Faculty Profiles
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Shana Alexander (visual arts/children) has over ten years experience teaching art at the Jewish Community Center (Newton), Solomon Schechter Day School (Newton), Woodland School (Weston) and elsewhere in both Israel and Greater Boston. Her own artwork has often reflected political – particularly anti-war – themes. She has exhibited her sculpture, installations and video at Starr Gallery (Newton), Beit Ha’Omanim (Tel Aviv) and Arad Artists’ Quarter (Arad, Israel). As a singer, she received a fellowship from Radcliffe College for training in vocal performance. She holds an MAT in Art Education from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts, a BA in Government from Harvard University, and initial licensure (grades PK-8) in Art Education.
Cindy Arias (comics/children) is a comic artist and illustrator who has worked for Blurred Books and ProVockative V. She has self-published mini-comics including Wulf, a version of Little Red Riding Hood. She is also the Office Assistant at the Eliot School. She earned her BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts, where she studied under the direction of David Mazzucchelli, Jessica Abel and Matt Madden.
Beverly Arsem (fiber arts) creates functional and decorative quilts and fabric arts. She has taken classes at DeCordova Museum School, Danforth Museum, Fuller Museum and elsewhere. She is a Senior Associate in Construction Administration at Pinck & Co. She holds a BS in Architecture from Washington University. 
Seymour Beckford (upholstery) started his apprenticeship at age 15 in Jamaica, doing both automobile and household upholstery. He continued as a professional upholsterer in a manufacturing plant there before founding his own company, MasterCraft Upholstery. Relocating to Boston, he worked at Majestic Upholstery in Kenmore Square. In 1980, he taught woodworking to children with physical and mental disabilities at Little People's School (Newton). Since 1990, he has maintained Seymour's Upholstering, a small storefront business in Mattapan.
Ellen Berrahmoun (visual arts/children) has over twenty years experience in art teaching, curriculum design and community-based programming. She has taught art for our School Partnership Program at Conley, Philbrick, Henderson and Winthrop Elementary Schools. A certified teacher of Visual Art (preK–grade 9), she has also taught art with Boston’s Arts in the Parks program, Roxbury Community College’s Kids to College program, Boston Children’s Museum, Boston Public Library, Children’s Hospital Boston and elsewhere. She has often worked with children for whom English is a second language, and is fluent in Spanish. Ellen is a professional flutist and has acted with community theater. She holds an AA in Music from Prince George's Community College (Maryland), a BA in Liberal Studies from Lesley College, and a Masters in Arts in Education from Harvard University. 
Terry Boutelle (painting) has been a painter for over 30 years, working primarily in acrylic and mixed media. President of Jamaica Plain Artists Association and an active member of the Cambridge Art Association and Fort Point Arts Community, she exhibits her work throughout New England. he has studied art at Boston College, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art & Design and the Fine Arts Work Center (Provincetown). She is currently enrolled in the Low Residency MFA program at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Josie Bray (creative process) is a director, choreographer and producer who has taught acting, theater and movement classes for over a decade. She was co-Artistic Director of Animus Ensemble theater company (Boston), then went on to New York City, where she worked on several national tours and was assistant to director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge on Ragtime at the Kennedy Center, as well as on Broadway. She has studied with master choreographers Tere O’Connor, Daniel Nagri and Marcus Schulkind. Josie earned her BA in Theater and Dance and MA in Theater Education, both from Emerson College.
Maggie Carberry (photography, visual arts) is a printmaker, jeweler, painter, photographer and teacher. She teaches art at Dorchester Collegiate Academy, and has taught previously at Winsor School (Boston), American School of Brasilia (Brazil), SouthEast Academy of Scholastic Excellence (Washington DC), Newport School (Kensington, MD), and at her kiosk at Faneuil Hall. She is a member of Galatea Fine Arts Gallery (Boston). Her art has been exhibited at Boston City Hall, in Brazil, London, and elsewhere. She has served as Coordinator of the Eliot School’s Summer Program for Children and previously as Summer Camp Director at The Wianno Club (Osterville, MA). She earned her BA in Art Education from Catholic University of America and her MA in Printmaking from University of the Arts (London), where she won a Marlborough Fine Arts Award.
Brian Crete (painting) is an artist, curator and co–founder of UFORGE Gallery (Jamaica Plain). His work has been exhibited over the years at Boston Biennial 2009 at Atlantic Works Gallery (East Boston), Boston College, UFORGE and Jamaica Plain Open Studios. In addition, Brian is actively involved as volunteer set designer, painter and builder at the Footlight Club, America’s oldest community theater, and serves as Chair of the Trustees of Eliot Hall, where the Footlight Club is housed. He holds a BFA in Painting/Photography from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.Dora Cruz (sewing) has been a seamstress since her mother taught her at age 12; her mother worked as a seamstress in their home. She says, “My passion for fashion is life–long. If I don't have a sewing machine at home I am not complete.” She loves to pass along her skills to children, teens and adults and loves to help people save money by altering clothes as they or their children grow or pass clothes to each other. She created custom costumes for Riverside Theatre (Hyde Park) for twelve years; she also teaches private sewing and embroidery lessons in Westwood and Boston.
Lucilda Dassardo–Cooper (visual arts/children) is a painter who transcends barriers of race, culture, language, national origin and religion to muse on universal themes, employing cross-cultural icons. She represented the United States at India′s 9th Triennale with her Veiled Presence series of paintings of sari-clad women. In Egypt, she painted Cairo streets overlaid with ancient imagery to unite past and present. Her paintings have been shown locally and internationally in museums, galleries and at art fairs. She has taught art at Mass Bay Community College, Roxbury Community College and Fillmore Arts Center (Washington DC), and led workshops at the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Art (Boston), Hamilton College (New York) and elsewhere. She also teaches yoga. She earned her BFA from Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Paul DeVito (upholstery) graduated from Everett Vocational High School, where he majored in upholstery. He has worked for Borges Upholstery and Possick Upholstery. Currently the lead upholsterer at Melo & Sons Upholstering, he has been practicing his trade for over 20 years.
Marco DeVito and Paul DeVito III (upholstery) are upholsterers in training.
Nancy Dick-Atkinson (gilding & frame restoration) has specialized in restoration of gold-leafed objects for over two decades. She serves on the Continuing Education faculty at Rhode Island School of Design and is a member of the New England Conservation Association. She apprenticed with master gilder Nils Johnson at the Eliot School. She holds a BS in Art Education from the State College of New York at Buffalo and an MFA in Painting from Maryland Institute College of Art.
Teo Drake (woodworking/children) works with Blue Collar Artisans, a two-person company that creates custom steel and wood pieces such as belt buckles, lamps, coffee tables, desks and hand rails. He has taught martial arts and yoga to children for many years. For the Eliot School, he teaches children's woodworking classes both in our schoolhouse and through our School Partnership Program.
Shaunalynn Duffy (woodworking/children) is co-founder of Sprout (Somerville), a community program teaching science as creative craft. She says she is “working to build a more powerful, thoughtful learning community at the intersection of education, art and activism.” She is interested in “topics around urban planning, especially examining how we can take a more active role in designing our physical and social environments.” 
Sean Dunstan–Halliday (painting/visual arts) makes watercolor paintings and illustrations, lately exploring highly detailed animals and composite imaginary creatures. His art has been shown at Perry Rubenstein Gallery and SVA Gallery (New York City). He teaches transparent media at Art Institute of Boston, and has taught at Wingspan Arts (New York, NY), Mary McDowell Friends School (Brooklyn, NY) and elsewhere. He holds a BFA in Painting & Drawing from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Painting from the School of Visual Arts.
Jerel Dye (graphic narrative) is an artist and designer working in drawing, illustration, video and new media performance. His art has appeared in children's books, exhibitions throughout New England, comics and animation. He is developing his first graphic novel. He works as Media Arts Manager for Grassroots International and a freelance illustrator. He earned his BFA at UMass Dartmouth and his MFA at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Dahlia El-Shafei (comics) writes articles and short fiction. She has taught for PEN New England Prison Writing Workshops (Framingham) and B-Safe Summer Program (Dorchester), where she created and implemented writing and reading comprehension programs for ages 6–13, including stories, comics and photo essays. At 826 Boston, she worked with Greater Egleston Charter High School on a project incorporating students’ photographs and writing. Before that, she was Program Assistant for The University of the Middle East Project, where she developed curriculum for secondary teachers to incorporate collaborative art, mutual understanding and cross-cultural dialog into their classrooms. She holds a BA in Writing, Literature & Publishing from Emerson College.
Haley Farthing (drawing, book arts) has taught classes in drawing and book arts at Pratt Fine Arts Center (Seattle) and the University of Washington. She has assisted pre-school teachers at University of Washington Children's Center and volunteered in the Teacher Resource Center at the Seattle Art Museum. Her drawings and prints have been shown at Davis & Cline Gallery (Ashland, OR), Voda Studios, Fetherston Gallery and Center on Contemporary Art (Seattle). She holds a BFA in Painting and a BA in Art History from Boston University and an MFA from University of Washington.
Matt Files (woodworking) is Technology & Engineering Teacher at Duxbury High School, with previous experience as Assistant Plant Manager at New England Casket Co. His original furniture has been showcased in galleries locally and abroad. He earned his BFA in woodworking and furniture design from Rochester Institute of Technology's School for American Crafts, with additional study at the University of Copenhagen's Design School.Laura Fischman (drawing) is a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University, where she is currently pursuing her MFA degree. Her paintings examine unnoticed, imperfect and fragmented topographies of everyday life. They have been exhibited at Huret Spector Gallery (Boston), Kathryn Shultz Gallery (Cambridge), GASP Gallery (Brookline) and the Courtyard Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. She holds a BA in History from Northwestern University and an MS in Mass Communication from Boston University.
Chris Fowler (photography) is a photographer and folklorist from North Carolina. He is currently in Boston as a Documentary Fellow from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. His most recent work focuses on food and farming. He earned both his BA in History and American Studies and his MA in Folklore from the University of North Carolina.
Ifé Franklin (fiber arts) creates textiles, drawings, photographs and video. She has taught Adire dyeing at Massachusetts College of Art & Design, the Revolving Museum (Lowell), Suffolk House of Corrections and elsewhere. She has taught art to children since 1995, most recently through Kids’ Day/MSPCC. Her art has been shown at Ethos Fashion Show (Wellesley), GASP Gallery (Brookline), Center for Latino Arts (Boston), New Art Center (Newton) and elsewhere. She holds a Diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, with additional studio work at California College of Arts & Crafts and Minneapolis College of Art & Design.
David Fricke (photography/woodworking) is a carpenter’s apprentice at Wells Development (Arlington). He has taught photography at Betelem Parents’ School (Uganda) in a residency through Both Your Hands, and has assisted our woodworking teachers at the Philbrick Elementary School, Murphy K–8 School, and Sociedad Latina. He also takes photographs on commission for the Eliot School. David studied photography at Art Institute of Boston.
Pablo Friedmann (painting & drawing) is a painter whose work explores color and narrative. He has taught at Boston University, Newbury College and Cambridge College, with additional experience at Emerson Umbrella (Concord), and through our School Partnership Program at UP Academy Charter School and other Boston Public Schools. He has also taught art in prisons and with disabled children and teens, encouraging emotional expression through painting. He has enjoyed solo shows of his work at Casa de la Cultura/Center for Latino Arts (Boston), Sherena Cedar Gallery (London), Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros Art Gallery (Mexico City), among others, and group shows in the US, Mexico, London and Paris. He earned his Masters in Painting from Royal College of Art (London) and his BA in Painting from La Escuela Nacionál de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado, “La Esmeralda” (Mexico City).
Julio Fuentes (woodworking) leads home improvement workshops for North Bennet Street School in conjunction with Boston’s Dept. of Neighborhood Development. He has taught woodworking for the Eliot School’s School Partnership Program at Philbrick Elementary, UP Academy Charter, Murphy K–8 and other Boston Public Schools. He is a Scoutmaster and Cub Scout Den Leader in West Roxbury. For 14 years, he worked as Construction Supervisor at The Classic Group (Burlington, MA), a design-build firm focusing on high-end construction and remodeling. He is a graduate of the Preservation Carpentry Program at North Bennet Street School.
Erik Gehring (photography) is a professional and fine art photographer whose work has been shown at galleries throughout New England, including the Arnold Arboretum’s Hunnewell Building. Erik has taught for the Arboretum, Roslindale Arts Alliance and Hyde Park Art Association.
Michael Gleason (furniture finishing & restoration) has made custom cabinetry and furniture at Gleason, Hendrick & Devine since 1981. He made custom furniture and did antique restoration with Nils Johnson at A.G. Johnson & Son from 1972 to 1981.
Cristina Hajosy (photography, book & paper arts) has taught at New England School of Photography, Cambridge Center for Adult Education and Fuller Craft Museum. Her work has been shown at Aidekman Arts Center at Tufts University, Cambridge Art Association and elsewhere. Her most recent fine art project was shown at Carroll & Sons’ Boston Drawing Project and can be seen at Unfairest of Them All.
Charlotte Halloran (quiltmaking) is co-chair of Proper Bostonian Quilt Guild and a long-time quiltmaker.
Elisa Hamilton (drawing/painting) has taught Issues & Images at Massachusetts College of Art & Design’s Summer Studios and Studio Foundation Program, at Harvard University Summer School, Artworks (New Bedford) and Arlington Center for the Arts. Recent solo exhibitions include Peering In at the Mayor’s Gallery (Boston City Hall), Welcome at Newton Free Library and Ordinary Bliss at SoPas Gallery (South Pasadena, CA). Her blog of ‘everyday drawings’ shows her delightful use of vibrant color through her exploration of daily experience. She is a member of Fort Point Arts Community and Chair of the Alumni Leadership Council at Massachusetts College of Art & Design, where she earned her BFA in Painting.
Amy Hitchcock (mixed media) is a self-taught artist with a degree in art history. She has been making assemblages since 2002. Her work has been shown at the Fuller Craft Museum, Arlington Center of the Arts, and the Salem Arts Association show Ode to Cornell: What Would Joseph Do? in conjunction with the exhibition Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination at Peabody Essex Museum.Ron Horion (seat-weaving) owned and operated GHNK Caning Supplies for 17 years in North Quincy. He taught caning for over 35 years both there and at local colleges. His fine craftsmanship has been exhibited at historic museums including Monticello, Sturbridge Village, Plimouth Plantation and Eric Sloan Museum. He has lectured at many local historical societies and clubs.
Lisa Houck (mosaics, tiles) uses color and pattern in ceramics, mosaics, etching and paint to create strong, vibrant images. The Boston Globe called her work “a crowded, cacaphonous landscape inhabited by flowers, fish, trees, numbers, raindrops, symbols and dots like in aboriginal paintings.” Her art has been exhibited widely and is in numerous public and private collections including those of the Boston Athenaeum, Brigham & Women′s Hospital, Children′s Hospital (Boston), Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Fidelity Investments and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Houck holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Jenn Houle (visual arts/children) paints and draws North American wildlife, focusing on cycles of energy in nature. Her love of nature stems from her childhood in New Hampshire, summers camping and winters skiing. She continues to travel to natural areas, most recently Baxter State Park, where she was inspired by watching moose. Her work has been shown most recently at 808 Gallery (Boston), Gallery 263 (Cambridge), Lynn Arts (Lynn, MA) and Lincoln Art Project (Waltham). She has been educating children in the arts since 2003, with experience at McGlynn Middle School (Medford), Linnaean Community School (Cambridge) and the Children's Art Centre (Boston). She holds a BFA in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art & Design. She will attend the Vermont Studio Center Artist's Residency this August.
Jennifer Erin Hughes (book & paper arts) has taught printmaking, artists’ books, bookbinding and drawing for over a decade, including at DeCordova Museum, Muskat Studios, the Eliot School, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, where she is currently Area Tech for Prints & Paper. She has studied with master printers including Judith Solodkin and Keiji Shinohara. She earned her BA in Art from Wellesley Collage and her MFA from the University of Iowa.
Rebecca Hunt (yarn/fiber arts) learned the basics of knitting in 2003 and hasn’t been able to put down her needles ever since. Besides knitting for herself, friends and family, she has also made many store sample garments and has test knit new patterns for both new and established knitwear designers. She has given impromptu knitting lessons and assistance on the fly on public transit, in yarn stores and in the workplace. Her interests have grown to encompass designing, dyeing, felting and textile history. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University, and a Masters in Library Science from University of Maryland College Park. 
Diane Ivey (yarn) has a passion for knitting, spinning and dyeing yarn. She has 8 years of knitting experience and has been spinning and dyeing yarn for over five years. Her hand-dyed yarn is sold under the name Lady Dye at JP Knit & Stitch and other Boston-area yarn stores. She is particularly interested in finding alternatives to dye yarn and wool without chemicals. Diane is also Special Projects Coordinator for the Eliot School. She holds a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management from Suffolk University.
Mea Johnson (visual arts/children) is an assemblage/collage artist and poet who has been teaching children and teens for the past twelve years. Most recently she has been working with children under five, combining art with other subjects and ‘drawing on both sides of the brain.’ Mea was Director of KidsArts! for five years through 2011. She currently teaches a Reggio Emilia curriculum for a local pre-school collective. She is completing her BA in Expressive Therapy at Lesley University.
Cindy Kaplan (visual arts/children) makes highly detailed drawings, prints and objects, often incorporating fantastic landscapes and patterns. She has taught art for over twenty years in North Easton, Sharon and Milton public schools, at Stonehill College Academy Summer Program, Massasoit Community College and at her own studio. She was curator of the Perkins Gallery at Striar JCC (Stoughton) from 2002 to 2008. She earned her BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art & Design and her MFA in Studio Art and Drawing from The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University.
Kymberlee Keckler (soapmaking) is a chemical engineer whose talents include bookbinding, silversmithing and soapmaking. She has been making soap since 1985 and teaching soapmaking since 1997. Her soap is sold locally at Fire Opal in Jamaica Plain and on-line at Soaporama.
Nancy King (woodworking/children) works for the Commonwealth during the week helping low-income children and families. For fun, she is an avid woodworker. A long-time student at the Eliot School, she now shares her skills here with children.
Wayne Kleppe (drawing) teaches at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston as well as at the Eliot School. He has completed a lithography apprenticeship at Muskat Studios (Somerville), been Artist-in-Residence at the Frans Masereel Centrum (Belgium), and worked as a visiting printer at Artist Proof Studio (Johannesburg, South Africa), where he collaborated with William Kentridge, Andrew Lindsay, Kim Berman and Dumi Mabaso. His work has been shown at Grub Street (Boston), Durango Arts Center (Colorado), Heaven Gallery (Chicago) and elsewhere. He received his BFA from Tufts University and his Diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Allison Krzanowski (fiber arts) has taught art and weaving at the Women’s Cooperative at Los Patojos community center in Jocotenango, Guatemala. Locally, she has taught art and fiber arts to children at Manville School, Judge Baker Children’s Center (Boston). She earned her BFA in Fibers at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Michel L’Huillier (glass) studied Fine Arts and Art History in Strasbourg, France, where he discovered his love for glass. He moved to Boston in 1995 and worked for eight years in a prominent stained glass studio. With twenty years of experience in glass work, he draws from three different techniques for architectural commissions: kiln-forming, fusing and stained glass. He also creates objects using fusing and sandblasting techiques. Since 2004, he has shared his passion for glass by teaching in studios and schools throughout the metro Boston area.
Ken Lindgren (wood turning) makes functional and abstract objects from trees that have fallen due to death, disease, storm or construction. He says, “My pieces are all handcrafted to show the beauty that results when people and nature are in harmony.” Ken's professional career was as a chemical engineer. A member of the American Association of Woodturners, he has taught woodturning at Fuller Craft Museum and elsewhere. He sells his turned bowls and other works of wood art throughout New England.
Kevin Mack (woodworking) designs and builds 17th to 19th century reproduction furniture and one of a kind originals at Kevin Mack Fine Furniture (Melrose). He also has worked as a carpenter from 1990 to today, building and remodeling houses. He won Best in Show at the Providence Fine Furniture Exhibition in 2007 and 2009; his work has been shown at the Concord Museum (Concord, MA) and is on permanent display at the Deerfield Museum (Deerfield, MA). He has taught woodworking through our School Partnership Program at Manning Elementary School and Sociedad Latina. Kevin earned his Diploma in Fine Furniture & Cabinetry from North Bennet Street School.
Jeffrey Martin (woodworking) owns Jeffrey Martin Fine Woodworking (Salem), building custom cabinets and fine furniture. He gained a decade of experience through employment with Walter Lane (Ward Hill), Charles Webb (Woburn), Mark Richey (Newburyport) and Safeway Stair (Stoneham). He has studied cabinetmaking at North Bennet Street School and the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship.
Julie Martini (drawing/visual arts) works primarily in handmade paper and drawing. She has taught at UMass Dartmouth, Creative Arts, Fuller Craft Museum, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, and, through our School Partnership Program, at Murphy K–8 School and elsewhere. She has taught and made art with homeless individuals as Artist-In-Residence at Barbara McInnis House, through the Eliot School and hopeFound at the Kitty Dukakis Treatment Center at Shattuck Hospital, and at Pine Street Inn. She has been Artist-In-Residence at the Cancer Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and has worked with individuals living with HIV to create handmade books that featured their writings. She is also Boston Director of Artistic Noise, an arts and entrepreneurship program for youth in the juvenile justice system. Julie earned her BA in Studio Art at Carleton College and her MFA at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Bridget Matros (visual arts/children) co-created Boston Children’s Museum’s “Art Studio” in 2001, and for a decade served there as educator, arts programs manager and artist in residence. She specialized in engaging art-wary adults alongside their children and creating an “oasis amidst chaos.” In addition, she and her goat puppet, Jarrett, provided weekly creative experiences to pre-schoolers as volunteers for Horizons for Homeless Children for nine years. She teaches visual arts through our School Partnership Program at Holmes, Lee Academy and Lee Elementary Schools in collaboration with DotWell's Family School Initiative. An advocate for quality process-focused art activity in early childhood, Bridget trains teachers, care providers, parents and play facilitators to support creative development. Her chapter, “Handprint Turkeys and the Cotton Ball Snowman: Is There Hope for an Artful America?” appears in 20UNDER40: Re-Inventing the Arts and Arts Education for the 21st Century (edited by Edward Clapp and Eric Booth). Bridget works in mixed media and photography, creates interactive multi-sensory pieces, and is a singer-songwriter. She holds a BA in Sociology/Psychology from Oberlin College.
Joetta Maue (fiber arts) is a full-time artist primarily using photography and fibers. Her most recent body of work is a series of embroideries and images exploring intimacy, love and family. Her work has been shown widely; she has shows in 2012 at Textile Arts Center (Brooklyn, NY), Oasis Gallery (Michigan) and Arts Place. She authors the textile arts blog Little Yellowbird and contributes to the Textile Arts Center blog and the on-line journal Mr. X Stitch. She is also an active curator. She received a BFA from Ohio State University and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts.
Henry Miller (woodworking) founded and runs Community Architecture Lab (CAL, Inc.), a non-profit architecture and design studio dedicated to STEM education at the elementary school level. For ten years he owned and operated his own design/build firm, where he designed and built full-scale commercial and residential renovations and products for the national and international marketplace. He currently works at Olson Lewis Dioli & Doktor Architects (Ipswich). He has taught design and construction methodologies to college, high school, junior high and elementary school students. He earned his Masters in Architecture from Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute.
Michael Molinari (woodworking/children) worked as a carpenter and cabinetmaker for over 25 years at Scott & Duncan, F.B. Curry, Barnett Bros. and elsewhere. He represented the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners throughout the country for ten years. He has taught woodworking through our School Partnership Program for COMPASS School, Fifield Elementary School, Murphy K–8 School, and others.
Dan Noyes (woodworking), a professional wooden boat-builder, does business as Dan's Dories (Newbury). He has built and repaired boats since 1997 with Lowell's Boat Shop (Amesbury), Pert Lowell & Co. (Newbury) and Transfusion Boat Works (Ipswich). His work has been featured at the Wooden Boat Show (Mystic, CT), in Wooden Boat Magazine's Small Boats edition, and at the Antique & Classic Boats Festival. He earned his Graduate Certificate in Industrial Design from Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Anthony Nunes (woodworking/children) teaches woodworking at Milton Academy, with past experience teaching at Agassiz School (Cambridge) and Shady Hill School. At Camp Shohola for Boys (Greeley, PA), he served as woodworking teacher, woodshop director, art department head and counselor from 1988–2010. He has been Academy Director at Orchard Gardens Pilot School, Assistant Headmaster at Neighborhood House Charter School, Teacher-in-Charge at Harrington Extended Day Program, and Acting Assistant Principal at Peabody School (Cambridge). He earned his BS in Early Childhood Education and his MS in School Leadership from Wheelock College. 
Frank Pettorossi (woodworking) started as a cabinetmaking apprentice in Naples, Italy at age 14. After moving to the US, he graduated from Boston Trade, joined Cabinetmakers Local 51, and worked in architectural millwork shops throughout the Boston area. His experience as a cabinetmaker and carpenter spans five decades. 
Ellen Shattuck Pierce (visual arts/children) has exhibited her prints and wall installations at Francesca Anderson Fine Art (Lexington), Little Gallery Under the Stairs (Lynn), 13 Forest Gallery (Arlington) and throughout New England. Her recent work has explored contradictions of domestic life. She has taught and developed art curriculum at Park School’s summer program, Pierce School, Roxbury Prep Charter School and Nunavut Arctic College (Alaska). Through our School Partnership Program, she has taught art at Philbrick Elementary School, Murphy K–8 School, Irving Middle School and elsewhere. She earned her BA in Art and Women’s Studies from the University of Massachusetts and her MFA from York University.
Barbara Poole (fiber arts), a contemporary felt artist and figurative painter, creates handmade wearable art from wool, silk and beads. She has held residencies at Virginia Center for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Banff Center for the Arts (Canada) and Radgale (Illinois). Her work has been featured in solo shows at Bromfield Art Gallery (Boston) and Hera Gallery (Wakefield, RI), and included in group shows at Copley Society, Mills Gallery, A.I.R. Gallery (New York City) and throughout New York and New England. She holds a BFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and a Masters in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Carol Price (sewing) designs and sells her own line of women's apparel, pillows, drapes, backpacks, handbags and dolls. Her current project is making elegant purses and bags that incorporate material from recycled coffee sacks.
Peyton Pugmire (creative process) is a theater director, teacher, producer, designer and actor. He has been gathering artists for the sake of learning and creation for the past eleven years. He is Associate Director of the Theater Division at Boston Conservatory. “By night,” he has fun creating with Divine Stage Works, for which he is Founding Artistic Director. Past work includes serving as Producing Artistic Director of the award-winning Waterown Children's Theatre. Favorite directing/design credits include Crimes of the Heart, Father of the Bride and And Then There Were None (EDGE Boston's Best of Boston Theatre 2009; EMACT Dash Winner–Best Set Designer). Favorite performance credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Brick), Nunsense, A-men (Amnesia), Grease (Miss Lynch) and Cabaret (Cliff). Peyton holds a BA in Theater Performance and an MA in Theater Education from Emerson College.
Robin Radin (photography) has photographed the cultural and natural landscape of Jamaica Plain for 30 years. Her work draws inspiration from JP’s diverse street life and the beauty of its green spaces. Her photographs have been published and exhibited nationally, including shows at Institute of Contemporary Art, Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Anthropology, Center for Photography, Marcuse Pfeifer Gallery, Nexus Contemporary Art Center, The Dean's Gallery at MIT, and The Print Club. In 2003, she was awarded the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant in Photography. She has served on the board of the Jamaica Plain Arts Council for many years. Her photographs appear in Breaking Bread: Stories and Recipes from Immigrant Kitchens, a collaboration with local writer Lynne Anderson. She earned her BFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and her MFA from Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Kara Rainey (visual arts/children) has been sculpting since 1996, working mostly with metals. Her sculpture has been shown at Gallery 181 (Lawrence), Boston City Hall and in many group shows, and is held in numerous private collections. She has been Arts Group Director since 2006 at the Home for Little Wanderers, running weekly arts groups for children. Through our School Partnership Program, she has taught art and woodworking at Sociedad Latina, Winthrop Elementary School and elsewhere. She holds a BA in Comparative Literature from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with additional study at Universidad de Cuenca (Ecuador).
Edie Read (drawing/painting) has been a working artist for thirty years and teaching has been an integral part of her practice for two decades. She has held positions on the faculties of Assumption College (Worcester), Massachusetts College of Art & Design and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. She has also taught at Boston College. Read’s recent work generates from her interests in the body and the effects of shaping space in two and three dimensions. At an Albers Foundation residency in 2011, she began to develop the work for her exhibition, A Space Opens Up, on view at the Danforth Museum in March 2012. Her exhibition history includes one-person shows at Hartje Gallery (Boston), Washington Art Association (Washington Depot, CT), Les Yeux du Monde (Charlottesville, VA), and elsewhere. She earned her BA in Art History from Boston University and her MFA in Painting from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
Lynne White Robbins (drawing/painting) is an illustrator and visual artist. As an educator in the Boston Public Schools, she shares her passion for drawing and the visual arts as moderator of the Art for All group, meeting on selected evenings at the Eliot School. She earned her BA from Bennington College and her Masters in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
Elizabeth Rocha (visual arts/children) has done illustrations for Whootie Owl, Calliope Magazine and other publications and companies. Her costume and prop design credits include Behind the Mask Theater, Prometheus Dance Company and Company of Fools. She has taught art at Brookline Art Center, Lexington Preparatory School, Haggerty Elementary School (Cambridge), for Mad Science, Behind the Mask Theater Co. and, through our School Partnership Program, at Henderson Inclusion Elementary School. Her interests range from puppet-making and sewing to architecture and folklore. She has studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Rhode Island School of Design.
Mario Rubio–Ospina (woodworking/children) retired recently from Park School (Brookline), where he taught woodworking for a decade to grades K–9. A graduate of the Cabinet & Furniture Making Program at North Bennet Street School, he designs and builds unique custom furniture for individual clients. He also worked for years as a commercial painter, with a degree from Butera School of Art.
Charles Sandler (woodworking) has over 40 years of experience in woodworking and 37 years teaching in the Boston Public Schools. He has worked as teacher, Director and Superintendent of the Eliot School for over 40 years.
Linda Scharf (sewing & yarn/fiber arts) spins sculptural yarns, weaves, and has a passion for ancient textiles and those who created them. She aims to offer deep knowledge in a playful way and inspire students to continue learning after classes end. She shows and sells her handspun yarns, unique hats, jewelry and fuzzy goods on-line at Stoneleafmoon.
Robert Siegelman (drawing/painting) teaches at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, in workshops throughout New England and in his own annual summer program in Amsterdam. His work is in the collections of the DeCordova Museum, the Fogg Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. He is represented in Boston by Gallery NAGA. He holds a Diploma and Fifth Year Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Joe Stanewick (woodworking) has been associated with the Eliot School since 1984 as a student and instructor. He learned cabinetmaking at Wentworth Institute and North Bennet Street School, and worked as a furniture restorer at Trefler & Sons.
Laura Evonne Steinman (mixed media/visual arts) has always made art with community members of all ages and walks of life, including for five years in Poland. She teaches art at Gifford School in Weston to students with emotional, learning and behavioral challenges; she previously taught at the British School. On weekends and evenings, she organizes community-based art projects and sews what she calls Colorful Matters. She earned her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and her Masters in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Doug Stowe (woodworking) is a professional furniture maker based in Eureka Springs, AR who has written four box-making books: Creating Beautiful Boxes with Inlay Techniques (Betterway Books, 1997), Simply Beautiful Boxes (Betterway Books, 2000), Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Box Making (Taunton Press, 2004), and Basic Box Making (Taunton Press, 2007). His boxes and furniture have been featured in Woodworker’s Journal, Woodwork, American Woodworker and Fine Woodworking magazines. In 2009 Doug was named an Arkansas Living Treasure by the Arkansas Department of Heritage and Arkansas Arts Council for his contributions to traditional crafts and craft education. He maintains a strong advocacy for hands-on learning through his blog, Wisdom of the Hands.
David Sturtevant (painting) focuses on the urban landscape. He says, “My work explores the relationship between architectural elements and their natural and built surroundings. While many of my paintings are rooted in a specific place, they seek to examine the boundaries between realism and abstraction, emphasizing the visual impact of forms as shapes on the surface of the painting.” His paintings have been exhibited in San Francisco and greater Boston. He is manager of digital imaging and visual resources for Harvard Art Museums.
Charlie Tardanico (woodworking) started his cabinetmaking apprenticeship in Italy at age 10. With over 45 years of experience in cabinet and furniture making, he has been employed at Scott & Duncan, F.B. Curry and Laing & Casson.
Peter Thibeault (wood carving) has operated a studio furniture and sculpture studio in the Boston area for three decades. He has taught design at Rhode Island School Design, Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute, and currently Suffolk University, UMass Dartmouth, and Massachusetts College of Art & Design, where he is helping to develop a furniture design certificate program in collaboration with North Bennet Street School. He earned his BFA at Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA at Art Institute of Boston. 
Jeannette Tobin (quiltmaking) is co-chair of Proper Bostonian Quilt Guild and a long-time quiltmaker.
Jac Van Loon (woodworking) trained as a furniture maker in Holland, where he also attended college for interior design. With over 30 years experience in woodworking, he teaches in Wentworth Institute's Industrial Design program.
Susan Vannini (woodworking/children) has studied woodworking at the Eliot School and North Bennet Street School for over a decade. She now passes her knowledge on to children.
Diane Vezeau (sewing) has taught sewing, alterations and quilting at Newton Community Education and Snow Farm as well as the Eliot School. Diane also sews privately by appointment. 
Brigid Watson (drawing) has taught drawing and painting at Boston Center for Adult Education and Wentworth Institute of Technology. She has exhibited her work on three continents. She earned her BFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and her MFA from New York University.
Robert Worth (woodworking/children) has taught woodworking, duct-tape art and other art projects in after-school and summer programs through the Eliot School Partnership Program at Sociedad Latina, Science Club for Girls and Manning Elementary School, as well as Chestnut Hill School (Brookline) and elsewhere. A furniture designer, sculptor and craftsman, he holds a BFA in Sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art & Design and a Masters in Art Education at Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Michael Zachary (painting) teaches drawing and foundations at University of Massachusetts (Lowell) and Northeastern University. In 2010-111, he was Teaching Artist/Project Mentor for the Boston 100K ArtScience Innovation Prize program at The Cloud Foundation. His work has been shown at Second Street Gallery (Charlottesville, VA), Fountain (New York City), Space and Local 188 (Portland, ME) and elsewhere. He earned his BA in Visual Arts from Bowdoin College and his MFA from Massachusetts College of Art & Design, with additional study at Tyler School of Art (Rome) and Chatuaqua School of Art.