Mr. Priset is currently completing a Doctorate at Stony Brook University in guitar performance.  He holds a BM from SUNY Fredonia and a MM from Stony Brook.  Mr. Priset has years of experience teaching guitar in a variety of styles, including teaching classical guitar at the college level.  He taught as the Undergraduate guitar instructor at Stony Brook as a Teaching Assistant for 3 years.  Mr. Priset regularly performs around New York as part of the Stony Brook Baroque Ensemble, the New York Continuo Collective, and various solo and chamber recitals.  Mr. Priset has performed on a variety of instruments within specialized concerts series, including theorbo, baroque guitar, 19th century guitar, electric guitar, and classical guitar.

Jason Priset

Jacqueline Gelfuso
Jacqueline Gelfuso is an adjunct fine arts professor at Saint Joseph’s College in Patchogue and at Suffolk Community College in Riverhead. Guiding students into the world of art through lectures, projects, and museum visits, Jacqueline prepares young artists for a fine arts degree. Her teaching experience outside of the college level includes all ages! She has taught spring and summer sessions for high school art students, worked as a substitute teacher (K-12) for the East Hartford public school district and as a pre-school art teacher mentoring children from 1- 5 years old.  Jacqueline finds the most rewarding part of her experiences has been the ability to observe the change she sees in those she teaches. “My role in guiding students to develop and deepen their critical sense of the arts, as it relates to everyday life, is essential.”
Throughout my life I have had a continuing love and fascination with the arts. I began studying art when at an early age and I strive to continue learning something new each day. Having this yearning for knowledge led me to attend the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan where I received my BFA degree. My desire to learn lead me to try and help others foster their interest in art through teaching. I have taught several classes on a variety of topics including Illustration, Cartooning and Comic Book Art. Teaching has been a very rewarding experience. I feel it is important to help people learn to communicate their feelings through art.
With my own work I myself hope to open a dialogue with the viewer. I try to communicate my experiences with my art. I like to use a variety of media and tools to create my pieces. Most recently I have been working on my own comic called SUPER! which I see as a kind of an album or mix tape of thoughts, feelings, opinions and observations. My comics are available at several shops and boutiques. I am looking forward to working on new issues, new art as well as other projects while continually learning everyday.

Kevin Breslawski

Ali Miller

 When people are creative, they are producing a product that has never been created before. The act of producing something completely original, that exists nowhere else in the world, typically brings about a sense of achievement and satisfaction. It is this philosophy that inspired Ali Miller to pursue a career in teaching art and painting. Ali graduated from Alfred University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a minor in Education. Her former teaching experiences include: Fine Arts Instructor/Coordinator at the Knox Camp, Painting Instructor at the Putney School Summer Programs, Teaching Assistant for Freshman Art Foundations at Alfred University, and Art Teacher at the Pines Elementary School in Hauppauge. Ali is currently exhibiting in galleries throughout NYC and Long Island.
 
Ivy Michelle Berg, a Smithtown native, has been painting since the age of 3 when her mother handed her a smock, a paintbrush, and a pair of glasses.  While she's still not sure what purpose the glasses served (they had no lenses!), the rest seemed to fall into place nicely.  35 years later, she continues to find solace and inspiration in the dizzying dance of pigments and textures.  Her work includes a large body of acrylic, watercolor and pastel creations featuring people, animals, abstraction, and emotional designs.  She recently completed her 10th season as a faculty member at the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts and is excited to bring her knowledge and love of art a little bit closer to home!

Ivy Michelle Berg

 

Michael Parisi

  
Michael Parisi of Port Jefferson specializes in commission work for people and pets. A member of the Portrait Society of America, he has had extensive education in art, and graduated from the Manhattan Institute of Drafting and Design, and the American Art School.  He has had various exhibits across Long Island and is regularly invited to do demo shows at private parties, hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and art groups. He teaches adult and children’s portrait classes in charcoal, oil or pastels. Michael has loved art all his life; in fact, he calls art his passion. In his career, he has completed over 5,000 portraits and has a special love for Long Island landscape.
 Jenna Matthews obtained her Masters in Art Education from the School of Visual Arts this past summer 2009.  She received her BA from Stony Brook University in 2007.  There, she dual majored in Studio Art and Art History & Criticism, while obtaining a minor in digital art.   Jenna is currently New York State Certified in the Visual Arts for grades PreK-12.  She worked  his past school year as an art-specific substitute for several schools in the New York City Public School System.  Jenna creates her own personal artwork in several different mediums including paint, printmaking and digital media.  She has participated in several group shows throughout Long Island and New York City.  Besides the creation of art in the classroom she is passionate about her students’ visual literacy and recently finished a year-long research project about it for her masters program.

Jenna Matthews

 

Renee Andolina

 Renee Andolina has been a working freelance artist for over 4 years. She received her BA in Graphic Design at Adelphi University in 2005, and her Masters in Art Education at the School of Visual Arts in 2009. In 2004, Renee traveled to Florence, Italy, where she lived and studied for two months. She has worked for fashion designer Betsey Johnson, Frederick's of Hollywood, and also worked in the children's apparel industry, and toy packaging industry. Among from teaching art classes at STAC, Renee has participated in numerous community art shows around Long Island. Her work has been featured in the Times Beacon Record newspaper, and various galleries on Long Island and NYC.