Meet the Founder
Yael Lichaa
RAZ Land Founder, Creative Director, Teacher & Visionary
Yael Lichaa was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, where her love for art began at the early age of six. With a natural talent for painting and sculpting, Yael nurtured her creative instincts even as she pursued academic excellence. Inspired by her father’s path, she earned a BA in Biology from Temple University in Philadelphia, preparing for a career in medicine.
After years of inner conflict between science and creativity, Yael chose to follow her true passion - art. She enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where she majored in painting and sculpture. At 25, she moved to New York and worked at a prestigious antique furniture restoration studio in Manhattan, honing her skills and deepening her connection to craftsmanship.
Her journey eventually led her to Los Angeles, where she began teaching private art classes to children, teens, and adults. In 2008, she earned a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education, which helped her merge her artistic vision with her love for teaching. Between 2008 and 2011, Yael designed and led a wide range of art courses, including Ceramics, Figure Sculpting, Drawing, Oil Painting, Mixed Media, Bookmaking, Gilding, and historical painting techniques such as Egg Tempera and Milk Painting.
In 2011, Yael joined STAR Education as a woodworking instructor, teaching in both Beverly Hills and Los Angeles elementary schools. Her passion for immersive, hands-on learning blossomed into a unique summer camp in 2018, where children explored various fine art techniques, visited L.A. museums, and created their own masterpieces.
On December 9, 2018, Yael opened Robertson Art Zone (RAZ) - a vibrant art studio where she continues to teach and inspire. Through RAZ, now known as RAZ Land, she fosters creativity, self-expression, and connection through art, offering classes, camps, events, and joyful artistic experiences for children and adults alike.
Meet the Team
David Woodland
Veteran Arts Educator
David Woodland is a veteran arts educator who has taught students aged 3 through 80!
He has worked for public and charter schools in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, CUNY, The Museum of Modern Art, Miramax Films, several art galleries, and countless after-school, summer, and community programs. As an artist, his work has appeared in dozens of solo, juried, group, and invitational exhibitions. But his favorite thing to do is mentor teachers just starting their careers (and make people laugh!)
Through David's leadership you will develop your:
-
Classroom Management Strategies
-
Curriculum
-
ELD/SpEd Components
-
Differentiation
-
Data Collection and Analysis Skills
-
Fundraising/Community Outreach Plans
-
Self-Advocacy
Sign your teachers (or yourself!) up for a workshop with this energetic, passionate, highly seasoned educator today!
Lily Coyl
Artist, Curator, Art Educator, Certified Yoga Instructor
Lily Coyl is a visual artist, singer-songwriter, curator, poet, and intuitive art and yoga instructor. Guided by a lifelong sense of wonder and a belief that art is inseparable from spirit and storytelling, her work blends playfulness with depth—inviting others to reconnect with their own purpose, power, and magic. Her experiences working with the Field Museum’s curatorial team and teaching across Hawai‘i, Bali, and Japan have shaped her commitment to creativity as a bridge between cultures and a celebration of unity through diversity. At RAZ Land, Lily draws on her interdisciplinary background to empower children and adults to express themselves, share and honor their stories, heal deeply, and help build the compassionate, globally connected world at the heart of the program’s mission. Through art, yoga, prayer, song, and meditation, Lily practices art as a healing modlity and a practice of attunment to greater love and the light of the creator.
What the Parents Are Saying
