Kyle Wood took the winding path in life. As a child he excelled academically and accepted a full tuition academic scholarship to college with the intention of studying medicine. After a month, he decided he would not want to make a career of seeing people on their worst days. He walked away to pursue his creative passions. He played music in a few bands before a friend intervened telling him that he was terrible as a musician but ok as a visual artist. His friends then bundled his paintings and drawings into a makeshift portfolio to attend one of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago’s immediate decision days. Despite the shambolic presentation, the admissions person saw potential and admitted Kyle to the prestigious school where he earned a BFA in 2007.After graduating from SAIC, Kyle began his teaching career. He quickly gained recognition for his approach to education focusing on the strengths each child brings to their work and his unique application of gaming methods to make the learning process more fun. As a teacher leader, he has presented at multiple academic conferences, appeared on educational podcasts and offers free resources for other art teachers on his website. His Arts Madness Tournament has grown every year as more teachers and students around the United States discover the joys of passing judgment on a diverse group of artists.