Philly Art Center

Bridget took her first pottery class as a sophomore in high school and has been in love with clay since then! She earned her BA in Studio Art at William and Mary College in 2004, where she focused on functional and sculptural ceramics. In 2009, she earned her M.Ed in K-12 Art Education at Arcadia University. Bridget believes that everyone can and should make art, and is looking forward to getting creative (and messy!) with students of all ages. When she's not in her studio, you can usually find her wandering around Collingswood, NJ, where she lives with her husband and two young sons.

David Brodie is a professional jazz bassist who discovered his love and knack for teaching young children’s music over ten years ago. Originally discovering the world of preschool music education by being hired to play bass at a fundraiser held by Sally’s Music Circle, David was hired and trained by Sally Weaver to give topnotch music classes to happy kids and their parents. Since then David has taught in a multitude of settings and has developed his own high energy, interactive style of classes aimed at nurturing children’s natural love of music.

Alex holds a Bachelor's degree in Game Design and Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic in upstate New York. He loves to create artwork with digital pen and tablet, chalk pastel, and colored pencils. Alex has many years of traditional art classes under his belt and enjoys passing on his knowledge to a future generation of artists!

Alyssa holds a BS in Visual Arts from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, and is currently a (MAT) Master of Arts in Teaching graduate student at The University of the Arts. Alyssa has a background in drawing, painting, printmaking, graphic arts, ceramics, and photography. She is a working mixed media artist who has a passion for educating the youth about cultural and social awareness through visual art. She also enjoys participating in community service projects and mentoring young girls in the Philadelphia area and surrounding communities.

Brooke has lived in multiple cities around the country pursuing her career as an artist and exploring new places. While living in Oregon, she received her Bachelor Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Portland State University. Brooke has worked alongside many different ceramic tile artists which sparked her love for process work early on. Always learning, she has incorporated different crafts such as woodworking, painting, and sculpting to her skill set and when she is not teaching at the Philly Art Center she works as freelance artist specializing large-scale installations and displays. Brooke vividly recalls the art classes she took at a young age and attributes much of her creativity to this early exposure to techniques and artistic mediums. She hopes to pass along this joy and curiosity to all of her students!

Shelley joined the Philly Art Center family in 2011 after attending art and music classes with her daughters for many years. She has a Master of Public Health in community health education from Temple University and has experience in management, customer service and program planning and evaluation. Shelley was also a doula for many years and has a special place in her heart for babies and their mamas. Shelley is not an artists but thoroughly enjoys being surrounded by both big and small ones!

Studio Director of Cherryhill Megan is bringing her warm-hearted approach to our newest studio. A Southern Maryland native, Megan loves all things green and country! She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Temple University with a certificate in elementary education along with a post-baccalaureate degree. Megan has worked at Philly Art Center since 2012 and has also taught in both public and private school settings as well as preschools. She has studied art throughout her educational career and enjoys creative work in her free time!

Kathleen holds a BFA in Painting & Drawing from The University of the Arts and an MFA in Painting from The San Francisco Art Institute. She has studied art internationally in both, Budapest, Hungary and Buenos Aires, Argentina. A Philadelphia resident, Kathleen is also an instructor at the Tyler School of Art. Kathleen has shown extensively in both Philadelphia and California, and has work included in private collections in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Her work consists of large-scale oil paintings, drawings, ceramics and digital photographs.

Caitlin graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with her Masters of Art in Teaching. Prior to this, she studied at Penn State University where she received her Bachelor’s in Studio Art (specializing in drawing and painting). Her artistic passion is graphite portraiture but finds endless excitement in the mixed media exploration that so often takes place in the art classroom. She has taught children from ages two to eighteen, finding their artistic understanding/know-how to be completely inspiring, but most loves the uninhibited energy and creativity of the youngest artists!

Pat is an art educator, an avid painter, and freelance comic illustrator in Philadelphia. He received his education from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and University of Pennsylvania, where he mastered his studies in painting and illustration. Whenever he's not working on a painting or teaching adult classes, he can be found spoiling his chihuahua!

Marlise holds a BFA in fine art and design from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Georgetown University. She was a textile designer in the home furnishing industry for many years, and then a product developer for consumer product companies. Marlise has 25 years of sewing experience, and when she's not sewing, she is involved in her kids? school's PTA or with the local Mothers of Multiples group! She is a Cherry Hill, NJ native.

Laura is a woodworker and seamstress with a bachelor?s degree in Crafts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She teaches woodworking and engineering courses at the high school level, having earned an MAT in Technology Education from The College of New Jersey. Prior to teaching, Laura built custom cabinets and furniture. Laura loves working with kids of all ages in their exploration of different materials and techniques.

Chrissie is a singer, songwriter, and pianist. After receiving her degree in Music Education from Temple University in 2005, Chrissie has been teaching piano and voice lessons, choir, and general music classes to people of all ages and various settings. She uses her energetic, imaginative style to encourage participation, develop musicianship, and inspire love for the universal language of music. Chrissie has also recorded several albums and completed national tours with her band!

Jill holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts and a BFA in art education from the University of New Mexico. With a K-12 teaching certificate, Jill has taught art at every level from preschool through university. In 2004, Jill launched the flagship location of Philly Art Center in Fairmount and has worked with dedication to grow Philly Art Center, delivering on their creative mission, ever since.

Kat writes curriculum for many of the Art Center programs, manages all centers' programs, and teaches classes for students aged 1 through 14, on and off site. Kat earned her B.A. in Contemporary Art with a concentration in Modern Art History from Universities on both US coasts. Her passion to study and make art took her all over the United States before finally settling in Philadelphia with her boisterous (and also creative) family. Kat is a working artist, an Art History lecturer, and gallery curator, with her paintings exhibited both nationally and internationally. In addition, Kat has over 10 years of teaching experience, working with artists through hands-on specialty classes.

Katie has an MFA in fibers from Tyler University and a BA from Kenyon College in Ohio. She is an artist and teacher living in West Philadelphia. She spends her time planning curriculum, teaching, and making collaborative animations. She is drawn to things that move because light has moved through them, or pushed up against them, or warmed their faces. Katie teaches art to children and organizes community projects centered around the hope for re-purposing materials and creating opportunities for exchange.

Graduating in 2015 from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Hannah holds a degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Painting and a minor in Art History,. She was a counselor at Hempfield Rec Daycamp in Lancaster for three years where she supervised kids of various ages; as a former member of Kutztown's tennis team, she instructed tennis there as well. Hannah is an abstract painter who believes that art is unplanned and that each mark is responding to a previous mark. Her biggest influence is Helen Frankenthaler. Aside from art and tennis, Hannah enjoys traveling and is looking forward to exploring her new home in Philadelphia.

Alyssa was trained as a printmaker at Pratt Institute, where she received her BFA. She further developed her studio practice and ideas at Columbia University, where she earned her MFA. At Philly Art Center, Alyssa teaches all ages and levels of expertise, specializing in printmaking classes for adults. She loves to lead fun classes that encourage her students to experiment freely, feel unafraid of making mistakes, and create whatever projects they have in their head! In her free time she enjoys reading, cooking, playing with dogs and is always involved in countless crafts projects.

Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Avery grew up loving art and anything that required getting a little messy. She recently graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and thereafter decided to pursue art education. Avery loves kids and passing down her knowledge to help them grow as young artists. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, exploring and photography!

Alexis is costume designer and pattern maker with a BFA in fashion design from Moore College of Art and Design and studied accessory design in New York at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She has worked in research, design, and creation for a number of companies. In true Philly style, Alexis has created costumes for a number of Mummers groups including a fancy brigade. Alexis has been the Art Center’s lead sewing teacher for over 5 years and develops all of the adult class curriculum. Her popular classes are always fun and are based on trends in fashion and home. She’s a wiz at turning brand new sewers in to confident seamstresses!

Meredith holds a BSFCS in Fashion Design. She spent a summer in Paris, France studying couture techniques at the Paris American Academy. She has assisted in the production of Haute Couture shows on the Paris runway for designers such as: Dominique Sirop, Elie Saab and Georges Hoebeka. She enjoys pattern making, sewing and the process of constructing a garment from a simple sketch to a fully lined garment. She loves all facets of fashion design: sewing, draping, dying, fabric manipulation and understanding the science behind textiles. In her free time, Meredith enjoys camping, cooking and traveling the world!

Bryan holds an M.F.A in painting from the University of Delaware, and a B.A in Visual Art from Stockton University. He has been teaching for more than 10 years at the University and Community College level, and has exhibited his artwork across the country in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Delaware, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Maryland, and Connecticut. As an artist and teacher Bryan focuses on exploring traditional artistic skills with a sense of creativity and humor. When he’s not teaching he can be found traveling the Tri-State area in search of adventures with his wife and 3 year old daughter.

Vivian received her BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design where she was trained in printmaking, painting, sculpture and illustration. Before joining the Philly Art Center team, Vivian taught art with a number of schools and programs around the country. Most recently, she taught at an elementary and middle school level with AmeriCorps in Providence, RI. In her own practice, Vivian is an interdisciplinary artist, whose subject matter stems from her love of folklore and tall tales.

Liz de Lise is a songwriter, singer, and guitar player. Her love of music and performing started at an early age and has led her down many different musical paths. In addition to performing her original music, Liz is the company singer for David Dorfman Dance (NYC). She volunteers with Build-a-Bridge (Philadelphia) as an Artist-On-Call and works as the studio assistant at Bocage Music Publishing in Cherry Hill, NJ. Liz received her B.A. in Anthropology from Connecticut College. As a junior at Connecticut College, she received a research grant and traveled to Portland, Oregon where she studied the street kids that passed through town, after which she wrote her Senior Honors Thesis and a six-song EP about the street kids and their stories. Liz has been working with children for 10 years as a nanny and camp counselor. She has found her anthropological studies to be integral to her understanding each child's individual needs. Liz is excited to begin her latest musical endeavor with Philly Art Center in Cherry Hill!