WELCOME NEW SUMMER FACULTY AND COORDINATORS!
RACHEL BARCLAY
Adult/Textiles
Rachel studied Textiles, Installation Sculpture, Printmaking and Elementary Education in San Francisco and Long Beach, CA. She embraces the hand-work practice of Shashiko as an act of mindfulness, empowerment, beauty and sustainability. She focuses on making functional sewn and embellished garments, home goods and mixed media textile objects. She lives in Middlebury with her woodworking spouse and two adult children nearby.
EVE SCHNEIDER
Summer Youth/Sculpture, Kites, Ceramic Art, Monster Party
Eve is a sculptor and scientist who enjoys facilitating “creative chaos” in children. A New Jersey natie, she received a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, a PhD from Princeton Univ. and a Yale postdoc (both in neuroscience), before running her own lab as an Asst. Professor at U of Kentucky. She is excited to blend her love of art, nature and science teaching at GAC!
SHAWN HANSEN
Adult/Ceramics
Shawn is an emerging ceramic artist and educator. He hails from a small village in the Adirondack Mountains in NY (population 305). In 2022 he received his BA in Studio Art and Public Health from Hartwick College. While attending Hartwick, he becaue interested in using clay as an advocacy tool for the unjust and outdated policy restricting gay men from donating blood in the US. Most recently, he was artist-in-residence at Wesleyan Potters, where he continues working as an instructor.
NATALIE PITTMAN
Adult/Ceramics
A native of Wetherwfield, Natalie received a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in Ceramics from the Univ of Hartford. She’s currently the Studio Manager of Wesleyan Potters in Middletown and works at Canton Clay Works in Collinsville, CT as a wood-firing technician. She enjoys teaching acult classes for both hand-building and wheel throwing. Her work explores designs and patterns through different slips, textures and firing methods.
EMILY CASPOLE
Summer Youth Program Assistant
Emily Caspole is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education at Southern Connecticut State University.
With a deep commitment to fostering creativity in young learners, she aspires to become an art teacher who inspires students to explore and express themselves through visual arts. Emily has a particular passion for ceramics, which has become the heart of her artistic journey. She has taken multiple specialized classes at the Guilford Art Center, where she has continued to develop and refine her pottery skills.
TINA MCKIN
Summer Youth/Fiber
Tina holds a BS degree in Fabric Design from Philadelphia Textile and a Certificate in Fashion Design from School of Fashion Design, Boston. Tina taught pattenmaking, sewing & textiles in the Fashion Design program at Gibbs College for 7 years. Since 2010, has created a lineof tote bags, clothing & accessories from hand screen printed textiles sold in CT & online. Currently, is a member of CT River Artsans Coop.
JULIA MANNARINO
Summer Program Coordinator
Julia Mannarino is a Connecticut native currently living in East Haven. They are pursuing a degree in University Studies at the University of Hartford, with a concentration in Elementary Montessori and a minor in Psychology. With over five years of experience in Montessori classrooms at the primary and lower elementary levels, Julia is deeply passionate about education and child development. Outside the classroom, Julia enjoys rollerblading, yoga, sunsets, and gardening with their partner, Stephen. They also cherish quiet moments at home with their senior pitbull mix, Carlisle, and their bird, Sage.
LENA MYERSON
Summer Youth/Mixed Media
Lena enjoys working and playing in a wide range of media including drawing, painting, paint-making, mixed-media, sculpture, video, photography, graphic design, textiles, installation, bookmaking,printmaking, creative writing, sound, and plant crafting. She is always experimenting with new methods of creating. Lena graduated from Wesleyan University with a BFA in Studio Art and Environmental Studies and later received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Rhode Island School of Design.
