Summer break is around the corner, so don’t delay in registering your child for one (or many!) of our weekly art sessions. You can choose from morning or afternoon, or both, for children ages 5-12. There are also teen classes in stained glass (ages 12+), leather working (ages 12+) and blacksmithing (ages 13+).
Summer Youth 2023 Catalog
We have an impressive line-up of professional and deeply experienced faculty ready to nurture young artists’ creativity this summer.
GREG AMENDE, Blacksmith
Greg has been part-time/hobby blacksmith for 14 years. He has taken classes all over New England from some of the top blacksmiths in the US. He has worked as an interpreter blacksmith at numerous museums including working four years at Mystic Seaport. Greg works full time as a machining instructor at a Connecticut technical high school.
ALICE CHITTENDEN, Ceramics
Alice holds a BFA degree from the University of Hartford and a MALS from Wesleyan University. She has studied at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, The Penland School of Crafts and Alfred University. She maintains her own studio and participates in the Shoreline Arts Trail. Her work is in the collection of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen, China and private collections in the UK, Australia and the US. She exhibits throughout CT.
KATIE COLEMAN, Leather
Katie has been working and selling leather working pieces for the last five years. Her interest stemmed from a background in blacksmithing, over the past nine years. The first project of significance was a sheath and belt for a sword she made through Mace Vitale’s sword making class at GAC. Katie has her own business creating custom leather working pieces including: journals, sheaths, belts, checkbook covers, portfolios, bracelets, keychains and mixed media pieces.
ANNALISE FAZZINA, Fiber/Youth Instructor
Annalise received her B.A. in Art History from Plymouth State University in 2021. Since then she has been working in Madison Public Schools Special Education program as a Registered Behavior Technician. She has been helping out at GAC since 2017, when she served as Summer Youth Program Coordinator, and now as a youth program instructor. In her free time she enjoys crocheting and making jewelry.
NICOLE GINZBURG, Ceramics
After graduating from Pratt Institute with a degree in industrial design and ceramics in 2021, Nicole began her position as the resident potter at Guilford Art Center. Her two year residency, paired with her passion for craft and learning, has allowed her to develop a deep appreciation for providing people of all ages opportunities to express themselves and make rich connections through their creativity.
BONNIE HAN, Youth Instructor
Bonnie Han holds BS and MS degrees in Art Education from Southern Connecticut State University. She teaches at The Art Cellar and Madison Country Day School. She is a demonstrator the Peabody Museum’s Native American Day.
CLAUDIA MATHISON, Fiber/Youth
Claudia holds a BS in Art Education from Kutztown University and teaches a wide variety of youth classes at Guilford Art Center, Wesleyan Potters, Arts For Learning CT, Lymes Youth Service Bureau and at schools and libraries throughout CT. Claudia has a passion for new and vintage textiles and teaches youth and adult quilting, sewing and textile printing classes. Claudia sells her sewn creations throughout CT. Visit her website: claudiamathison.com
EILEEN O’DONNELL, Glass/Sculpture
Eileen has been a stained glass artist for over 20 years. She attended the University of Hartford, Adelphi University, and Paire School of Art. She teaches at Vijon Stained Glass Studio in Old Saybrook.
AMY PETERS, Youth Instructor
Amy is an author and illustrator who lives in Madison. She teaches at Guilford Art Center and the Eli Whitney Museum. She studied art history at Bryn Mawr College.
JULIA PETERSON, Youth Instructor
Julia Peterson is actively pursuing a degree in Art Education and has been a public school substitute teacher. She has spearheaded a variety of special education programs and activities for children throughout Connecticut.
CONNIE PFEIFFER, Metals
Connie received her MFA from Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate NY and a BA from Southern Connecticut State University. She has extensive teaching experience with a number of schools including Creative Arts Workshop, Wesleyan Potters, Rochester Magnet School of the Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology and the Jewish Community Center. Connie is a sculptor, metalsmith, and installation artist and a co-founder of City Gallery in New Haven. She maintains a studio in East Haddam, CT and exhibits widely. WEBSITE: www.conniepfeiffer.com
NELLIE SHEVELKINA, Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media
Nellie holds a B.A. in Fine Arts and Education from the Art College of Moldova. She also studied Textile Design at the Textile Institute in Ivanovo, Russia and Parson School of Design in New York. Nellie has taught visual arts in public schools and community centers for more than 25 years and teaches private lessons in her home studio and at Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, where she also heads the Young People’s Department. Her teaching goal is to provide students with as much as possible skills to enhance their creativity and enrich their lives with visual arts.
BOBBIEANNE STAMBAUGH, Digital Photography
With an MFA from LUCAD at Lesley University and an M.Ed., in Adult Education and Training from Colorado State University, Bobbianne is a nationally recognized artist who has been awarded over 6 figures in grants across several programs. She has served as a career counselor, art professor, curator, juror, collaborator, and published writer. Her mission is to create innovative experiences and bring transformative art to the world. She is a trauma warrior herself who creates artworks to inspire the resilience that art has brought to her. WEBSITE: www.tenacityart.com
JULIE RYAN, Youth Instructor
Julie holds both a MS from Southern Connecticut State University and a BFA from Boston University in the field of art education. She is an accomplished educator who currently enjoys teaching visual art at the middle school level. As an artist, Julie has extensive experience in a variety of media, including oil paint, watercolor paint, printmaking, and ceramics. She recently completed an artist residency through the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts in Skopelos, Greece. She has also completed private painting commissions in addition to participating in group exhibitions within the state.
RENEE SOARES, Mixed Media
Renee holds a BA from Brown University in English and Theatre Arts. She is a visual artist who works with polymer clay, glass beads, textiles, and mixed media to create unique, one of a kind, beaded clay masks. Her work has been exhibited at fine art galleries throughout New England and can be found in many public venues and private collections. She has taught creative workshops for the City of Hartford’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the CT Historical Society, the New Britain Museum of American Art, Milford Public Schools and is presently a visiting teaching artist at Oddfellows Theater in Middletown.
