. She also worked with Diane Green to design the "College for Teens - 2012" through City College of San Francisco. While at The Art Institute of California-San Francisco, she was also the Academic Director for both the Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing Departments for two years. As an instructor in the Fashion Department at The Art Institute of California-San Francisco, she traveled to Milan, Italy in 2007 with the Art Institute Study Abroad Program with 40 students for 3 months. While there, she made friends that she visits yearly, bringing back many experiences from Italy in addition to their fashion influence that she shares with her students, Workshops include San Francisco Public Library, and The Haute Couture Society in Stockton, CA. She was also a presenter at The Exploratorium's "Geometric Threads: Moving Between Dimensions". In addition, she has done workshops and classes at Academy of American Doll Artists in Concord, NH, North Hampton, MA - "Art from the Heart", The Guild School in Northampton, MA as well as workshops and Costume Design at Broadway Theatre Institute in NYC. Other teaching/design credits include a 3-summer employment at Leysin American School in Leysin, Switzerland.

Exhibits on the West coast include “Discarded to Divine 2010” * (see additonal information below under the "Charities" heading.) The coat, designed along with three former students received a lot of recognition and was featured in their marketing promotion for the event. “Discarded to Divine 2009”, Pro Arts Open Studios, The 16th and 17th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, FREEZE - The Art Explosion at Project Artaud and O’Hanlon Center for the Arts.