Visual and Performing Arts Faculty

  • Kassem Amoudi received his MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with post-graduate studies at the University of North Texas and his BS in Art and Education at Huwarah Institute of Education in Cairo Egypt and Irbid, Jordan. His exhibition participation includes the James Baids Gallery, Newfoundland, Canada; Berman Museum of Art, Collegeville, Pa.; Rowan College, Glassboro, NJ; Artists Equity, American College, Bryn Mawr, PA. His work is included in many public and private collections.
  • Robert Bender received a certificate in art education from Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He received the Cresson Travel Scholarship in 1973 and studied art history throughout Rome, Holland, France, Italy and Austria. Robert exhibits throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including five recent solo shows at the F.A.N. Gallery in Philadelphia. He has studied privately with Arthur DeCosta, Nelson Shanks and David Le Fal.
  • Chloe Blake Stevenson a graduate of Reed College in Portland, Oregon, is an Art and Social Studies teacher at Haddonfield Friends School. Chloe worked as the Art Director for three summers at the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset, Maine. She also worked as an assistant English teacher in Fujioka City, Japan. Chloe joined Perkins Summer Art Camp in 2006 to teach classes in paper sculpture and Japanese brush painting.
  • Leslie Blau-Berlin received her BFA in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and also studied at Syracuse University. She currently works as a graphic designer for the Courier Post, an art instructor at the Croft Farm Art Center, and a substitute teacher at Source4Teachers.

  • Brian Butler studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Arts Students League in NY and Glassboro State College. He has been employed by Tyco Toys and by Mattel as a designer and illustrator.
  • Candace Carriger obtained an MA in Dance and Dance Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA in Dance from the University of Maryland. She has over 15 years of experience as a dance instructor and has worked with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.
  • Philip Carroll earned a certificate in fine arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and studied art history at the University of Pennsylvania. His work is represented in numerous collections including those of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He has taught at the Mainline Art Center, Haverford, PA, and Rutgers University.
  • Jane Chesson received her MFA in Painting from Texas A&M University and her BFA from the University of Delaware. She has taught painting, color and art history at Texas A&M as well as working extensively with younger students in Boys & Girls Clubs in Delaware and Texas. Her work has been exhibited locally and nationally. Her work can be viewed at www.janechesson.com.
  • Dianne Corbeau earned a certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She has won many awards and is a two-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greensheilds Foundation Grant. Her work is in the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Academy's private collections. Corbeau is represented by several galleries around the country and internationally. She has taught in Upstate New York and continues to teach in Philadelphia
  • Jenni Leigh Deets is a graduate of Moore College of Art with a BA in Art Education. She is the 2007 recipient of the Margaret Heilbron Award for Outstanding Artist in Art Education.
  • Marie Elcin is a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design with a BFA in 2D Fine Arts and Textile Design. She also teaches at Fleisher Art Memorial and is an active member of the Women's Caucus for Art. She has exhibited widely in the Philadelphia Region, and her work is available through the Art Shop at Moore.
  • Norman Gaffin earned his BS from Drexel University. He has taught drawing in the Lenape HS evening program for 8 years. His award-winning work has been exhibited in the area for over 40 years.
  • David Gamber brings to the Perkins Center more than 20 years of experience as a clay artist and 12 years of teaching experience. He teaches at Abington Art Center with Previous experience at Penn State/ Abington campus, and Rutgers University/ Camden. He has exhibited both locally and nationally and has work on view at the Clay studio, Abington Arts Center and Wayne Art Center.
  • Cynthia Gordon-Pulsinelli is a certified dance and aerobic instructor who has preformed and taught in a wide area of venues among them the Berkshire Ballet Co. and Radio City Music Hall. She is currently matriculated at TCNJ.
  • Norma Griffith earned her BFA from the University of the Arts with coursework at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and private study with George Sklar and Zhe Zhou Jiang, a Chinese Master Watercolorist. Her work has been cited for excellence in many regional exhibitions.
  • Lana Heckendorn received her BFA for Moore College of Art. She is also a recipient of the Project Serving Artist grant through Perkins Center to further develop her skills as a wood firer. She has exhibited her ceramics in the Delaware Valley, across the country and in Puerto Rico. Heckendorn currently lives in Philadelphia and is an associate artist at The Clay Studio.
  • Jeanine Hill is a ceramic artist whose hand-built and wheel-thrown porcelain pieces are heavily influenced by the presence of the hand. Hill is skillfully trained in both hand-building and wheel-throwing, and also possesses a strong knowledge base in regards to the sculpting of the figure. She utilizes traditional and contemporary surface treatments. She successfully completed her B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and her M.F.A. from the University of Delaware. She has shown her work throughout the east coast and attended residencies at the Haystack Mtn. School of Craft and Guldagergaard, the International Ceramic Research Center of Denmark.
  • Christian Hochenberger is a graduate of Kutztown University where he received a BS in Communications. He is currently a photography educator at Shawnee High School where he has taught both black and white as well as digital photography for the past 6 years. Through photography Christian hopes to teach students how to explore the world around them and to use photography as a way to express themselves.

  • Melanie Levan has been as student of yoga for more than ten years. She completed her yoga teacher training at the Yoga Center of Medford and is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.
  • Lauren Fabbri-Picerno earned her BA in theater, speech and dance from Rowan University and is currently pursuing an MA in theater education. She has worked with several theater companies including Triple Threat, Cumberland Players, City Arts League, and Hedgerow Theater.
  • Robert Sakson- A.W. S. d.f., P.S.A., A.A.A., is a nationally known painter, author, instructor, juror and Dolphin Fellow of the American Watercolor Society. He has exhibited extensively both regionally and nationally and is the recipient of numerous awards including the 1998 Philadelphia Watercolor Club Board of Directors Award and the New Jersey Watercolor Society Norman Welb Award. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art and his work is represented in numerous public and private collections. Mr. Sakson teaches master classes in watercolor at numerous art organizations including the Princeton Art Association and the Morris County Art Association.
  • Tamlyn Shusterman, a former Radio City Rockette, performed at the Radio City Music Hall in the Christmas Spectacular for 4 seasons. On Broadway, Tamlyn danced in the Tony Award Winning revival 42nd Street and toured in the longest running show in history at the time: CATS. Tamlyn has performed with Tommy Tune, Nathan Lane, Martin Short, and appeared on LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN dozens of times. Tamlyn has been in over 25 professional shows and taught master classes to hundreds of students. Most importantly Tamlyn has found dance to be a joy in her life and is excited to reach out to young people to share the fun. For more information about Tamlyn please visit www.raisingtalent.net.
  • Shawn Spangler is currently a resident artist at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia. Professional experience includes teaching at the Clay Studio, Mainline Art Center, Wayne Art Center and visiting artist residencies at Yun Jun Studio in Jingdezhen, China, SanBao Art Institute, SanBao, China, and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine. His current work strives to address issues of authorship and provenance of a vessel, through the elasticity of perception and creation.
  • Donald Stephens graduated with a BFA from Temple U., Tyler School of Art. His work has been shown extensively in the tri-state area including the African American Museum and Pavilion Art Gallery.
  • Naimah Stith is an associate potter at Wheaton Village in Millville, NJ and studio tech at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. During the summer months she teaches adults and children at the Foundation for the Arts in Loveladies, NJ.
  • James Toogood A.W.S. His formal training took place at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work has been exhibited internationally including the National Academy of Design, the Butler Institute of American Art, and the Bermuda National Gallery. His work has received many honors among them from the American Watercolor Society and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He is represented in numerous public and private collections. Toogood teaches watercolor and lectures on watercolor technique. His work has been seen on television and in numerous publications, including American Artist Watercolor and The Artist Magazine.   James writes the column “Looking at Watercolors” for American Artist online.
  • Jennifer Wankoff began working in ceramics while living in Israel after college and has been immersed in the field ever since. Her current work is wheel-thrown and altered, and often wood-fired. Wankoff teaches adults and children in a variety of schools.
  • Linda Wiseley a graduate of Rowan University, is also a visiting artist for Rutgers University's Visual Poetry Program. She currently works from home in various media as a portrait artist and an abstractionist.