Philly Art Center

Nina is a teaching artist and art therapist. She graduated from Arcadia University with a BFA and a concentration in ceramics and then went on to get her masters in art therapy and counseling from Albertus Magnus College. Nina enjoys working with all age groups and all art media. Her favorite media is anything related to ceramics. She believes that art is one of the best ways to communicate how a person views the world and themselves. She is grateful to work in a studio environment and get to guide individuals in the art process!

Cameron is from Cherry Hill, New Jersey and graduated from the College of Charleston with a BA in Historic Preservation/ Community Planning and a BS in Urban Studies. He loves being able to provide children in the greater Philly area with engaging art classes because he feels that art should be heavily integrated into urban spaces. He loves drawing, specifically architectural drawing, and print making. When he’s not teaching he can be found exploring Philly with his friends.

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Marina has lived in Philadelphia for the past few years and loves it! She studied abroad in Rome for a semester and earned her BFA in Fibers & Material Studies from Temple University's Tyler School of Art. Marina loves teaching kids to get creative and grow their skills in the studio! Aside from teaching, she loves biking and embroidery.

Marcie is from Baltimore, MD, and lived in NYC for 9 years before coming to Philadelphia in December 2018. She received her M.S. in Interior Design from Pratt Institute and a B.A. in Studio Art from The University of Maryland, College Park, with a concentration in drawing and woodblock printing. She loves exploring art techniques and thinks it's more important to enjoy the process than the final product. "Happy accidents" often produce her favorite pieces. In addition to making art, Marcie loves exploring the city, traveling abroad, reading, and bad puns.

Shane was born and raised in Glenside, PA. He holds a BFA in Studio Art from Marywood University and an MFA in Painting from Boston University. He currently lives and works in Philadelphia, and draws inspiration for his paintings from the vast array of people he sees every day. When he isn’t in the studio, he can be found playing the piano, listening to some vinyl, or traveling somewhere new.

Teal holds a BFA in Painting with minors in both Art History and Photography. She most recently graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Masters in Fine Arts concentrating on Painting and Drawing. Her favorite part about teaching is the opportunity to witness the unique moment when a student artist develops confidence in their own artistic style. In her spare time, Teal can be found painting or maintaining her home plant jungle!

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!

Agostina is an artist and a world traveler who loves experimenting with a variety of mediums and processes by creating her own watercolors, inks, and paper, and implementing recycled materials into her work. She earned an AA from Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, PA, and a Bachelor in Painting from Tyler School of Art. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she studied abroad in Egypt and Italy, and has traveled around the globe to many other countries. Currently living in Philadelphia, she enjoys working in educational and artistic establishments to keep learning and improving as an artist and an educator. When making art in the classroom, she admires the creative freedom of young artists and is eager to empower it. Agostina believes art is a tool for self-exploration and the best way to have a conversation with the world.

Natalie was born in Seoul, raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and has lived in the city since 2009! She graduated from Temple University with a degree in advertising account management and business administration. She loves children and has years of experience in kid-focused environments. Natalie enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, exploring new cuisines, knitting, traveling and the occasional boutique cycling class! She is also a cat mom of two.

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.

North Carolina transplant Alison Lindley migrated to Philadelphia in 2015 to pursue her MFA at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. While in study she refused to let her practice be defined by one material and committed to none. She experimented with variety through drawing, painting, printing, installation, performance and video. Carving out time and into surfaces Alison has spent much of her time in a print shop. Since then her practice has been consumed with navigating the the widely felt struggle to balance the day-job, bill paying, work life with the creative, mess making, art life.

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 and over 20 years of classroom experience, 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.

A Philly girl, Ruby attended Drexel University and graduated with a journalism degree. After living and teaching in China, Ruby decided she wanted to remain in the education world and has been working around kids ever since. When she's not at work you can find her sewing, embroidering, or making jewelry.

Ian M. Petrie graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, 2013. He was selected for the Northern Clay Center’s Fogelberg Residency in 2013 and as a Resident Artist at the Worcester Center for Crafts in 2016-2018. Ian has exhibited his work across the country, including the American Museum for Ceramic Art in 2017. Currently residing in Philadelphia, PA, Ian spends his time making pots when he is sick of the soul-crushing neatness of paper/ink, and drawing comics when he can no longer stand the sight of an endless barrage of dinnerware.

Emily is from Charlotte, NC. She was a teaching assistant in art class throughout high school, where she discovered her love of teaching. She taught outdoor education for two years at Echo Hill Outdoor School in Worton, Maryland before moving to Philly. She specializes in collage, printmaking, watercolor and pen and ink. She loves teaching at the art center because she’s inspired by children’s uninhibited creativity. When she’s not at the art center, Emily loves cooking, taking her cat Ginger for walks, hiking and going camping.

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.

Margie E. Ricchezza is an artist practicing in many different medias. Her favorites are crocheting, ink painting and drawing illustrations and hopes to write her own children’s book one day. She completed a BFA at Tyler School of Art at Temple University, focusing on fibers and materials. She has been teaching art to children since she was in high school and continues to be inspired by the their curiosity. She continues to look at the world through a child’s eye, rejecting the reality she was taught and substituting her own.

Samantha Sanders is a Philadelphia based painter, who was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Sanders obtained her BFA in Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster, PA in 2016. In 2018, she graduated with her MFA in Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Sanders works primarily with oil painting, charcoal, collage, crayon and water-based media on paper -- and makes her own paper when she can! She’s recently been foraging and creating her own all-natural pigments from plant-life and minerals. Between balancing an active studio practice and a 9-to-5 job, she loves creating murals (two in Harrisburg) and relaxing with her cat Pickle. She’s happiest when engaging others with art making and art learning!

Haley is originally from Cherry Hill and after getting her BFA in Illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology she moved to back to the Philadelphia area. She loves teaching because of the group collaboration and individual experimentation that happens in an art studio setting. In her free time, she loves drawing portraits, painting, and giving machine tattoos to herself and her friends.

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.

Kailey graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Illustration in 2016 and has been illustrating anything and everything ever since. Her work can be found in magazines, newspapers, books, and even murals. She has loved drawing, painting, building, and making for as long as she can remember and loves to watch young artists learning to do the same. When she’s not drawing or teaching, she can be found outside, usually with her dog, and a coffee!