Denise Felton
Chair, Interdisciplinary Arts Department
Denise graduated cum laude from Arkansas State University with her Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. She completed her Master of Arts in philosophy at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She has a Ph. D. a.b.d in Philosophy from the University of California at Riverside. Her areas of study include philosophy of logic, philosophy of mathematics, epistemology, and metaphysics. For eight years, Denise taught philosophy, logic, and critical thinking courses at universities and junior colleges in Arkansas and California while tutoring privately. She has studied the Visual Arts and the French language since the age of sixteen and brings a rich background in literature, religion, and cultural cosmology to the Academy. Denise began her formal study of music at age twelve and studied double bass under private tutelage. She has performed extensively and has five CDs, live Internet performances, and archives to her credit. She works in classical, jazz, contemporary and experimental music. She is also a dedicated 9th generation student of the Wu Mei Kung Fu lineage. She is an Ashtanga Yoga practitioner and an avid motorcyclist.

Darrell Gillett
Fashion Design instructor
Darrell has worked in theatre as a professional costumer, set and lighting designer for 25 years. He has worked primarily in Southern California, including Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills, Theatre Rapport, the Call Board Theatre in Hollywood, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Darrell attended the Trade Technology College and Art Center College. He has served as a costume designer for television and films (Dead Again and Showdown in Little Tokyo). His credits also include costume design/construction of theme park walk-a-rounds at Universal Studios, Hollywood, and Lotte World in Seoul, Korea.

Daisy Lifton
Daisy was born in New York City in 1959. She received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a M.F.A. from Columbia University. She began studying Wu Mei Kung Fu with Sifu Ken Lo in 1987 and founded the ‘Kung Fu for Kids’ program at The Children’s Aid Society’s Greenwich Village Center in 1988. Daisy took part in international Chinese martial arts competitions from 1989 until 1992, placing first and second in both women’s and mixed divisions. In 1992, she was the A.A.U. New York Regional Grand Champion. She was named a third disciple and 8th generation lineage holder in the Wu Mei system in 1993. Daisy began teaching Wu Mei Kung Fu and other internal martial arts with Floyd Lifton in 1994, and together they have taught adult, senior, and children’s classes in the New York City area, Idyllwild, California, and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. In 2006, she served as acting co-chairperson of the Interdisciplinary Arts Department at Idyllwild Arts Academy and has been offering instruction in Kung Fu and Traditional Southern Lion Dance there since 2005.

Floyd Lifton

Floyd Lifton was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1955. He received a BA in English at Brooklyn College, C.U.N.Y. Floyd began his study of Wu Mei Kung Fu and Chinese culture with his teacher Sifu Ken Lo in 1973. He continued to study with Sifu Lo as his senior student and was made first disciple and 8th generation lineage holder in the system in 1990. Participating in international Chinese martial arts competitions, from 1989-1992, Floyd was ranked among the top three in his divisions, in both forms and sparing, and subsequently has served as both a competition judge and referee. Floyd has studied Yang style Tai Chi from two lineage holders, including Sensei Norman Armstrong of Ten Chi Kenpo in Palm Springs. He has most recently pursued skills in both Aikido and other grappling arts. Floyd has taught Wu Mei, Tai Chi, and Chi Gung health practices to students of all ages since 1994; at three public and parochial schools in the New York Area and at senior centers in Martha’s Vineyard and Palm Springs. Floyd was acting co-chairperson for the Interdisciplinary Department at Idyllwild Arts Academy in 2006. He has been teaching Kung Fu and Chi Gung, as well as Traditional Southern Lion Dance and other Asian Cultural subjects at Idyllwild Arts since 2005.

Jessica Schiffman
Illustration instructor for Graphic Storytelling
Jessica has illustrated fifteen childrens' books including "Much Much Better" published by Hachai Publishing, which received a Sydney Taylor Notable Book Award and an Eric Hoffner Children's Book Award in 2007. As a painter, she is currently represented by the Jake Dent Gallery in Palm Desert, Studio 84 West in Ojai, Artisan's Gallery in Idyllwild and the Schiffman+Anson Gallery in Mountain Center, of which she is a co-owner. Jessica studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute and illustration at University of California, Los Angeles, and the Art Academy of Los Angeles.

Melissa Wilson
Computer Graphics Instructor
Melissa has been a graphic designer for over 20 years. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego’s digital design program. In addition to teaching full time, she stays busy running her own design company.

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