Debbie Beaudette
Debbie Beaudette has been a volunteer at the Craft Center for many years. She is a former student of the PCS program and has been a working metalsmith for 15 years. Her most recent work has been internationally published on the web for The Genzyme Corporation's "Expressions of Hope" and in a corresponding book due published in the fall of 2006. She shows her work regionally.
Lauren Beaudoin
Lauren Beaudoin graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art with a B.F.A, in three-dimensional design and metals. Beaudoin has experience as a metals studio technician and has studied ceramics, fibers, foundry, painting, and welding. Prior to her degree, she took classes and workshops at the Craft Center and was part of Art All State at the Worcester Art Museum. She teaches both youth and adult school metals and continues to be an active artist in Worcester.
Heather Beck
Heather Beck is a metalsmith and woodworker who received her BFA at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth with a degree in Artisanry: Fine Metals. She gained a skill set from working at Beehive Kitchenware in Fall River hand fabricating hundreds of copper and silver measuring cups. She was a full time wood assistant at Peter's Valley craft center for the summer of 2006. Heather works on a larger scale creating brooches which crawl across your entire shoulder or viewing devices that show intimate details of insects and their ornate parts. Given a carving set at the tender age of eight she whittled for years and has now learned fine carving. Her fascination with metal dates back to being a child and picking up anything and everything shiny that could be collected on a playground. Heather spends most of her time in her metals and woodworking studio as part of the 4th floor artist studios in Rockland, Ma.
Pamela Cole
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.
Kelly Conroy
Kelly Conroy received her BFA in art education from Syracuse University. She is an art instructor and has taught youth workshops in metals at the Worcester Center for Crafts. In addition to metals, she has experience working in both oil and watercolor painting. Conroy learned to work with enamels as a student at the Worcester Center for Crafts.
Amanda Culhane
Amanda Culhane received her BFA in textile design/fiber arts from UMass Dartmouth in 2005. She is now working as a freelance textile designer in Providence RI. Amanda spends her weekends in her Rutland, MA studio, hand printing and painting her own textiles and creating whole cloth quilts - reflecting her love of exploring organic and naturally occuring colors and shapes.
Robyn Daniel
Robyn Daniel is a fiber artist whose work has focused on exploring and experimenting with wool and feltmaking. Her felted pieces incorporate surface design, embellishment and texture and are shown internationally. She has created and juried fiber shows and her work has been published in books and fiber related periodicals.
Paul Dumanoski
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.
Matthew Eames
Matthew Eames is a recent graduate of the University of Hartford, from which he received his BFA degree in ceramics. At Hartford, Matt was the Clay Club president and a teaching assistant to Matt Towers as well as Doug Peltzman. In addition he has attended numerous workshops with artists such as; Bruce Denert, Beth Cavener Stichter and Tim Rowan. His work earned him the 2007, Juror's Vision Award, from the Manchester Community College, Manchester NH. Currently Matt is an Artist in Residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts.
Pam Engberg
Pam Engberg has been weaving for 30 years. Her first teacher was Kate Edgerton, of Norwichtown, Connecticut. Pam is especially interested in Native American weaving, but specialized for some years in the production of liturgical items. Needle felting is the latest of her fiber interests. Pam is a member of the Pioneer Valley Weavers guild based in Northampton, Mass. She maintains a close relationship with Harrisville Designs, and sponsors a yearly scholarship there.
Domestic/Fashion Navajo Felting Liturgical Weaving
Chuck 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
Ginny Gillen
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. Ginny was the 2006 recipient of the Worcester Cultural Commission fellowship for the arts and is a 2007 LCC grant recipient. She has been teaching craft classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts since 1992 and is the coordinator of the T.A.P. Program.
Ellen Gould
Ellen Gould has been hooking rugs since 2000. She has studied under several teachers, and is a member of the National Guild of Pearl K. McGown Rug Hookcrafters, and served as Vice President of the Old Sturbridge Village Chapter. She is also a member of the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists and attends meetings of the local Wachusetts chapter.
Ian Henderson
Born and raised on U.S. military bases during the final years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ian Henderson is fighting for his life in a world of chaos and adventure. Henderson received a B.F.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art, in three-dimensional design and metals and currently maintains a studio in Hyde Park, where he wavers on the precipice between calculated eccentricity and heroic perversion. His work represents an attempt to treat nebulous, passing, vision as Platonic Ideal; and bring it into manifestation through fierce application of technical virtuosity.
Abigail Heuss
ABIGAIL HEUSS received her BFA in Metalsmithing from UMass Dartmouth. She has been working as a jeweler making custom work and doing restorations both while in school and for the three years since graduation. Abigail has taught Metalsmithing at Snow Farm during the Summer High School Program for four years. She is now at the Craft Center as an Artist in Residence in the Metals department. Abigail’s work is narrative and has its basis in Metalsmithing, but is largely multi-media. “With my work I hope to present not a story, but the basis for one. Much like a picture book or props for a stage, my intent is that the viewer becomes not only the wearer, but also the narrator.”
Julie Kelly
Julie Kelly is a graduate of Worcester State College and the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University. She has studied photography for over 15 years and exhibits her work in regional juried and solo shows. Kelly also runs a commercial photography business (www.jules-photography.com) specializing in portrait, wedding, and event photography.
Kristen Kieffer
Kristen Kieffer is a full-time studio potter in addition to being a Ceramics Instructor. She received her MFA from Ohio University and BFA from N.Y.S.C.C. at Alfred University. Her professional experience includes being a studio assistant to potter John Glick and an Artist-in-Residence at: Guldagergard in Skaelskor, Denmark; Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN; and the Craft Center. Kieffer has exhibited her work internationally in juried and invitational exhibitions, as well as taught workshops around the country at craft centers and universities. To find out more about Kristen and her work visit her website @ www.kiefferceramics.com
Elizabeth Lang
Elizabeth Lang is an innovative weaver, spinner, and basketmaker. She has been teaching textile techniques for almost 25 years, and doesn't consider that she has really learned a subject until she has taught it and passed it along. Elizabeth is co-author of "Parallel Shadow Weave" and author of "From Weaving to Knitting." She has published articles in weaving and spinning magazines and has won awards for her weaving and spinning. Elizabeth was Dean of the Weavers' Guild of Boston, and is active in both the WGB and the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society.
Mary-Ellen Latino
Mary-Ellen Latino received her MA in educational media from the University of Maryland and graduated from the Craft Center's Professional Craft Studies program. Her eclectic quilts are in both private and corporate settings and have been shown throughout the United States and internationally in Spain and England. She was juried into "Images" this summer and into the Lowell Quilt Museum this Fall. She is also participating in the "Journal Quilt Project" that will take place in Houston, Texas. Mary-Ellen is the State Rep for Surface Design Association (SDA) and recently participated in their members show in Kansas City. Inspired by cultures and nature, she creates fabric, quilts, and wearables in her studio in Northboro, MA.
Katherine Lewis
Kate Lewis recently received her bachelor of fine arts in ceramics and sculpture from Michigan State University. Kate chooses to create her artwork primarily in clay because when working with that medium she experiences a profound sense of peace. Process is very important to Kate and she finds the artistic practice of creation and expression to be very meditative. With each piece Kate creates, she hopes to pass on that feeling of peace or meditation to those who experience her art. For both her pottery and sculptural forms, Kate prefers the natural-looking surfaces produced by high temperature soda or wood kilns. Kate spent this summer firing wood kilns and developing her current body of work at the International Ceramic Research Center in Skaelskor, Denmark. Kate has taught various ceramics classes throughout Michigan and is currently an Artist in Residence in the Ceramics Studio.
Lori Mader
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.
Daryl Manbeck
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.
Dolma Mathur
Dolma Mathur is a graduate of the University of Delhi, India and the National Institute of Design in Ahemdabad, India. She has designed, developed and promoted the use of traditional textiles and designs for the Ministry of Textiles in New Delhi, India as well as supervised and worked with artists to modify traditional designs for high volume production. Dolma has also workd for Feature Films of India, assisting designers in reconstructing and designing traditional embroidered and hand stitched costumes, accessories, and head gear for use in films.
Elisa Minasian
Elisa Minasian is a multi-media artist. She has studied at the Worcester Art Museum and at the Worcester Center for Crafts. Her love of glasswork began in 2002 after discovering lampworking at the Craft Center. She has been the glass studio monitor and teacher for the past three years. She maintains a private studio on Harlow Street.
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 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.
Rosalie Olds
Rosalie L. Olds received her BA from the University of Iowa and has studied at the New School, NYC, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Worcester Center for Crafts. She has exhibited extensively throughout New England and New York. Olds has taught pottery and ceramic sculpture for over thirty years, fifteen of those at the Craft Center.
Paula Paxson
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. She has been an Artist-in-Residence and Wood Studio Coordinator at the Craft Center.
Cynthia Saari
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."
Patricia Sims
Patti Sims graduated from the University of New Hampshire and the Worcester Center for Crafts Professional Crafts Program in Textiles. She has taught adults at the Worcester Center for Crafts for 8 years, as well as teaching private students and designing and implementing weaving and surface design programs for school-age children. She has participated in multiple exhibitions in the New England area, and her work encompasses a variety of media in fiber arts, creating woven, felted and sewn pieces for the home and for children, two of her greatest enjoyments. Her work is inspired by passages of time: shadows, tides, and cyclical events. She combines innovative colors with traditional techniques to create contemporary heirlooms designed to be simple yet sophisticated. Don't make it, if you don't believe in it.
Trevor Toney
Trevor Toney has been a studio furniture maker for over five years and is the Preparator/Exhibits Carpenter for the Worcester Art Museum. Toney's professional experience includes assisting several Massachusetts furniture makers, including Robert March, doing private commissions, and exhibiting in regional exhibitions. He received his Associate Art Degree in Wood from the School for Professional Crafts at the Worcester Center for Crafts and won the Center's David Morreale Award for Excellence in design and craft.
Bob Van Dyke
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
Jake Vincent received his BFA from Skidmore College where he studied early American architecture and textile design. He is a flameworking and glassblowing instructor and artist-in-residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts.
Kiki Warnock
Kiki Warnok received her BA from Colby College and subsequently began a woodworking apprenticeship with Curt Minier Fine Furniture in Seattle. She is a graduate of the Craft Center's Professional Craft Studies program in Wood and teaches Introductory Woodworking at Rhode Island College. Warnock's work is in numerous collections throughout the United States.