Meet Our Faculty

If you are interested in teaching art classes for kids, teens, adults and families at the Michener, please call 215.340.9800 ext. 126 or email randerson@michenerartmuseum.org.

Ruth Anderson
Ruth Anderson earned a Master's Degree in Art Education from Tyler School of Art of Temple University. She has over 18 years of teaching experience at the elementary and Middle School levels in the Souderton Area School District in Montgomery County. She was District Art Coordinator, helped establish the Indian Valley Arts Foundation, and was awarded Pennsylvania's Outstanding Art Educator of the Year award in 1983. She has worked as a docent at the Allentown Art Museum, on the Teacher Advisory Board at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and most recently works with the Michener Museum as Assistant Curator of Education.

Karen Bedics
World percussion instrument instructor Karen Bedics is a long-term resident of Upper Bucks County and an employee of both the Palisades School District and Bucks County Council on Drug/Alcohol Dependency. Karen is a member of the Lehigh Valley Drum Circle Ensemble. She is interested in African djembe drumming, world cultures and religions, travel and the outdoors. Ms. Bedics introduced her drumming program at the Michener Museum in 2006.

Dearing Blankmann
Dearing Blankmann received her BA in Self, Society and Culture from Antioch College. She is a Nutrition Curriculum Coordinator, and hosts culinary classes for children age preschool through middle school. She is the author of a whole foods cookbook called Cooking with Friends. She is a seasoned fiber artist as well, using hand-felted wool, hand dyed cloth and vintage fabrics in both functional and sculptural work. Ms. Blankmann has been a Michener adjunct faculty member since 2006.

John Callahan
John Callahan tells a wide range of traditional stories representing a variety of cultures. His repertoire includes fairytales, folktales and teaching tales as well as a few original stories. Since 1980 his stories have delighted listeners of all ages at schools, colleges, libraries, conferences, retreats, coffeehouses, festivals and other gatherings. John is a Reading Specialist at Lehigh Carbon Community College and an active member of the Lehigh Valley Storyteller's Guild. Mr. Callahan has worked with the Michener Museum since 2005.

Arlene Frimark
Arlene Frimark earned a BFA from the Moore College of Art, and has done extensive graduate studies in Special Education at Perdue University. She taught in the Philadelphia public schools for several years, incorporating the visual arts into many curricular areas. She is active in many community arts programs in Lower Bucks County. She has recently completed writing and illustrating a book for older teens and adults. Arlene is a practicing artist specializing in symbolic landscapes. Ms. Frimark has been a member of the Michener teaching staff since 1995.

Jennifer Gerlach
Jennifer Gerlach has over thirty years of experience teaching art. She has studied in New Jersey, Indiana and Texas, and received her Master's Degree in Education through an Integrated Arts Program at Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She taught elementary students in a public school setting for several years, has worked as an arts administrator, as a college teacher and as a consultant to the Crayola Factory. She works as a student teacher supervisor at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Mrs. Gerlach has been a Michener adjunct faculty member since 2006.

Ray Gray
Ray Gray has been a professional storyteller since 1977. He has been an artist-in-residence with the PA Council on the Arts, is a co-founder of the Mid-Atlantic Storytellers, and the President of Patchwork, the Philadelphia Storytelling Guild. He is the author of The Christmas Snowman, and has produced and directed videos about storytelling and storytellers for PBS and Closely Watched Films. Ray has performed recently at the Annenberg Center, the New York Public Library, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the National Storytelling Conference and the Franklin Institute. Mr. Gray has been telling stories at the Michener since 2005.

Linda Guenste
Linda Guenste received her BFA from Philadelphia College of Art in 1978. She also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Art Students' League in New York City. She is a practicing artist / teacher exhibited widely in Pennsylvania and New Jersey museums and galleries, including the Berman Museum of Art, the Woodmere Museum, Muhlenberg College, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Allentown Art Museum. She is the recipient of 1st and 2nd place prizes in painting from the Monroe County Arts Council, the Binney and Smith Award from the Allentown Art Museum, and the Contemporary Gallery Merit Award from Marywood College. She has taught at the Baum School of Art, The Pennsylvania Center for the Arts, Art Goes to School and The Art Barge. She currently teaches classes for adults and advanced teen students at her home studio. Ms. Guenste has worked with the Michener Museum since 2003.

Jody Holbert
Jody Holbert earned her Master's Degree in Art Education from Kutztown University in 1987. She has taught throughout the Central Bucks School District at both middle school and elementary school levels. She has coordinated art classes at the Victorian Manor Senior Center, Central Bucks Community School and the Abington Art Center. She has juried several area art exhibitions. She is the owner of Enduring Gifts & Greetings, Inc. Ms. Holbert coordinated the drama program at Michener's Pine Run Arts of Asia Camp in 2005.

Kim Honig
Kim Honig is a culinary arts and management graduate from the New York Restaurant School at the New School for Social Research in New York City. She has been a cookbook editor for Simon & Schuster, Crown and Workman. She was a caterer with Le Cirque Restaurant. She was the dining room manager of the Nightengale Bamford private school also in New York. She owned the Black Walnut Restaurant in Doylestown, and is currently the event planner for Jimmy Duffy Caterers at the James A. Michener Art Museum. Ms. Honig introduced our Culinary Arts for Kids classes in 2007.

Danyelle Lala
Danyelle Lala earned her BS in Art Education at Kutztown University in 1998 and her ME in Art from Tyler School of Art in 2005. She studied and taught in Italy and Great Britain. She has taught in the Central Bucks School District at middle school and elementary levels, and currently teaches Ceramics and Art I at the Pennsbury High School. She has coordinated several after school enrichment programs with the Michener Museum at the Walt Disney Elementary School, and has worked with the Museum on an array of summer programs. Her students participated in the Bucks County Mule project in 2003. She is studying East Asian Art with the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Her watercolor paintings and photographs have been exhibited throughout Bucks County. Ms. Lala has been involved with the Michener since 2000.

Robin Lane
Robin Lane received her undergraduate degree in Art Education at Penn State University and her Master's Degree in Museum Education at the University of the Arts. She has been teaching art since 1980. She has worked with children of all ages and has been a teacher-trainer for adults as well as an adjunct at Arcadia University. She is interested in art history, reading historical fiction, music, and spending time with her children. Robin has painted numerous murals at the Finletter School in Philadelphia as well as portraits for various colleagues. Ms. Lane's teaching philosophy is simple - love what you do and share that enthusiasm with your students. She has been working with the Michener Museum since 1999.

Cara Lucente
Cara Lucente graduated from Millersville University with a BSE in Art. She has worked in the Central Bucks School District since 2003, at Barclay, Gayman, Groveland, Buckingham & Titus Elementary Schools. She has a strong background in musical theater, performing arts and vocal performance. Ms. Lucente began as a Michener adjunct faculty member in 2006.

Geri Ann McLaughlin
Geri Ann McLaughlin received a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1989. She taught third and fourth grade in Wilmington, Delaware for six years before moving to Pennsylvania to start a family. She currently runs Passages, a creative writing program for elementary and middle school students in Upper Bucks County and Bethlehem, PA. In 2005, she became the Bucks County Poet Laureate second runner up. Ms. McLaughlin has taught creative writing classes at the Michener Museum since 2005.

Adrienne Neszmelyi-Romano
Adrienne Neszmelyi-Romano has been associated with the Michener Art Museum Education Department since 1995. As Curator of Education, she is involved in programs for K-12 students as well as teacher training. Adrienne received her undergraduate degree in painting from Loyola College and her arts education certification from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. In 2000, she participated in the Governor's Institute for Arts Educators on full scholarship. She received her Masters in Art Education from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She has served as a grant panel evaluator for the New Jersey State Arts Council and as a juror for various arts and crafts festivals in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. In addition, she served on the Philadelphia Arts Advisory Board for the Philadelphia School District's Art Collection in 2004-05. Adrienne is a practicing and exhibiting artist in the medium of Jewelry and Metalsmithing. Ms. Romano is the Curator of Education at the Michener Art Museum.

Cindy Paul
Cindy Paul started dancing at age 6. She has studied ballet, jazz, modern and ballroom dancing. She has a BA from Temple University in Communications and Theater, with a minor in Dance. She studied dance & music at University of Nevada at Las Vegas for 2 years. She has been the choreographer for both the Jenkintown Music Theater since 2003 and the Abington YMCA's Young People's Theater since 2004. Cindy has performed in area community & dinner theaters since 1984. Her favorite shows are Ragtime and A Chorus Line. Cindy currently works in the Pennridge School District. Ms. Paul has been a Michener adjunct staff member since2006.

John Pepper
John Pepper has a BFA in Communication Design and Certification in Art Education from Kutztown University. He has been the Art Director for several Rodale Publications, including Bicycling Magazine, Backpacker Magazine and Organic Gardening Magazine. He worked with PRIMEDIA in New York City in 2002 - 2003. He currently works as a Museum Educator at the Allentown Art Museum and as a public school arts specialist in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Mr. Pepper has been an adjunct faculty member of the Michener Museum since 2005.

Susan Clarke Plumb
Susan Clarke Plumb earned a PhD at Penn State University in 2002. She has over 25 years of teaching experience in visual arts and museum studies from preschool through graduate level. Susan is currently the Director of Education Outreach and Diversity at the Michener Museum. Dr. Plumb was the founder of the Museum's Education Department in 1990.

Kelly Rodgers
Kelly Rodgers earned an MA in Teaching in Visual Arts from The University of the Arts in 2004. She was the Graduate Assistant at UArts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2003 - 2004, and also taught the UArts Saturday School during that time. She has presented arts curricula at the Reading Public Museum, the Bucks County IU and UArts. She has taught in the Downingtown School District at the Middle School level. Ms. Rodgers has been an adjunct faculty member at the Michener Museum since 2005.

Susan Joy Rosetty
Susan Rosetty is a local craftswoman who creates beautiful beaded work. She shows at the Zimmerli Museum, Peter's Valley Craft Fair and the Lambertville Shad Fest. Her work is unparalleled in its use of color and texture. She incorporates a variety of materials in her work, including glass beads, gemstones, pearls and sterling. Susan has been beading since 1985.

Susan Sherman
Susan Sherman graduated from Brandeis University with a dual major in English and Art in 1973. After graduation, she did extensive graduate level work in printmaking at the University of Delaware. Susan currently studies oil painting with Linda Guenste. Ms. Sherman is the Children's Gallery Coordinator at the James A. Michener Art Museum. She has been involved with the Michener since 2002.

Stephani Thomas
Stephani Thomas received a BS in Art Education from Millersville University in 1992 and an MS in Art Education from Arcadia University in 2001. She is a Nationally Board Certified Art Teacher. She has worked in the Central Bucks School District since 1994. She has been a teacher mentor for both new teachers and for high school students. She has been the Arts Director for an extensive summer camp program at both Cold Spring and Pine Run Elementary Schools. She is a painter, printmaker and mural artist. Ms. Thomas has worked with the Michener Museum since 1995, teaching 2D and 3D after-school classes and directing the Museum's summer program at Pine Run Elementary School.

Rena Thompson
Rena Thompson has been an artist and art teacher most of her adult life. She received her BFA from Moore College of Art and Design and her MFA from Tyler School of Art of Temple University. She taught in the Central Bucks School District. Her own artwork focuses on weaving and painting. She has been involved with photography for several years. She has traveled extensively and likes to incorporate other cultures in her teaching. Ms. Thompson has been has been associated with the Michener's Education Department since 1994.

Christine Tokugawa
Christine Tokugawa earned a BA in Mathematics from San Francisco State University in 1976, and an MA in Ceramics from California State University in 1999. She was the Director of Education and a Fine Arts Educator at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, and directed MUDD, The Art School, both in California. She recently received PA Teaching Certification for grades 6- 12 in Mathematics and teaches Math at Morrisville Middle/High School. Her ceramics have been exhibited widely throughout the United States. Ms. Tokugawa has been an adjunct staff member at the Michener Museum since 2001.

Bruce Widdows
Bruce Widdows received his Bachelor's Degree in painting from Tyler School of Art, his Master's Degree in Fine Arts from the Hoffberg School of painting, and his teaching certification from the Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. He has taught art and digital photography at the William Tennent High School in the Centennial School District and has been a visiting artist in several schools on the east coast. He exhibits widely in galleries in Michigan, Maryland, New York and Philadelphia. Mr. Widdows has received several awards for his large-scale paintings. Mr. Widdows joined the adjunct faculty at the Museum in 2006.

Andrea Wolfe
Andrea Wolfe studied sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1990 - 1993. She is currently working toward her BS in Art Education at Kutztown University. Andrea is a practicing artist, working primarily with cyanotypes and Van Dyck brown prints. Ms. Wolfe has been an adjunct faculty member at the Michener Museum since 2005.

Janet Wyatt
Janet Wyatt received her BA in Art and Education from American University and an MA in Fine Arts from Peabody College in Nashville. She worked in the Washington DC School District as a traveling art consultant and elementary art teacher. She was a Creative Arts therapist for adult psychiatric programs and led the Germantown Pottery Guild for 3 years. She has exhibited in several group and solo exhibitions in the Philadelphia area. Janet has extensive museum education experience for preschool through adult learners, and has worked with the visually impaired. Ms. Wyatt has been an active art educator and education consultant at the Michener Museum since 1996.