Teachers' Biographies
Meet our talented group of instructors
John Carruthers is a New York State Certified Teacher of Visual Arts, holding a B.A. from Fordham University and an M.F.A from the New York Academy of Art in drawing and painting. John studied printmaking at Pratt Graphics Center and Hunter college, and considers it his specialty. After teaching art at the New York Military Academy, a 7-12th grade private school in Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY, John now teaches for the New York City Board of Ed. in a middle school in Brownsville, Brooklyn. This will be John's 6th year teaching on Nantucket with the AAN, and he is looking forward to the challenges and joys of teaching on the wonderful island of Nantucket. Please say hello if you see John playing his banjo on Main street!
Alison Hall Cooley has a BA in art history and studio art from Sarah Lawrence College and also studied at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC. She has been a member of the AAN since 1999. Her work is represented by Susan Calloway Fine Arts in Washington, DC, Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, VA, and Old Spouter Gallery on Nantucket.
Amy Chuckrow graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1981 with a major in Painting. The School of Design specialized in abstract art, color and design. Chuckrow was seeking a more traditional program that would help her develop the technical skills required to paint landscapes accurately and beautifully. After graduating form RISD she located a painter at the Fenway Studios in Boston named Paul Ingbrestsen, with whom she studied for several years in an atelier system. Ingbretsen was a student of Robert Ives Gammel, a well-known painter who mastered and taught the techniques of traditional impressionist painting. Eventually, Amy Chuckrow purchased her own studio at the Fenway Studios where she works during the winter months. She spends her summers painting landscapes on Nantucket. As a student she spent many summers on Nantucket studying landscape painting with Tom Dunlay , another student of Ives Gammel. Chuckrow’s work is a combination of brilliant color similar to the French Impressionist Monet pallet and a convincing sense of atmosphere and form similar to Dennis Bunker and other American Impressionists.
Kevin Dadoly, who hails from New Hampshire, has traveled throughout New England to teach his popular watercolor workshops and classes. Dadoly is a member of the Copley Society and a recipient of the New England Watercolor Award for the Winter Members Show. The late William F. Rickenbacker said, "Kevin Dadoly was born with the urge to paint. For more than two decades Mr. Dadoly has continued to press against the limits of watercolor...he brings (to the work) his own unmistakable vision and personality."
Elle Foley has a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a masters degree in architecture from the Boston Architectural Center. She is a longtime member of the AAN and has been painting on Nantucket for many years.
Lori Garrabrant is a Massachusetts state certified art teacher with over 10 years of teaching experience. She holds a BA in Studio Art with a focus in ceramics from the University of Vermont, and has also completed the Teacher Certification Program at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design in Boston. Lori has studied art extensively in Europe; photography, printmaking, and textiles all over Italy, at Central Saint Martin's College of Art & Design in London, and the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. Lori was the art teacher at Cyrus Pierce Middle School on Nantucket for several years. She has also taught art for the Community Network for Children here on the Island, MassArt’s Saturday Studios Program, the Tobin School of Roxbury, MA and Cambridge Ringe & Latin High School of Cambridge, MA. Lori has been with the AAN for six years teaching many areas of art to students of all ages. In addition to developing and teaching the ceramics program here at the AAN, Lori is also the Studio Manager and Arts Program Coordinator.
Louis Guarnaccia is one of Nantucket's foremost maritime and portrait artists. Classically trained, he has studied under Ken Davies, Rudolf Zallenger and Dean Keller. He is a member of the American Society of Portrait Artists, Salmangundi Club in NYC and the American Society of Portrait Artists. He has also been a member of the AAN for several years and is represented nationally by many galleries.
Mark Haltof is a contemporary realist who has been living and working in Maine since his move from New York City in 1984. In the mid 70’s Mark began painting in Maine with a group of artist friends who would come up and spend the summer painting on the Maine coast and on some of it’s islands. Mark has shown his work in galleries in New York , California, Florida,North Carolina,and Maine.He was the subject of a feature article in the May,1995 issue of American Artist Magazine. Currently,Mark is working on paintings done in and around Cape Elizabeth,Maine.He is a contrmporary realist painter who draws his inspiration from those places and things close to him. He is represented in The Portland Museum Art (The Elizabeth Noyce Collection) and in many private and corporate collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. Mark is currently showing at Greenhut galleries in Portland,Maine and is represented by Spanierman Gallery in New York City. This fall 2009 Mark makes his debut at the AAN teaching a pen and ink workshop.
Megan Hinton holds an MA in Painting from New York University. She has received national recognition for her work and has been a member of the AAN since 1998. As a contemporary artist, she is interested in the dialogue that exists between the idea, the image, and the technical aspects of making art. Her work is represented by South Wharf Gallery on Nantucket.
Marianne Kelley earned her BFA in graphic design and was awarded a MS Ed through The NYC Teaching Fellowship program. Her love of design, architecture, children and nature led her to positions at several NYC zoos, museums and botanical gardens specializing in environmental graphic design and branding. She later pursued positions at the architecture firms of Gensler, NY and EHDD in San Francisco and taught at PS 91 in the Bronx. Marianne's work has been published in EHDD: Building Beyond the Bay and received a Design Excellence award for her work at Barnard College from The University & College Designers Association. She is very happy to be a part of the AAN community.
Kelly Knight is a handweaver, knitter, designer and general fiber enthusiast. She studied fiber arts and textile design at Swain School of Design and UMass Dartmouth. Kelly has workedat a number of island weaving studios and maintains her own small studio producing wearable items and home furnishings. She has lived on Nantucket since 1994.
Whitney Kreb's oil paintings pay tribute to the inherent characteristics of the Northern and Southern landscapes that she calls home. Her contemporary approach to traditional subject matter results in a unique interpretation of East coast scenery. After studying abroad in Florence, Italy her junior year, Whitney graduated from Davidson College in 1999 with a B.A. in Studio Art. She continued her studies at the Museum School in Boston, Massachusetts, and then went on to receive her M.F.A. in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2003. Whitney was honored in 2005 with the Robert C. McDougall Award for Promising New Artist by the Artists' Association of Nantucket. She taught painting at Shredder's Studio in Nantucket from 2002-2004 and still continues to teach private lessons specializing in oils. She has also taught after school children's programs in Charleston, South Carolina. Whitney exhibits at Charleston Green Home in Charleston, South Carolina, and at the Tobias Gallery, Seven Seas Gallery, and the Artists' Association in Nantucket.
Gregg Kreutz received his education from New York University and the Art Students' League where he studied with David Leffel and Robert Beverly Hale. He exhibits at galleries in New York, Wisconsin, Arizona, and New Mexico and has many awards to his credit including the Salamagundi Club, Grumbacher and Frank C. Wright. He is the author of Problem Solving for Oil Painters, published by Watson-Gutpill. Gregg teaches to capacity classes at the Art Students' League, the Scottsdale Artists' School and various classes around the USA and Europe.
David Lazarus was educated at the Bath Academy of Art and has lived and worked on Nantucket for over 20 years. He is a talented painter, scrimshander, printmaker, carver and long time member of the AAN. He exhibits his work regularly the South Wharf Gallery and AAN Gallery. Students will also be familiar with his maritime woodcuts, prints and detailed scrimshaw work.
Ken Layman received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and is a member of the Copley Society. He is a longtime member of the AAN and has been teaching with the Association for almost a decade. He exhibits his work at the AAN Gallery and Nantucket Looms.
Katie Trinkle Legge has been working as a professional artist on Nantucket since 1988. She graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA and is an accomplished artist in many mediums. She exhibits her work at the Old Spouter Gallery, Left Bank Gallery and the AAN Gallery.
Heather MacLeod has over thirteen years of design experience in the advertising and publishing industry. Formerly the Art Director for the Advertising Division of Reader's Digest magazine, Heather designed printed media, web media, art directing photo shoots as well as all aspects of file preparation for various media. As a graphic designer she freelanced for numerous publications and advertising. Her designs have appeared in many publications, as well as earning her a Silver Astrid award in advertising media. Heather is currently a fine artist utilizing painting and photography in her work. She received her BA in Studio Art at SUNY as well as studying painting and drawing at the Arts Students League of New York under Marshall Glasier and others. She has also earned a Certificate in Computer Graphics from The New School in NYC.
Meredith MacNab, a graduate of the Parsons School of Design, is an experienced art teacher and artist. She has recently moved back to Massachusetts from Bermuda, where in addition to running her popular summer camp for children, she taught art at both the Somersfield Academy and Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation. Meredith's personal work has been shown at the Elliot Gallery in Bermuda. Currently she shares her time between Nantucket and Boston where she runs classes for children and adults in her Beacon Hill studio. Meredith will also be teaching at the Boston Center for Adult Education starting in the fall of 2009. Teaching is an exciting and integral part of Meredith's own creative process; she finds inspiration in the collaborative relationship of creating art with her students. Using traditional painting methods and techniques to create intriguing images. Her creative teaching methods integrate an intuitive approach to learning, by incorporating drawing, painting, sculpture and observation. Students are encouraged to explore their interior and exterior worlds as a means to creative self-discovery.
Ed Rudd studied at the Ringling School of Art in Florida and NISDA on Nantucket where he developed a passion for watercolor and the architecture and landscape of New England. Since 1993, Ed has established himself as one of the foremost watercolor instructors in New Zealand. His work has been exhibited in galleries and exhibitions from Nantucket to Georgia to New Zealand.
Cory Shepherd is a Massachusetts state-certified art instructor. He came to Nantucket 5 years ago, after receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, to teach at NISDA. Previous to being washed ashore, Cory volunteered at AS220 in Providence, and taught art at the San Miguel School and the Discovery Center in Chicago, Arlington Public Schools in Massachusetts, MassArt's Saturday Studio Program, and the Arbour-HRI Hospital in Brookline, MA. Cory studied painting and sculpture in China and Cuba, and is a Board member of the Massachusetts Art Education Association. He has been teaching calligraphy, painting, and drawing with the Artists Association of Nantucket since the Summer of 2008.
Anne Butler Sutherland, MS Ed, BA Ed SUNY, is an experienced artist and teacher. Her broad educational career began in the public schools. She founded an art school in upstate NY in the 1980’s which continues in the community today under the expertise of one of her faculty. Anne began Sketching Tours of Nantucket in 1996, which continues to be a favorite activity for visitors and recognized as 100 Best Picks Around the World by Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine. Anne began painting in the 70’s and became a career painter in 2002 moving to the island full time. She is represented by South Wharf Gallery and a recipient of the AAN Pat Gardner Plein Aire Painter of the Year Award.
Daniel Sutherland is an acclaimed island photographer. He has been a member of the Association for many years, and was instrumental in establishing the new computer lab at the AAN Workshop. He exhibits his work at the AAN Gallery on Nantucket and a variety of galleries from New England to New York.
George Thomas has been a member of the AAN since 1948. He has an MFA in painting and printmaking from the Boston Museum School. He has taught art at private schools, art schools, and at the university level. After thirty years of working in watercolor, he has focused on pastels for the last ten. Seorge has a studio and gallery on Candle Street in Nantucket. His pastels were recently featured in American Artist magazine.Artist William Welch received his art education at Ohio University with further study at the Philadelphia College of Art. A Cleveland native, he developed his love and skills in painting under the able instruction of prominent American watercolorists and master oil painters. He refers to himself as an "academic impressionist", drawing on his training in realism and expressive passion for light and color.
William Welch received his art education at Ohio University with further study at the Philadelphia College of Art. A Cleveland native, he developed his love and skills in painting under the able instruction of prominent American watercolorists and master oil painters. He refers to himself as an "academic impressionist", drawing on his training in realism and expressive passion for light and color. From miniature watercolor scenes of extreme fine detail to large and expressive oil murals and screens, Mr. Welch's style evokes the romance of color and light in the true impressionist's spirit. He has spent the last decade following a nineteenth century painter's path throughout Europe, concentrating in Normandy, northern Italy, Provence and Portugal. A frequent visitor to Giverny, Claude Monet's legacy of floral and natural beauty, he was even interviewed by a French television crew while he painted in the garden with other artists from many countries. As the impressionist discipline advocated, Mr. Welch considers his best studio to be outdoors in front of ever-changing nature.His indoor studio in Nantucket, however, is the focus on many private and corporate art collectors who flock to the island resort for its charm, beauty and renowned artists' community. In addition to teaching activities, William Welch is a member of painting societies - among them the National Watercolor Society, the Philadelphia Water Color Club (Signature Member), the Artist's Association of Nantucket and the Copley Society of Boston. His works are also represented in many prominent galleries in the East - including the Chadd's Ford Art Gallery, Chadd's Ford PA, the Robert Wilson jGalleries of Sarasota, FL, and the Gallery on Greene Street, Key West, FL. Mr. Welch's current honors include recent inclusion in the new book, "The Best in Oil Painting", a Rockport Publications book. He is a contributor of work to the United States Department of State's Art in Embassies Program, and has been honored by President Clinton and Secretary Christopher for his support. From miniature watercolor scenes of extreme fine detail to large and expressive oil murals and screens, Mr. Welch's style evokes the romance of color and light in the true impressionist's spirit. He has spent the last decade following a nineteenth century painter's path throughout Europe, concentrating in Normandy, northern Italy, Provence and Portugal. A frequent visitor to Giverny, Claude Monet's legacy of floral and natural beauty, he was even interviewed by a French television crew while he painted in the garden with other artists from many countries. As the impressionist discipline advocated, Mr. Welch considers his best studio to be outdoors in front of ever-changing nature. His indoor studio in Nantucket, however, is the focus on many private and corporate art collectors who flock to the island resort for its charm, beauty and renowned artists' community. In addition to teaching activities, William Welch is a member of painting societies - among them the National Watercolor Society, the Philadelphia Water Color Club (Signature Member), the Artist's Association of Nantucket and the Copley Society of Boston. His works are also represented in many prominent galleries in the East - including the Chadd's Ford Art Gallery, Chadd's Ford PA, the Robert Wilson Galleries of Sarasota, FL, and the Gallery on Greene Street, Key West, FL. Mr. Welch's current honors include recent inclusion in the new book, "The Best in Oil Painting", a Rockport Publications book. He is a contributor of work to the United States Department of State's Art in Embassies Program, and has been honored by President Clinton and Secretary Christopher for his support.
Sherre Wilson Rae revived the AAN Arts Program in the early nineties and was the director from 1993-1995. She has had solo exhibitions on Nantucket at the Main Street Gallery and South Wharf Gallery. Sherre has a BFA in painting and printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and an MS in art education from Mass Art. She has taught at Mass Art and the Art Institute. Currently she is represented by the South Wharf Gallery on Nantucket and the David Findlay Gallery in New York City.
Stephanie Wuebbens has an undergraduate degree in art therapy with a concentration in studio art. She has been a member of AAN since 1994 and has been teaching watercolor classes for the association for many years.
Linda Zola joined the Artists' Association about thirty years ago and was a member of the Board of Directors. She has exhibited her artwork at the Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery, Pawlowski Gallery, Field of Dreams on Old South Wharf, the Main Street Gallery and (x) Gallery, as well as various galleries in New York and Boston. For many years, Linda taught & created art in Boston and here on Nantucket. She won the Lexington Bicentennial poster prize in 1975 and a Juror's Award at the Artist's Association of Nantucket in 2000 and some others in between. For the last twenty years, however, Linda has been primarily involved with Nantucket New School, as the Founding Director, and her art activities have been restricted to working as an artist during the summer and teaching language arts the rest of the year. Linda has taught art at The Children's House for the last two years, and at the Artists' Association for the last year.