Board of Trustees
David Firstenberg, President
Christine Proffit, 1st Vice President
Shawna Erickson Dowling, Second Vice President
Michael Lorion, Treasurer
Lynne Tonna, Clerk
Jennifer Carey
Peter Faulkner
Joan Freedman
Richard Freedman
Michael Hachey
Stephen Mirick
Staff
Barbara Walzer, Executive Director
Tammy Nigosian, Director of Finance and Administration
Jake Vincent, Glass Department Head
Volunteer Studio Monitors
Paul Dumanoski
Tony Gardner
Lee Bartlett
Ingrid Hathaway
Matt Ames
Winter Session Refunds
All refunds for the Winter Session have been made. Refunds are in the form of the original payment. Therefore, if payment was by check or cash, you should have received a check in the mail.
For payments by credit card, please check your credit card statement for a credit. Should you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail Tammy Nigosian.
The New Street Glass Studio
The New Street Glass Studio continues to accept hot shop rentals.
Please contact Jacob Vincent
at 508-757-1424.
Faculty
Departments Heads
Clay Department Head Tom O'Malley
Tom O’Malley began studying ceramics in high school and received his BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred Univ. in 1985. He received his MFA, with honors, from RISD in 1994. O’Malley has exhibited nationally and internationally, winning numerous awards. He received an LCC Grant in 1998 and was a recipient of the People’s Choice Award at the 2002 Strictly Functional Pottery National. He has taught at RISD, Becker College and the WorcesterCenter for Crafts, and has presented a variety of workshops and lectures throughout New England. He is head of the Ceramics Department where he also works as a studio potter. See Tom's work.
Glass Department Head Alex Bernstein
Alex Gabriel Bernstein is the new Department Head of Glass at the WCC. He spent two years studying glass blowing at Penland, then earned his MFA from RIT in 2001. He also received a BA in Psychology from the Univ. of NC, Asheville in 1994. Bernstein has taught at Cleveland Art Institute, Penland, and RIT. His work is represented in many galleries and collections including Chappell Gallery, NYC, and Corning Museum of Glass. Bernstein has received numerous awards and honors including an American Craft Council Emerging Artist Grant. Visit Alex's website.
Metals Department Head Linda Seebauer Hansen
Linda Seebauer Hansen received her MFA in Art Metal and Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has taught jewelry and metalworking at the Milwaukee Area Technical College and at the University of Wisconsin. Linda is currently the Metals Studio Department Head at the Worcester Center for Crafts. She also works as a studio artist designing and creating jewelry and small-scale sculpture in her studio in Auburn, MA. See and purchase Linda's work.
PAULA ADAMS PAXSON - Wood Department Coordinator - has studied furniture making at the Worcester Center for Crafts since 2001. A self– taught carpenter, painter, and quilter, she previously owned a custom small business in picture framing. Her work is in private collections throughout the United States and Britain. Paxson is the Wood Studio Coordinator and an Artist-in-Residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts.
Adjunct Faculty
ALEX GABRIEL BERNSTEIN is the Department Head of Glass at the Worcester Center for Crafts. He spent two years studying glass blowing at Penland, then earned his MFA from RIT in 2001. Bernstein has taught at Cleveland Art Institute, Penland, and RIT. His work is represented in many galleries and collections including Chappell Gallery, NYC, and Corning Museum of Glass.
BIRDIE BOONE holds an MFA in Ceramics from UMASS Dartmouth, where she has also taught. She has worked at Peters Valley Craft Center, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. Boone is the Ceramics Studio Technician of the Worcester Center for Crafts.
RYAN BOTHAMLEY is a studio potter based in Connecticut. He recently graduated with an MFA from the School for American Crafts at RIT. Bothamley has taught at RIT and Wesleyan Potters, where he has also worked as the Studio Manager. He has exhibited his work throughout the Northeast and has won a number of awards and scholarships.
MADELINE CANTWELL is owner of the SweetWood Soap Company and has exhibited at the Worcester Center for Crafts annual craft show and at other fine craft shows around New England. She makes handmade soaps in small batches from natural ingredients, providing people with a healthy but luxurious bathing experience.
PAMELA COLE holds a BFA in Fine Arts. She has taught art to children in area schools since 1971. Cole was appointed to the Arts Council in Shrewsbury and was a member for four years. She has taken more than thirty pottery classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts and served as studio assistant for two years. She currently works and teaches in her studio in Shrewsbury.
AMANDA CULHANE received her BFA in Textile Design/Fiber arts from UMASS Dartmouth and is now working as a product and textile designer for a cushion and pet bed manufacturer in Southeastern Massachusetts. Culhane also spends her weekends in her Rutland studio hand printing and painting her own textiles and creating whole cloth quilts – reflecting her love of exploring organic and naturally occurring colors and shapes.
DEIRDRE CUNNINGHAM has been working with metal for nine years and is a recent graduate of the School for Professional Crafts Program at the Worcester Center for Crafts. She makes one-of-a-kind stone-centered jewelry and a production line in her Connecticut studio. Cunningham’s work has been shown in shops and galleries in New England.
PAUL DUMANOSKI studied photography at the Worcester Center for Crafts under Peter Faulkner. The subject for his work is the environment, both natural and man-made. He has exhibited his photographs in juried shows throughout the region and recently won an award in Preservation Worcester’s Architectural Images VI.
JEANNE FERRARO received her MFA in Glass from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has taught extensively, including at Sheridan Collage, Pratt Fine Art Center, Urban Glass and the Corning Museum of Glass. She is a 2005-2006 Artist-in Residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts.
HOLLY FISCHER received her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin and was awarded Sculptor of the Year from the Umlauf Sculpture Garden in her final semester. Holly taught
at the University of Texas at Austin and the Savannah College of Art and Design. In the fall of 2005, she joined the Artist-in-Residence program at the Worcester Center for Crafts as the Marie P. Cowen Fellow.
CHRIZTINE FOLTZ received a degree in textile design from the College of Handarts and Industrial Design, Copenhagen, Denmark. Foltz teaches Graphic Design and Textiles at Becker
College and is a consultant with an engineering company to solve weaving and clothing design problems. Foltz’s work has earned awards, was shown in the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Triennial (2003), and is held in private collections.
CHARLES GEDRAITIS is a self-taught knife maker with a background as a machinist. He exhibits and sells his work nationally. He works in his studio in Rutland, MA making elegant folders and custom knives.
EAMON GILLEN has studied photography at the Craft Center for many years. He has taught in our SummerFun Summer Camp and also teaches regular youth photography classes. Gillen has exhibited in juried shows and galleries throughout the area. The primary subject of his work is all aspects of theurban scene.
GINNY GILLEN studied at the Ringling Art School and Greenville Museum School. She received a certificate in ceramics from the Worcester Center for Crafts’ School for Professional Crafts. She has been teaching craft classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts since 1992 and is the coordinator of the T.A.P. Program.
LINDA SEEBAUER HANSEN received her MFA in Art Metal and Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has taught jewelry and metalworking at the Milwaukee Area Technical College and at the University of Wisconsin. Linda is currently the Metals Studio Department Head at the Worcester Center for Crafts. She also works as a studio artist designing and creating jewelry and small-scale sculpture in her studio in Auburn, MA.
SANDRA HARRIS has been working in glass since 1995. She maintains a studio in Northborough, MA where she makes windows, vessels, tiles and jewelry. Her work incorporates many glassworking techniques including flameworking, painting, fusing, sandblasting, dichroic laminating, metal leaf and copper foil. Erika Jorjorian holds a BFA in Metals and Textiles from the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, PA. She has been an art instructor at Young Children’s Center for the Arts She is currently a metals studio assistant for both adult classes and T.A.P., teaches in both the youth and adult programs, and makes one-of-a-kind jewelry in her Princeton studio.
ERIKA JORJORIAN holds a BFA in Metals and Textiles from the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, PA. She has been an art instructor at Young Children’s Center for the Arts She is currently a metals studio assistant for both adult classes and T.A.P., teaches in both the youth and adult programs, and makes one-of-a-kind jewelry in her Princeton studio.
KRISTEN KIEFFER received her MFA in Ceramics from Ohio University, Athens. She was an intern at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village historical production pottery in Dearborn, MI. Kieffer assisted John Glick at his Plum Tree Pottery and was an artist-in-residence at Arrowmont. She was an Artist-in-Residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts from 2001-2003.
RANDI LAAK is a local journalistic, fine art, and travel photographer. He has studied under both Peter Faulkner and Kirk Jalbert at the Worcester Center for Crafts and attended the Nikon School of Photography. His work has been published in the Holden Landmark and Practical Photography. He travels extensively to photograph in the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean.
MARY-ELLEN LATINO received her MA from the University of Maryland and graduated from the Craft Center’s professional craft studies program. Her eclectic quilts have been shown throughout the U.S. and internationally. Most recently she was juried into the New England Quilt Museum and MakereadyPress in Montclair, NJ.
LORI MADER began her ceramics career at the University of South Carolina in 1989. She studied at UMass Amherst and attended numerous clay classes and workshops at the Worcester Center for Crafts. She teaches children’s ceramic classes in elementary schools throughout Massachusetts. Mader has participated in juried art festivals throughout New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. She currently owns and operates Cedar Swamp Pottery in Wilbraham, MA.
DARRYL MANBECK has worked with his father in the senior Manbeck’s design and restoration studio since the age of 12. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, but has found furniture restoration to be a more compelling career.
ELISA MINASIAN is a multi-media artist. She has studied at the Worcester Art Museum and has taken a number of different classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts. Her love of glasswork began in 2002 after discovering lampworking at the Worcester Craft Center. She has been the glass studio monitor for the past three years. She maintains a private studio on Harlow Street.
ANDY MOTTER teaches in programs throughout New England and has taught woodturning at the Worcester Center for Crafts for many years. He is an active member of the Central New England Woodturners Association. Motter’s turned objects are exhibited throughout the region.
SARAH NELSON received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Nelson has exhibited both jewelry and small metal sculpture throughout the U.S. and has received several local and state arts grants.
STEVE OLESIN has been making musical instruments and furnishings for over 25 years. He has written a book entitled Tool-Making Projects for Joinery and Woodworking. At present he works under the name “ The Creatire” in his shop in Acton, MA.
TOM O’MALLEY began studying ceramics in high school and received his BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1985. He received his MFA, with honors, from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1994. O’Malley has exhibited nationally and internationally, winning numerous awards. He received an LCC Grant in 1998 and was a recipient of the People’s Choice Award at the 2002 Strictly Functional Pottery National. He has taught at RISD, Becker College, and the Worcester Center for Crafts, and has presented a variety of workshops and lectures throughout New England. He is head of the Ceramics Department where he also works as a studio potter.
PAULA ADAMS PAXSON has studied furniture making at the Worcester Center for Crafts since 2001. A self– taught carpenter, painter, and quilter, she previously owned a custom small business in picture framing. Her work is in private collections throughout the United States and Britain. Paxson is the Wood Studio Coordinator and an Artist-in-Residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts.
JULIE PEDERSEN learned to knit at the age of twelve from an aunt and has been pursuing the craft ever since. She is certified to teach beginning knitting by the Craft Yarn Council of America and is currently working towards her Level 3 Master Knitter’s Certificate from the Knitting Guild of America.
JOSEPH RICE has been involved in gilding, restoration, and decorative painting for over twenty years. He acquired his skills through various schools and organizations, including the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, the Society of Gilders, and the Historical Society of Early American Decoration. A Worcester native, he works both locally and out of his studio in Maine.
DAVID RITCHIE worked for years in Texas as a custom cabinetmaker’s apprentice and as a framing carpenter. After a 10 year hiatus to pursue a computer career, he began a series of classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts before settling back into his favorite profession, building fine custom hardwood furniture at Hartwood Artisans in Whitinsville and working as a carpenter in the Worcester area.
CYNTHIA SAARI has been making beads for the last ten years, teaching at the Brookfield Craft Center, the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Sharon Arts Center, and the Corcoran School of Art and Design. Her work is carried in numerous galleries, including the Ironwood Gallery, Arts Afire, Kittrell-Riffkind, and Stone Silo. She has been featured in several publications including the “Obsession” catalog, and “1000 Glass Beads.” In April 2006, a show of lampwork glass curated by Cynthia will open at the Brookfield Craft Center in Connecticut.
GALE SCOTT received his BFA from the University of Illinois. In the fall of 1997, Scott set up a small studio in Chicago and worked part time at the Chicago Center for Glass Studies, which offers accredited courses through the Art Institute of Chicago. Scott was accepted to the Master of Fine Arts Program at the Massachusetts College of Art for the fall semester of 1999. Scott now maintains his own studio in Pawtucket, RI. He has taught at Simple Syrup Glass Studio in Brockton, MA and shows with Chappell Gallery in New York and Boston.
PATTI SIMS is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and earned a certificate in Textiles from the School for Professional Crafts at the Worcester Center for Crafts, where she received the David L. Morreale Award for excellence in craft and design. Patti also participated as artist-in-residence for a weaving program funded through a grant from the Blackstone Valley Education Foundation. Her work is exhibited in galleries and shops throughout the region.
BERNARD STACHURA’S involvement in gems and minerals started with his family’s business and he has been doing gem identification and appraisal clinics since 1996. Stachura has taught classes and lectured at the Lexington Arts and Crafts club, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Metalwerx Studio. He holds a BSBA from the University of Lowell and a graduate gemologist degree, including certificates in Pearls, Appraisal, Sales, Retailing and Display. Stachura is the only gemologist in 2006 to have a 100% score on the annual Massachusetts Gems and Gemology challenge.
JENNIFER SWAN received her BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and has studied a variety of media including printmaking, papermaking, and bookmaking. Swan teaches in the Worcester Center for Crafts youth programs, the Worcester Art Museum’s youth and adult programs, and for the town of Shrewsbury.
TERESA MOWERY TAUOUSSI holds a BFA from the Maine College of Art in Jewelry and Metalsmithing. Her area of expertise is in designing with found objects and the patination of metals. She is active with the Newport Art Museum and is a frequent workshop presenter.
FRAN TRAINOR taught Industrial Arts at a local Worcester High School for 34 years. He is a graduate of Worcester State College and Fitchburg State College. He has been woodcarving for the past 13 years
BOB VAN DYKE left his 18-year career as an award-winning French chef to begin a career in woodworking and teaching. He started the nationally renowned Harris School of Woodworking in 1993. In 2000, he formed the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking.
JAKE VINCENT received his BFA from Skidmore College where he studied early American architecture and contemporary textile design. He is a flameworking instructor at the Worcester Center for Crafts and maintains a private glass studio in Somerville, MA.
LARRY WHEELER has been making Lightship Baskets full time since 1993, but has been a craftsman since he was young. His baskets have been displayed at many fine craft shows including the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington D.C and the Philadelphia Museum Craft Show in Philadelphia, PA. Wheeler has also received numerous awards for his baskets and has been featured in craft magazines, newspapers, and television programs.
ZINNIA WU graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, IN with a BA in Art. Her studies focused on metalsmithing and she also was a teaching assistant for the metals department. Her professional experiences include working as a jeweler’s apprentice and as a full-time bench jeweler. She currently is a monitor for the Worcester Center for Crafts’ Metals Department, volunteering during open studio hours and bringing her experiences to our community.
ELIZABETH ZEPP received her BA in Fine and Performing Arts from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and is currently pursuing her MA Ed. in Art Education at Fitchburg State College. Sewing since age five, she has extensive experience in a myriad of fabric art areas including theatrical and dance costuming, clothing, accessory, and doll design, embroidery, beading, and appliqué.