Celebrating Amelia Zontini Moran
Arts for Learning Virginia proudly celebrates one of our longtime Teaching Artists whose work continues to illuminate learning spaces across our region and beyond. Amelia Zontini Moran—Key Costumer in the motion picture industry, Mental Health First Responder, and beloved Teaching Artist—has officially been named a Young Audiences National Credentialed Teaching Artist, a distinction recognizing exceptional artistry, instructional excellence, and dedication to young people.
Amelia has been part of the Arts for Learning Virginia roster since 2003/04. More than twenty years later, she continues to grow, evolve, and advocate for heart-centered practices in education—blending creativity, imagination, neuroscience, and compassionate presence into transformative student experiences.
Showing Up: A Practice of Self-Presence
When asked how she describes her artistic practice, Amelia doesn’t begin with materials or technical skills; she begins with intention.
“The art of showing up remains a constant in my daily practice… Self-presence is my greatest present to myself.”
Her work invites students—and adults—to do the same. Through movement, play, and imaginative exploration, Amelia opens a path toward self-awareness: a space where anxiety, doubt, and discomfort can be met with breath, bravery, and growth.
This mindset was shaped early through Theatre Arts, where she experienced firsthand the joy of creative expression and the safety of collaborative, caring learning environments. Today, she recreates that atmosphere for young learners, using a blend of brain science, heart-centered practices, and community collaboration.
A Multifaceted Career Rooted in Compassion
What sets Amelia apart is the beautiful way her roles enrich one another. While many know her as a gifted Teaching Artist, she is also:
• Key Costumer, I.A.T.S.E. 487 – bringing creativity, problem-solving, and adaptability from the film industry
• Mental Health First Responder – certified through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing
• Creator of Body, Breathe, Awareness (BBA) – a program supporting emotional regulation and body harmony
• Facilitator of monthly wellbeing workshops through her union’s YouTube channel
Across each arena, she follows the same internal compass: curiosity, compassion, and the desire to help others see their own strength.
Her journey during the 2020 pandemic exemplifies this commitment. As the film industry shut down, Amelia turned her home into a learning pod for young children, grounding them in empathy and nonviolent communication. She deepened her mental health training and ultimately co-created BBA—an initiative that helped launch her into YA’s RAISE (Responsive Arts in School Education) professional development program, where she honed skills in SEL, trauma-informed practice, and healing-centered engagement.
Becoming a National Credentialed Teaching Artist
For Amelia, receiving the Young Audiences National Credential is both a milestone and a catalyst.
“It lights me up to have this opportunity to grow bigger and bolder within a community that supports arts in education!”
This credential recognizes her deep commitment to elevating young people’s well-being through imaginative, embodied learning. In her small-group sessions during the credentialing process, she found profound value in vulnerability, connection, and reflective practice—spaces where everyone was encouraged to “speak in draft form.”
Professionally, she sees this recognition as a pathway to expand her impact, especially as she works to strengthen heart-based learning in schools and communities.
Teaching with Heart, Movement, and Community
In Amelia’s residencies, desks often disappear and circles appear. Students get on their feet. They breathe. They move. They imagine. They create.
Her teaching follows the arc of a rainbow:
warm up → bridge activity → activation → community creation → reflection
Students collaborate on stories, spark their imagination through illogical movement, and discover how the arts can shift their emotional landscape. Many leave with a deeper understanding of their own agency.
“Every young learner I work with walks away knowing they have personal power to choose and be the editor in chief of their own life story.”
One of her most memorable projects—a high school biology class turned investigative theatre ensemble—revealed just how transformative arts integration can be. Through writing, staging, and designing a performance based on anatomy and crime investigation themes, students discovered new connections, confidence, and community that resonated far beyond the classroom.
Looking Ahead
Even as she celebrates this milestone, Amelia is already envisioning what’s next. She hopes to:
• Expand into public speaking and large-group workshops
• Participate in Young Audiences’ ARTISTIC (America Responds To In-School Teaching with Innovation and Creativity) program
• Author a book capturing her philosophy and techniques
Her long-term mission remains beautifully simple:
“I want to activate people through their heart space… a place that houses our feelings of belonging, comfort, and emotional connection.”
