Faculty
FEATURED FACULTY MEMBER
Meet Children’s Faculty Member, Tory Nelson
My whole life I have known that I wanted to be an art teacher. My grade school art teacher was my true inspiration, because she really showed me that I could express myself through art, and use it as a valuable tool in all other subject areas in school. My entire family is very artistic as well, so I think from the time I was a child, I have had creativity ingrained within me. I have been teaching in some capacity ever since I was in high school. I started out as a camp counselor during the summers, and realized my true love of teaching children. My passion for teaching only grew when I studied Art Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. There, I had many wonderful teaching opportunities that helped prepare me for student teaching. After undergrad, I attended Graduate School at the University of Illinois to get my masters in Art Education. During that time, I was a teaching assistant, helping guide and mentor undergraduates through their teaching practicum. I then went on to become a part-time art teacher at Skokie School from 2007-2008. For the past three summers I have taught the morning art camp for young children at the North Shore Art League. I currently am a full time teacher associate at Skokie School, as well as an art instructor for the Intermediate Painting class at the North Shore Art League.
I love teaching art, because I believe it is one subject area where every child can succeed. Art isn't just about the end product; it's about how you reach the end product and the problems you solve along the way. It is a wonderful way for children to express themselves, and to experiment with different ways of communicating. One of my favorite things about teaching is when you explain a project and receive 25 completely unique, wonderful works of art at the end!
Nancy Behles, MA, BFA, Art Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Teaching experience includes elementary, high school, college and adult levels. Award-winning merchandise display artist.
Paula Campbell, MA, University of Illinois at Chicago. Graduate of the American Academy of Art. Studied etching and lithography under Audrey Niffenegger. Printmaker for 21 years. www.paulacampbellart.com
David D’Arcy, BA, University of Iowa. Instructor, North Carolina Arts Council. Educator for over 20 years. Exhibits in Chicago galleries and has work in corporate and private collections including the State of Illinois’ Collection.
Lisa de Pinto, School of the Visual Arts, NYC; New York Academy of Art; American Academy of Art, Chicago. Professional figure, portrait, and mural artist. Exhibits locally and in private collections.
Jessica Feith, MFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. BS in Art/French, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison. Additional study, Univ.of Washington-Seattle, Southern Connecticut State Univ., and Univ. d’Aix-en-Provence, France. Teaching experience: Evanston Art Center, Anchor Graphics, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Graphic artist. Exhibits widely and is in collections across the U.S.
Laurey Fisher, BA, University Without Walls, Northeastern Illinois University. Teaches arts and crafts and ceramics to all ages. Has taught at Evanston Recreation Dept., Lake Forest Recreational Dept., The Art Center, Highland Park.
David Gista, Born and raised in Paris, France. University of Paris, Art History degree. Ecole des Beaux Arts, graduate degree. Represented by galleries in Hamburg, Paris, and Chicago. Commissioned by Hotel Sofitel to create 274 works for their new Chicago site. Art teaching experience includes schools, businesses, and special audiences. www.davidgistart.com
Judith Hladik-Voss, BA, Studio Art, Knox College. Printmaker, painter and fabric/construction artist for over 25 years. Her work is held in museum, corporate and private collections in the U.S. and Great Britain. Exhibits nationally.
Bruce Iverson, Specialized in Chinese Brush painting (Sumi-e in Japan) since 1972 with master Chinese brush painters Jean Shen, Ning Yeh, and I-Hsiung Ju. Exhibited in group and juried shows throughout the United States. Bruce has had several one-man shows in New England. Traveled to China for a deeper understanding of the context of brush painting. He is a juried member of the New Hampshire Art Association. His work is grounded in a 3000 year old tradition in which the tools, techniques and philosophy of this Asian Art form have had a lifelong resonance. www.iversonarts.com
Jordan (Jordie) Krimstein, BFA, School of the Art Institute in Advertising and Printing Design and at the Institute of Design. Studied painting with Boris Anisfeld, the reknowned Russian Painter and set designer. Teaching experience includes the Blackhawk Mountain School of Art in Colorado, The Art Center in Highland Park, and Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL. His awards include the Silver Hugo Award/International Film Festival and an Emmy for paintings used in the film “Choosing One’s Way.” Worked as creative director at Campbell Mithun, Inc.
Lea Basile-Lazarus, MFA, Printmaking, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago; BA, Art Education, Trenton State College of New Jersey. Teaching Experience: Skokie School in Winnetka, Romona School, Wilmette, St. Joan of Arc, Evanston. Awarded Teacher Fulbright in 2003.
Christina Lovering, BFA, Art Education and Art History, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Full-time art instructor, working artist. Exhibiting printmaker.
Peggy Macnamara, MA, Art History, University of Chicago. Artist in Residence as well as associate of the Zoology Department at the Field Museum. Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute. Author (with Marlene Hill Donnelly) of Wildlife in Watercolor, Illinois Insects and Spiders, and Architecture by Birds and Insects. Represented by Packer Schopf Gallery, Chicago. www.peggymacnamara.com
Kelly McGowan, BFA, Studio Art, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Co-owner of Chaos Glass Studio, private tutor; Instructor for Adult Continuing Education, SAIC, Chelesa’s Beads, Ayla’s Originals, and Making Glass, LLC.
Jason Miklik, MFA, BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Fellowship recipient. Figure instructor since 1972. Instructor at Figurative Art League, Evanston, and Chicago Botanic Garden. Commissioned and collected.
Victoria Nelson, MA, BFA, Art Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Currently teaching in the Winnetka Public Schools, Tory’s experience includes elementary, high school, and post-secondary level as well as the Winnetka Park District and NSAL.
Audrey Niffenegger, MFA, Northwestern University, BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Printmaker for 23 years. Full time professor in the MFA program in interdisciplinary Book & Paper Arts, Columbia College. Represented by Printworks Gallery and collected by the National Museum for Women in the Arts, the Newberry Library, the Houghton Library, the Library of Congress, and private collectors.
Didier Nolet, Diplome Supereur d’Art Plastique, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. Working artist and instructor, born and raised in Paris, France. Instructor at the Old Town Art Center, Chicago Botanic Garden, and Art Center Highland Park. His work has been exhibited in New York and California as well as internationally. Represented in many private collections. www.didiernolet.com
Mary Jo O'Gara, Contributing artist at Treetop Studios in Hubbard Woods. Received awards for her work with the Barnsite Studio in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, and at Art on the Plaza, Wilmette, IL. Her work can currently be seen at In vitro Gallery, in the Flatiron Arts Center in Chicago.
Olivia Petrides, MFA in Painting, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Adjunct Associate Professor in the Painting & Drawing Department and the Visual Communications Design Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Work included in the collections of the Illinois State Museum, Smithsonian Institutions, Washington, D.C., Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, and others. Illustrator: Peterson Field Guide to Western Trees, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995.
Rita Price, BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Brooklyn College, N.Y. Instructor, the School of the Art Institute and Oxbow workshops. Her work is in the Carter Museum, corporate and private collections.
Diane Rath, multiple degrees and post-graduate studies at the American Academy of Art. Teaching experience includes Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, the American Academy of Art, and private workshops offered internationally. Diane has national gallery representation and has earned numerous national awards for oil painting. www.dianerath.com
David Roth, Associate Degree in Optical Theory from American Academy of Art. David is a fine art photographer and professional graphic designer. He has taught numerous photographic workshops and seminars and has been a teacher and lecturer for Leica Camera, Canon Camera, and Nikon Camera. He was the first fine art photographer to exhibit at the Merrill Chase Gallery and today, his work is found in private, national, and international collections.
Brad Schade, Milwaukee Center for Photography. Taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professional fashion photographer. www.lightdesignphotography.com
Susan Tecktiel, BFA, Studio Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago; additional study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Teaching experience: Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago Children’s Museum, Jane Addams Hull House, and Chicago Park District at Loyola. Member of Woman Made Gallery.
Frances E.Vail, BFA, Syracuse University. Continuing post-grad studies in Europe and USA. Has been a working artist for over 35 yrs., painting in oils, pastels, and watercolor, and murals in acrylic. (See member's web-page on this site) Represented by galleries in Wisconsin (Ephraim) and Illinois, her work is in private and public collections in the US and Europe. FrancesVailFineArt.com
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Patrick Waldron, MEd, DePaul University, BA, Fine Arts, Science, Anthropology, Loyola University. Working artist and designer. www.claycartoons.com
Nina Weiss, BFA, Tyler School of Art; University of Wisconsin-Madison, K-12 Art certification; additional studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Student League of New York. Instructor for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, and the Evanston Art Center. Teaches workshops throughout the Midwest, at Corea, ME, and in Europe, where she conducts her Europeon Landscape Workshops. Her art work is held in private and corporate collections. Her landscape paintings and drawings can be seen in two major motion pictures: Just visiting (Johns Highs) and Ice Harvest (Harold Ramis). Artist Residencies include Ragdale, Vermont Studio Center, and Artist in Residence at Acadia National Park. www.ninaweiss.com
James Wisnowski, MWS, Signature member, Midwest Watercolor Society. American Academy of Art. Nationally known watercolor instructor. Workshops in U.S. and Europe. Exhibited in American Watercolor Society, Rocky Mt. Watercolor Annual. His work has been published and is in numerous corporate collections.
Judy Zeddies, MFA, Northern Illinois University. BFA, Quincy University; Additional study, Skidmore College, NY and Oxbow, MI. Her work is represented by Illinois Gallery, Chicago; Deerpath Art Gallery, Lake Forest, Main Artery in Grand Rapids; MI and J. Marc Graphics in Lake Geneva, WI. Collections include Schiff, Hardin and Waite, the Kemper Group, and numerous private collections.
Giedre Zumbakis, MFA, Northwestern University, BA, St. Xavier College. Graduate teaching assistant. Working artist. Exhibits nationally. Her work is in many corporate collections. www.virtualmuseums.us