Faculty
Gözde Efe, Founder & Faculty
For the past 14 years, I’ve worked with learners of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds—across preschools, elementary and high schools (both public and private), nonprofits, pre-college, and college programs. I've worked with organizations like UNICEF, Root Division, Yale’s Exploration School, Montessori Children’s House of the West Coast, Youth in Arts, and the San Francisco Art Institute—just to name a few.
Every step of the way, I’ve designed and reinvented my own curriculum—never one-size-fits-all, always curiosity-driven. It’s sparked something real, not just in students, but in fellow educators too. That’s how change starts: with a question, a spark, a shift in how we see.
I never played by the rules that separate art forms—thanks in large part to the San Francisco Art Institute. I wasn’t focused on categories. I was chasing ideas, fueled by inspiration, and driven by connection. My goal? Bring it all together—no silos, no walls.
Over the years, I’ve heard thousands of ideas and watched tens of thousands of them come alive—in ways I could never predict. Awe isn’t rare around here. It’s daily. Want a peek? See some of my students’ work [here].
I ask questions—of my students and myself—every step of the way.
Seeing School—just as the name promises—is all about seeing. We don’t just do photography, film, drawing, or animation. We see through them. And then we go deeper. How does a cat see? A human? How far? How close? How sharp? How does a cat’s vision mirror the way we see through a camera?
Everything is customized. Our in-house programs are thoughtfully designed, conceptual classes that anyone can take—anytime, in any order.
We create programs for organizations, communities, companies—you name it. Curious about what we can create together?
Book a time to chat.
I’m eager to glimpse your perspective—and I know you’ll be amazed, inspired, and proud.
There’s so much more waiting. Join Seeing School.
-Gozde
Asako Shimazaki, Faculty
Asako Shimazaki was born in Tokyo, Japan. In 1984, Shimazaki left Japan and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and in 1991 completed her BFA in photography at the San Francisco Art Institute. Shimazaki exhibits her work in both the US and Japan, and is represented in the permanent collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
In Ayu no Kaze, published by TBW Books in 2019, Shimazaki returns to the scenery of Japan, with pictures that “grab us by their distinctive and particular vision and persuade us that what this photographer saw was both marvelous and true” (Sandra S. Phillips, 2018). Most recently, Shimazaki’s photography has been published by Drop Leaf Press in a curated poetic narrative, All of It, Tinged, with author Diana Fisher.
Notable among Shimazaki’s collections are Marcus’ Single Digits, a series documenting the first ten years of her son’s life, and Untitled, an intimate and moving glimpse into a family in mourning. Shimazaki’s work, through spontaneous and intimate portraits and shifting cityscapes and landscapes, seeks to capture light.
Shimazaki lives in San Francisco and has taught at a Montessori preschool since 1998.