Chris Alexiades:

Studio potter; BS, Southern Connecticut State University; Award for Ceramic Excellence; teacher, Amity Regional School District; interiors consultant, Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church; owner, Clay Studio, New Haven, CT; exhibits nationally & regionally; work in private and public collections.
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Barbara Allen:

BFA Summa Cum Laude (sculpture and crafts) University of Bridgeport; MS in Art Education, Southern Connecticut State University; Art Specialist high school level, Danbury, Connecticut; Senior faculty member, Brookfield Craft Center; Exhibitions include: Canton Museum of Art, HarperCollins, New York, NY; Paris, New York, Kent Gallery; One woman show "Dwellings of the Spirit" at Brookfield Craft Center; Published in: FIBERARTS magazine, School Arts, The Jewelers Art; Cover design for FIBERARTS Design Book Four.

Corey Anderson:

Sculptor, wood artist & full-time woodturner; Member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and the Nutmeg Woodturners League; Two-term past president of Central Connecticut Woodturners and a newly elected member of the Board of Directors of AAW; Instructor at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking and mentor at the American School for the Deaf; Has had work featured in American Woodturner magazine.

Linda Banks:

Multimedia artisan for over 30 years; taught privately and for many schools including Washington Art Association; exhibits regionally in-clud-ing: the Silo, the Washington Art Assoc.., and many churches, schools, libraries and banks; studied at Brookfield Craft Center, New England Horizons Craft School, Hot Glass Horizons, Hands On Glass at Corning, and Plumb Hill Studio; owns/operates glass studio in New Preston, CT.

Lanette Barber:

BFA, SUNY New Paltz; BS, Quinnipiac College; exhibits nationally including: SOFA-NYC, Ironwood Gallery, Jeffrey Weiss Gallery; work published in: Metal Art Source II, Rosie Magazine, Hartford Courant, Crafts Report; several television & radio broadcasts; "Excellence in Metals" Awards from Society of CT Crafts (1993, 1995, 1999, 2000); teaches for Guilford Handcraft Center, Wesleyan Potters, Creative Arts Workshop.

Nancy Moore Bess:

Basketmaker, maintains studio in NYC; teaches: Parsons, New School for Social Research, School of Visual Arts, Cooper-Hewitt Mus.; research in basketry and folk art in Japan has resulted in numerous lectures and articles on those subjects; lectured in Japan on contemporary American Basketry; exhibited throughout USA; published in periodicals and books; work is in private and public collections.

David Bishop:

Professional wood-work-er; owner of Bishop Woodworking in Redding, CT; studied industrial design at University of Bridgeport; work published by Taunton Press, Updating Classic American Colonials; also in Martha Stewart's New Old House book; studied blacksmithing at Brookfield Craft Center; demonstrates forging locally.
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Ryan Blessey:

Iron artist with more than 15 years experience as technician in metal working industry; studied at Penland School of Crafts and Brook-field Craft Center; operates Creeking Lines Iron Studio in Brookfield, CT; exhibited throughout the U.S.

Susan Bradley:

Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and Eastern Philosophy, Kansas City Art Institute; Masters in Asian Studies (emphasis in Chinese Art History); Graduate work in painting, Chicago Art Institute; Over 30 years experience in Tai Chi; Began teaching Yang Long form at Chinese Cultural Institute in Chicago in 1979; Studied Yang short form with both masters William Chen and Benjamin Lo; Attended Aspen Martial Arts Academy Extensive arts and crafts background and Tai Chi experience combine with 28 years of teaching skills.

Joy Brown:

Ceramic and bronze artist whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums in the US, Europe and Asia; Subjects of articles in The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, and Art News; Work is featured in the Art Within Gallery, www.artwithin.net; Studio in Kent, CT.

Merrie Buchsbaum:

BA, Goucher College; MALS, Wesleyan University; BS, University of Bridgeport; Successfully self-taught polymer artist for over 16 years; Exhibits nationally and has work represented in the top galleries and museums throughout the country; Two time Niche Award Finalist; Published in periodicals and books; Taught elementary education for eight years and has instructed art at numerous centers throughout New England including Snow Farm, Guilford Handcraft and Brookfield Craft Center.

Lessley Burke:

AB, Smith College; working jeweler and enamelist with studio in Ridgefield, CT; studied: Brookfield Craft Center with John Cogswell, Joanne Conant, and Sue Sachs.
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Suzanne Carmichael:

Fiber artist for over 20 years; specializes in silk fusion for both sculptures and lamp art; attended various fiber, papermaking workshops including: Haystack Moun-tain School of Crafts, Seamark, Creative Strands; also studied privately with Anne-Claude Cotty and Jennifer Lee Morrow; nationally recognized craft journalist and author of 2-volume "Traveler's Guide to American Crafts" (EP Dutton, 1990); covered American and Canadian fine crafts 1990-2000 for many national publications; regular contributor to the Sunday New York Times' Travel Section; maintains fiber studio in Deer Isle, Maine.

Miani Carnevale:

Professional artist and workshop facilitator; graduate of the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida; also studied art in Florence, Italy and Oslo, Norway; exhibits work throughout the United States; represented in collections worldwide; Artist in Residence at the Omega Institute and currently on their faculty.

Annemarie Ciuffini:

Degree in stonesetting from Scuola Orafa Roman (Rome, Italy); also studied at Sydney School of the Arts (Sidney, Australia), American University in Rome, New Haven University, Western CT State Univ., and John Cabot International College (Rome, Italy).

Joanne Conant:

Producing craftsperson; commercial art degree from Minneapolis Technical Inst.; taught for Tucson Museum of Art School, Eastern Connecticut State College, and other workshops; received awards from and is represented in the collection of Tucson Museum.
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Janet Cooper:

Since 1996 worked with mixed media materials with an increasingly fascination and use of fabrics; From 1986 to 1996 wholesaled bottle cap and tin can jewelry and objects throughout the U.S., Asia and Europe;  Until 1986 studied and taught clay work, at Greenwich House Pottery in New York City; Work has been shown nationally and internationally and has been part of several curated shows on Recycling.

Tim Currier:

Thirty years experience as stone mason; has taught for Weir Farm National Park, owns/operates his own masonry business in Newtown, CT.

Jim Degen:

Woodworker and turner; studied at Brookfield Craft Center; also with Ian Kirby and Richard Raffan; exhibits regionally including Brookfield Craft Center, Riverguild and other juried craft shows; President of Nutmeg Woodturners League; maintains studio in Brookfield, CT.
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Wendy Ellsworth:

Rev. Wendy Ellsworth is a nationally and inter-na-tionally known seed bead artist; work in major gallery exhibitions of contemporary fiber, beadwork and basketry as well as in numerous books and periodicals; career in beading spans over 37 years; teaches off-loom beading techniques around the US and abroad; maintains private studio in Bucks Co., PA; 2003 recipient of Fellowship from the PA Council on the Arts; has made four trips to Kenya to help elevate the status of Maasai and Samburu women through beadwork and education.

Mark Emig:

Self employed journeyman blacksmith; started forging over 15 years ago; forged as hobbyist for 10 years; opened his own shop in 2003; work is primarily architectural; commissioned work include: furniture, sculpture, household items; specializes in traditional joinery; studied with Uri Hofi and Mark Aspery.

Liz Alpert Fay:

BAA, Program in Artisanry; studied also at Philadelphia College of Art; teaches for Guilford Art Center, Silvermine Guild School; exhibits nationally; work in collections of: The White House, Museum of Art & Design, Fairfield Processing; West-chest-er Craft Show: Collector's Award; published in: Fiber Arts Design Book 7, Hooked Rugs Today, The Art Quilt, Complete Guide to Collecting Hooked Rugs, Creative American Quilting; American Craft, The Crafts Report, Country Living, HGTV.

Angela Fina:

MFA, School for American Craftsmen, Rochester Inst. of Technology; Self employed potter for over 30 years.

Cynthia Fisher:

BS, University of Maine; studied at Art Institute of Boston; children's book illustrator since 1989; over 30 published books; mosaic artist since 2000; commissioned for mosaic wall art and installations nationwide; teaches for Snow Farm New England Craft Program; work featured in: Boston Globe magazine, Berkshire Monthly magazine, The Guild's The Artful Home (2004, 2006); conducts school mosaic projects throughout New England; member Society of American Mosaic Artists; maintains studio in western Massachusetts.

Hans Frohlich:

BA and MS degrees; working professionally for twenty plus years in both stained glass and edu-ca--tion; principal of Glass Craft Inc. from 1982-1990; involved with most pro-cesses of flat and warm glass including: Tiffany foil method, lead came, repair and restoration, fusing, slumping, sand blasting, acid etching and slab glass; maintains studio in Brookfield, CT with emphasis on repairs and restorations.

Viola Galetta:

Native of Budapest Hungary; teaches jewelry making, beading classes; textile designer by trade; custom designer of sportswear and neckwear; freelance artist; sells one of a kind jewelry.

Andrew Gardner:

Willow furniture maker for more than a decade; studied with John Phillips in Tennessee; worked as potter and book designer; silkscreen artist and author of The Artists Silkscreen Manual; taught at Rutgers University; Hofstra University; R.I.T., School of Visual Arts; work in numerous private collections; published in many regional and national publications.

Pat Gullett:

Artist/instructor; BFA University of Illinois, Urbana; MA Columbia College, Chicago; also studied at: Brookfield Craft Center (PMC Certification); national profile working jeweler and fine art painter with studio in New Milford, CT; 22 years art teaching experience in Chicago Public Schools; contributor to fine art textbook teacher's edition Understanding Art; images published on book covers for Llewellyn Publishing; articles in Southwest Art, Quest, Connecting Link, U.S. Art; artist for Jewels of the Lotus divinatory deck of cards; exhibits nationally.

Brenda Hall:

Originally from Oregon, moved to Connecticut five years ago; professional woodworker for 18 years; furniture maker and works for Ian Ingersoll as a finisher of beautifully hand made shaker furniture; Featured in article about her work that will be published in Curve magazine March of 2008.

Cherri Hankins:

17 year weaver and spinner, is a custom tallit weaver; Produces prayer shawls for traditional Jewish worship as well as other commissions; Has been teaching fiber arts for 12 years; teaches at two of her own studios, and several art centers; Works as an artist-in-residence in the Richmond City Schools system, and teaches after school art programs; Work has been exhibited in arts centers from coast-to-coast. 

Charlotte Hedlund:

Painter/mixed media artist; BFA, SUNY/Empire State College; also studied Art Students League, Parsons, Art New England, Brookfield Craft Center, numerous group and solo exhibitions; work in private and corporate collections. Co-founder: West Street Artists Co.; teaches for Empire State College, professional affiliations include: Silvermine Guild, Ward Nasse Gallery, New Haven Paint and Clay, Center for Book Arts; Certified Expressive Arts Facilitator.
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Leslie Smith Jackson:

BS, Studio Art (Fiber), Skidmore College; also studied with Navajo weavers DY Begay and Pearl Sunrise, Chimayo weaver Lisa Trujillo, Lewis Knauss, John McQueen, and has been fascinated by all things fiber for 30+ years; studio shop "Wild West Weaver" is in Ridgefield, CT.
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Heather Laskowski:

BFA, Fiber Arts, University of Northern Colorado; Fiber artist, decorative painter and calligrapher with work in collections around the world; Currently the Operations Director for the Brookfield Craft Center.

Margot Levy:

Studied with: John Fix, John Marshall, Rosemary Gould, Anne Besse-Shepherd, and John Cogswell; teaches at for Farmington Valley Art Center, Wesleyan Potters, Guilford Handcraft Center, and privately; maintains studio in New London, CT; exhibits throughout New England.

David Licata:

BFA in Sculpture, BS in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz; also studied at: Penland School of Craft, Urban Glass, Brookfield Craft Center, Wheaton Arts Center, with Bandhu Scott Dunham; taught for Peter's Valley Art Center and Wheaton Arts Center; exhibits throughout the Northeast.
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Naomi Lindenfeld:

Bachelor of Applied Arts in ceramics, Boston University; Program in Artisanry; several clay apprenticeships; co-founded Brattleboro Clayworks, potter's collective; professional production potter; ceramics teacher at Putney School; also taught colored clay workshops at craft centers around the northeast.

Larry Livolsi:

Glassblower for over 40 years; taught for Rochester Institute of Technology and Southern Connecticut State University; exhibits internationally; received numerous grants including: 1980 Winter Olympics sculpture grant, New York Council on the Arts, National Endowment of the Arts, resident at Art Park NY; worked on recycling glass in the Virgin Islands and built three studios there; currently runs a glass shop on St. John, BVI during Winters.

Beryl Maddalena:

Owner of Fiberworks (a wearable art boutique) in Nyack, NY for many years; work in appliqued and collaged clothing and accessories has been featured in museum shops and wearable art galleries throughout the country; currently working  
in contemporary, freeform crochet; creates one-of-a-kind jackets and scarves; teaches workshops throughout the region.

Stephanie Maddalena:

BA in Fine Arts, St. Thomas Aquinas College; also studied at: Peters Valley Craft Center, Brookfield Craft Center, Old Church Cultural Center; taught for: Syracuse University, Rockland Center for the Arts, Craft Students League; exhibits throughout the region; owns/operates Foxcroft Beads in Haverstraw, NY.
instructor's website

Don Metz:

Carpenter/boatbuilder; operates Black Duck Boats in Danbury, CT; exhibits regionally; numerous custom construction projects both commercial and residential. 
 

Kristin Muller:

Education Director for Brookfield Craft Center and is also a ceramics instructor and the studio manager; Wrote The Potter's Studio Handbook: A Start to Finish Guide to Hand-Built and Wheel-Thrown Ceramics published by Quarry Books, 2007; BS degree in Studio Arts from Southern Connecticut State University has studied independently with Peter Callas and at Brookfield Craft Center has assisted some of America's best potters; Currently working on a Masters of Fine Arts Degree at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland; Specialty in ceramics is forming and firing of Japanese origin. She creates contemporary work fired in an anagama kiln at her studio in Dingmans Ferry, PA. Her work can be viewed on www.Kristinmuller.net.
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Jonathan Nedbor:

Metalsmith for over 30 years; worked in large industrial fabricating shop; fabricated large outdoor sculptures for artists represented by Pace and Marlboro Galleries, NY; custom work for numerous private homes and museums; taught for several decades; President and Vice President of Northeast Blacksmithing Association.

Matthew Parkinson:

Self-taught blacksmith and swordmaker; graduated from the manufacturing technologies program at Vinal R.V.T.S., were he was taught the basics of forming, machining, and fabricating metal along with the basics of heat treating and metallurgy; Falling Hammer Productions LLC produces custom knives and swords along with high end railings, furniture, and hardware.

Joan Polzin:

MFA from Western Connecticut State University; studied illustration and painting; works in oils, watercolor, ink, pastel, charcoal; specializes in the human face and figure; studied anatomy; native of New York City now long time resident of Brookfield, CT; member of The Bethel Arts Junction, SCAN of Newtown, CT, Washington Art Association; work in several private collections.
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Dennis Preston:

Builder of furniture and wood-work-ing teacher more over 30 years; BS from University of New Haven; MS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; licensed professional engineer; has worked as Assistant Editor for Fine Woodworking Magazine, contributing editor for Woodworker's Journal; President of the Nutmeg Woodturners League.

Hunt Prothro:

Lives in Washington County, Maryland; BA in Theology and Literature from Hanover College, Indiana in 1971, and studied pottery with Marguerite Wildenhain from 1972-1978; Currently teaches pottery at Sidwell Friends School, in Washington, DC; He has worked in the National Museum of American Art and received two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards in 1999 and 2002.

Joy Raskin:

BFA, Rhode Island School of Design; MFA, University of Massachusetts; also studied at Penland School of Crafts, Peters Valley Craftsmen, Haystack Mt. School of Crafts; exhibits nationally; work in numerous collections including: White House; many awards including: Artist Fellowship, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts; work published in: The Crafts Report, Boston Globe, Metalsmith, Southern Accents; maintains studio in Concord, NH.
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Michael Rivera:

BFA, Syracuse Univ.; MFA, SUNY Purchase; teaches for Continuing Education Dept. at SUNY Purchase; sculptor working in welded steel; exhibits sculpture and paintings nationally; work in private and institutional collections; maintains studio in Roxbury, CT.
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Karen Rossi:

Professional fine artist since 1987; winner of several public sculpture commissions; studio part of family specialty welding business; licenses flying character designs; designs internationally collected; dramatic 6 to 30 foot versions installed in many public buildings.

Melissa J. Russell:

Majored in jewelry and silversmithing at Southern Connecticut State University; worked as head designer and model maker for ten years at a large jewelry casting company; taught teen jewelry course for Multicultural Arts & Technology Program at CCSU in New Britain; working jewelry artist with studio in Bethlehem CT.

Cynthia Saari:

MS from Pennsylvania State University; instructor of lampwork glass classes for: Brookfield Craft Center, Sharon Arts Center, Worcester Center for Craft, John Campbell Folk School, Corcoran College of Art & Design; exhibits work in galleries including: Kittrell-Riffkind Art Glass, Arts Afire, Ironwood Gallery, Symmetry Gallery; work included in several publications including: 1000 Glass Beads, The Flow magazine's 2006 "Women in Glass" issue; maintains a studio in Putnam, CT.

Sue Sachs:

BS, Univ. of Wisconsin (Madison); consultant for Madison, WI Recreational Dept.; jewelry instructor: Lincoln Farm Camp, Bucks Rock Camp; Pres., Riker Hill Associates; numerous national gallery shows; juror for many regional shows; teaches for Newark Museum.

Myra Serrins:

Studio textile artist; MFA, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth; BFA Cleveland Institute of Art; exhibits nationally including: Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyoming, Seton Gallery, University of New Haven; Taught 2-D Design in Textiles at UMass Dartmouth; gives workshops and lectures for schools and guilds across the nation; maintains studio in Sherman, CT.

Buster Shaw:

Woodworker and turner; studied at Brookfield Craft Center with Beth Ireland and Michael Hosaluk; work is exhibited locally and in private collections; President of Nutmeg Woodturners League; maintains studio in Bethel, CT.

David Silver:

Professional landscaper with over 25 years of experience with bonsai; studied with Japanese, Chinese and American Bonsai masters; owner of Bantam Bonsai, a garden design, construction and maintenance business; specializes in Japanese, perennial, rock and water gardens; member of Bonsai Clubs Inter-na-tional, The American Bonsai Society, North American Rock Garden Society.
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Anna Siok:

Graduate of Rhode Island School of Design; Teaches for the 92nd Street YMCA; Children's Art Studio and Greenwich House Pottery in New York City.

Susan Kasson Sloan:

Studio jeweler and instructor; teaches at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, the OCCC School of Art in Demarest NJ, and gives workshops nationally including: Penland and Southwest Craft Center; recipient of three New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship Grants; work included in collections of: the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI, Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, NYC.

Steve Skonieczny:

Professional woodworker; Bachelor of Architecture, Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston, MA 1992); fine furniture making program, The College of the Redwoods (Fort Bragg, CA 2000); a native of the east coast, now maintains a furniture studio in Seattle, WA; teaches workshop at his studio, taught at The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship (Rockport, ME); published in Woodwork magazine; his work can be seen at the Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworking (Seattle, WA).

Kelly Smyth:

Forges hardware for historic sites and ships' hardware; Early American Life magazine's Directory of Traditional Crafts; International conference presenter; Smithsonian Institution Folklife Festivals 2004 & 2007; teaches workshops internationally; demonstrates and interprets living history museums.

Joe Szilaski:

Trained at metalworking trade school in Europe; bladesmith for over forty years; has worked as ornamental ironworker and as senior detailer in art foundry specializing in bronze and steel sculpture; background in both metalwork and the fine arts; makes one-of-a-kind knives and tomahawks; voting member of the Knife Makers Guild; earned "Master Smith" rating from American Bladesmith Society; work has won numerous awards; work has appeared in books and magazines; currently a field editor for Blade Magazine.

Steve Tanneberger:

BS in Art Education from Southern CT. State Univ.; further studies at the University of Notre Dame, Lake Placid School of Art; taught pottery and runs workshops for many local art centers and schools including: Rowayton Art Center, Escape to the Arts, Wooster Community Art Center; currently teaches at The Melrose School in Brewster, NY.

Virginia Teichner:

Studied: Art Stu-dents League and League of Visual Artists; decorative painter for 22 years; work has appeared in: Country Living, House Beautiful, Antiques, House & Garden, Colonial Home, The New York Times; maintains studio in Ridgefield, CT.
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Keith Tompkins:

Member Northeastern Woodworkers Association, American Association of Woodturners, Wood Turning Center, ACC; work published in: Fine Woodworking, Woodwork, 500 Wood Bowls.; Winner of 2005 Niche Award; 2007 Niche Award double finalist.
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Raychel Wengenroth:

BFA, Suny New Paltz; silversmith living/working in Ridgefield, CT; teaches weekly classes for Silvermine School of Art; also taught for Woodstock Guild of Craftsmen, Dutchess and Westchester Community Colleges, Mill St. Loft, NY, Wesleyan Potters, Farmington Valley Arts Center; Fletcher Farm, Peters Valley; exhibits nationally; recipient of New York State Crafts Alliance Grant.

Sandra Yahner:

BA in Studio Art from SUNY Cortland; MS in Art Education from Syracuse University; teaches high school art in Marathon, NY; demonstrated and taught workshops at The Cooper Hewitt Museum and throughout the Northeast; exhibited both nationally and internationally.

Jeff Zamek:

BFA and MFA in Ceramics from Alfred University, College of Ceramics; taught for Simon's Rock College and Keane College; started ceramics consulting firm; contributed articles to: Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, Clay Times, Studio Potter, Craft Horizons; author of What.
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