Board of Directors
Cindy Maguire is Associate Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Art & Design Education Program and the Levermore Global Scholars Program at Adelphi University. She also Co-Directs ArtsAction Group and Creative Art Start, an after-school and summer arts program for K-8 children and youth. Before joining Adelphi, Cindy was a Senior Research Associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, as well as an adjunct faculty member in Pratt Institute and New York University’s Art Education Programs. Maguire also taught visual arts education in the Los Angeles City Schools for over eight years. Her research interests include human rights and social justice education, play, STEM to STEAM, and the role of collaborative and socially engaged art in personal and social transformation. Maguire received her PhD in Art Education from New York University, MA in Studio Art and Art Education from California State University Long Beach, and her BA in Art Education from the University of Kansas. Working with a range of media, Maguire’s primary focus in her own art is collage and printmaking. In addition to creating work as a solo artist, she also designs and produces community-based collaborative art with children and youth. Her collaborative work has been exhibited in Los Angeles and the New York City Metro area as well as internationally.
Rob McCallum (PhD - New York University) is an Art and Design Education educator and the Co-Director of Creative Art Start, an after-school and summer arts program for K-8 children and youth. McCallum is also an adjunct faculty member in the Art Education Program at New York University and Art Educator at the Allen-Stevenson School in New York City. Prior to coming the USA, McCallum was Head of the Department of Fine Art and then Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg. As Dean he was involved in the transformation of the institution away from apartheid structures. McCallum received his PhD in Art Education from New York University, MA in Art Education from Ohio State University as a Fulbright Scholar, and BA Art from Cape Town University, South Africa. McCallum is also a practicing artist and has exhibited his work at numerous solo and group shows in South Africa including the Karen McKerron Gallery, Market Theatre Gallery, and the University of Durban-Westville Gallery. His work has been published in the Creative Arts Diary based in Cape Town and is in public collections including the Anglo American Foundation, Market Theatre Foundation, University of Durban-Westville Collection and Provident Fund Corporation in South Africa. His art has been reviewed in numerous publications and television media in South Africa. McCallum also designs and produces community-based collaborative art with children and youth in New York City as well as internationally.
Devika Coles is an educator who is passionate about the arts and about yoga. She holds a Masters of Art in Art Education from New York University and a 200-hour yoga teaching certification recognized by Yoga Alliance. Devika previously taught media arts in Los Angeles and for six years in a public high school in New York City that served Latino immigrant youth who were English Language Learners (ELLs). Devika used documentary photography, video, and multi-media to help her students explore different social justice issues and develop English language literacy. She believes that all people should have access to creating art and practicing yoga because these processes enable individuals to cultivate deeper connections between the body and mind that can lead to personal empowerment and societal transformation. Devika currently lives and teaches yoga in Geneva, Switzerland with her husband and two children.
Jancis Long holds a PhD and is a Clinical Psychologist. She is Vice Chairperson/Assistant Directors for Psychologists for Social Responsibility Peace and Reconciliation Program.
Advisors
Ann Holt, Ph.D. teaches in Art and Design Education as an Adjunct Instructor at Adelphi University and a Visiting Instructor at Pratt Institute. Ann is interested in issues of marginalized historic narratives as well as access to knowledge and understanding of the past. Her research encompasses interests in archives and marginalized histories of art education. She sees archives as social spaces for experiential pedagogy, feminist scholarship, and activism, and her work with archives seeks to expand on notions of using archival materials as both forms of information and things to experience. Ann holds a B.F.A. in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and an M.A. in art education from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Holt completed her doctoral work in art education with a minor in women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Penn State University. Her dissertation titled "User Experience with Archives and Feminist Teaching Conversations with the Judy Chicago Art Education Collection" explores a feminist transdisciplinary orientation to the Judy Chicago Art Education Collection housed at Penn State and broadens understanding about engaging and encountering art education archival records. Ann’s current research is collaborative and focuses on social justice issues- one project is a participatory observation involving the documentation and archiving of the material history of Arts Action Group; another project looks at the impact of online pedagogic encounters with social justice art.
Tiffanie Hardbarger is an Instructor in the Cherokee & Indigenous Studies department at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK. She is from the Stilwell/Tahlequah, OK area and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Her interest in sustainable tourism and community development led to a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management (Northeastern State University, 2002), a Master's in International Relations (University of Oklahoma, 2009) and a PhD in Community Resources & Development (Arizona State University, expected 2016). Her professional work experience includes the meetings and travel industry, economic development and marketing. Tiffanie's teaching and research interests are related to self-determination movements and sustainability in community development and tourism with a specific focus on Indigenous communities. Her current research includes the use of arts and culture as a tool for community development, nation building and non-violent activism (Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic), and a participatory action research project using the method of photovoice to explore community and cultural sustainability from the perspective of Cherokee young people (Tahlequah, OK).
Karmit Zysman has for most of the past twenty years called Prishtina, Kosovo her home where she has worked with educational and psychosocial programmes during, and after, conflict and war. She is a cultural and social historiographer and epistemologist, and youth educator.
Emily Kang PhD (Science, Teacher Education, ESL) is an Assistant Professor in the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education who earned her doctorate in science education with a specialization in teacher education and professional development from the University of California Santa Barbara. Her research interests include supporting English Learners in science, exploring best practices in collaborations between English as a New Language teachers and content area teachers, and fostering students' and teachers' environmental awareness through STEM. She has over 12 years of classroom experience teaching elementary and middle school. In 2010-2011, Emily was chosen among 250 science teachers across the nation to teach at The Equity Project Charter School in New York City. She has extensive experience leading workshops for teachers on supporting ELs in science, aligning instruction to the Next Generation Science Standards, fusing Common Core English Language Arts with STEM, and fostering STEM learning through project based citizen science initiatives. She was awarded the Air Force Association Vandenberg Chapter’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2004.
John Craven PhD Associate Professor and Principal Investigator for the Fordham University/ Wildlife Conservation Society Robert Noyce Scholarship Program
Mary Jean McCarthy MEd Clinical Assistant Professor Adelphi University. We learn by doing. As active participants engaged in worthwhile hands-on, minds-on experiences, we construct our own meaningful understandings. At all developmental levels, in order to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, and socially, students need a safe, caring, and stimulating environment. Students benefit from working together in a respectful, kind, democratic learning community asking and answering questions and thinking critically to solve problems. It is my privilege and responsibility to nurture rapport and a relationship with each student so she can meet her fullest potential. I need to meet each student where he is and together we can build from there. I need to affirm students’ efforts, progress, and thought processes. It is my responsibility to help students better understand themselves and others and progress towards more sophisticated understandings and advanced skills. Students need to be effective thinkers and lifelong learners. I am committed to fueling a love of learning.
Teaching Artists
Rebecca Davis is a certified drama educator (New York State Pre-K-12) and physical actor currently located in Denver, CO. She works as a teaching artist for Imagination Makers, and independently with youth and adults of all ages. Rebecca has earned a master's degree in Educational Theatre from New York University, and a bachelor's degree in Voice and Theatre Arts from Northwestern University. She has worked for various organizations teaching theatre, music, and dance, including Imagination Stage (Bethesda, MD), Actors Theatre of Louisville (Louisville, KY) and Allegro Music and Dance Academy (Chicago, IL). She is interested in research and looks forward to eventually earning a PhD, studying the effects of using physical theatre in the classroom, especially with students with disabilities. Rebecca is passionate about allowing her students to form a safe space, and explore embodied creativity with focused yet respectful feedback that allows the work to grow into what it will be. As an artist she is focused on physical theatre, with an emphasis on dance, mask work, and acrobatics. Rebecca loves Theatre of the Oppressed, especially Forum Theatre, and is a trained Joker. She has been a professional working actor since a young age, and is an Equity Membership Candidate. She has acquired TV, film, regional and New York acting credits, is a budding playwright, and is currently in progress with a TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) play that explores life on the Pine Ridge reservation, in honor of her Lakota heritage.
Enas Elmohands has a BA Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Adelphi University. Enas has been accepted into SOAS University of London to study Near and Middle Eastern Studies Program Fall 2016. Her foci includes Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and Peace Studies with a concentration in Human Rights. As a poet, her passion is threading the arts into the dialogue of human rights. Enas was one of several curators for the 2014 ARTifariti Festival in the Western Sahara and part of the film crew for the documentary, When The Sun Came For Them. She believes art can be a profound catalyst for change.
Ana Marva Fernández is an artist, educator and digital fabricator. She holds a BFA in Studio Art and MA in Art Education from NYU, and has led several emerging technology initiatives at major museums in New York City. She is passionate about inclusive education and believes art can empower. She is very excited to be involved with ArtsAction Group, and work towards bringing quality arts experiences to communities around the world.
Dana Helwick is a visual arts educator with a special focus on contemporary art and its social context. She is currently teaching art at the Aaron School, a K-8 private school for students with various learning differences in NYC. Additionally, Dana also works as a Program Coordinator for the Art21 Educators program, a professional development initiative and learning community for educators in the US and Canada interested broadening their curricular focus to include inquiry into contemporary issues and ways of thinking through contemporary art. Before joining the Aaron School, Dana was a Teaching Artist in elementary and high schools in the Bronx with non-profit organization the DreamYard Project. Dana has also worked as a volunteer HIV/AIDS educator, Program Coordinator and Media/Communications Manager for the non-profit organization Support for International Change (SIC), which is dedicated to limiting the impact of HIV/AIDS in underserved communities. Dana is particularly interested in international health and development issues and would like to continue to find ways to use art as a tool for communication and community development. Dana received her BA in Art from UCLA and her MA in Art Education from NYU. As an artist herself, Dana is especially interested in drawing as a creative medium.
Naqiya Hussain is a visual artist, educator, and museum professional based in Brooklyn, NY with a special interest in understanding the arts as a tool for transformation, community building, and progressive change. She received her BA in Fine Art from Pomona College and her MA in Art Education from NYU. Her interest in the arts started in her home country of Pakistan, where she managed a theater program aimed at rehabilitating and creating safe spaces for street children in Karachi. In the years since, she has been involved in various non-profit organizations in Pakistan, India, California, and New York that promote a community-based and socially engaged approach to art-making and education. Naqiya's most recent position was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she evaluated public programs and other museum offerings with a focus on enhancing visitor experience. She was also involved with the Met's Multicultural Audience Development Initiative (MADI), which is devoted to making the museum more accessible to diverse audiences through various outreach initiatives.
Shannon Kopunek is a visual artist and educator with a special interest in building social-emotional learning through exploration, experimentation and play. From studying art history, sociology and museum studies at SUNY Geneseo to achieving her MA in Art + Education at New York University, Shannon is motivated by always exciting, interdisciplinary learning experiences that she now shares alongside her students. Shannon has taught multicultural studies and tutored international students in art historical studies of Africa, Oceania, America, and Asia as a professor’s assistant at SUNY Geneseo. She has continued her investigation of big picture ideas while researching degenerate art and music in Prague, Berlin, and Amsterdam in respect to the artist in the Third Reich. As a volunteer for the Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation, Shannon seeks to advance the nonprofit's mission to promote independence and health rehabilitation with dignity and respect for all. Shannon has also participated in NCAA collegiate women’s soccer, which combined with her belief in socially engaged art-making, has ignited within her a passion for educating the whole student—a service art uniquely and surely provides.
Michelle LoPinto is currently working towards a BFA in Art and Design Education at Adelphi University. Her passions include painting, art history, writing, and food. Michelle looks forward to having her own art classroom where she can teach art and inspire others. She is fortunate to have completed a mural at Jackson Annex School in Hempstead, NY and looks forward to being a part of other beautification projects. Michelle believes that art is a universal language that should be accessible to the public.
Barrie Maguire is a musician, producer and arts educator.
Debbie Newman is a visual artist, a certified art educator (Visual Arts, K-12) and a contributing writer/illustrator for MTV.com. Born in raised in New York City, Debbie studied English Literature at Columbia University and earned her masters degree in Art Education at New York University, where she graduated with honors. Before joining Arts Action Group, Debbie pursued a postbaccalaureate study in digital art/illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the School of Visual Arts and Columbia Teachers College. Passionate about both visual/creative arts, Debbie has written for a number of publications in the media/entertainment realm (including the New York Daily News, Mainstreet.com and Life & Style magazine). She has also taught several thematic-based arts workshops for elementary/secondary students (at NYU's Visionary Studios and the Creative Art Start camp) that promote play/experimentation and the incorporation of contemporary art techniques. Inspired by the concept of artist-as-storyteller, Debbie strives to promote energy, debate and social consciousness in the classroom, and encourages students to find their creative voice and embrace the power of self-expression. She has been a proud member of ArtsAction since its inception in 2013.
Sasha Spare is a New York City based artist educator with special interests in social justice, contemporary art, and creative writing. She is an art educator at Avenues: The World School. She was a Teaching Artist affiliated with the 92nd Street Y Art Center, Saint Ann’s School, Brearley School, and several New York City public schools. In addition to collaborating with youth, educators, and artists alike, she has enjoyed a variety of eclectic work experiences involving supportive art services, which include providing patina artistry for K.C. Fabrications Inc. Art and Architectural Fabrication, photography for Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots, event support for Shannon Broder’s Degenerate Craft Fair, and studio assistance for diverse artists. She holds a BFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MA in Art + Education from New York University.
Brian Testa is a Long Island based Artist, Educator, and Eagle Scout. He is currently an Art & Design Student at Adelphi University, pursuing his BFA (Art & Design Education K-12). His research includes Visionary and Shamanic Art, Art as a communicative tool, STEM to STEAM, Adaptive Art, and the importance of unconditional understanding and
love in education. Brian explores abstraction, printmaking techniques, as well as digital photo manipulation. His recent projects include: exploring immersive art-making techniques with Oculus Medium and exploring layered perception through a repeated pattern. Testa’s art explores elements of abstraction and layering. His art is heavily influenced by a shamanic, interconnected view of the world. Testa explores the tools of printmaking and digital layering, as well as pattern to create work blending the boundary between landscape and portrait. Testa spent several years co-teaching nautical and historical workshops at Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum. He has also participated in several STEAM workshops through Adelphi University. Testa is a strong advocate for community-based art, collaborative art making, and promoting peace and compassion through art.
love in education. Brian explores abstraction, printmaking techniques, as well as digital photo manipulation. His recent projects include: exploring immersive art-making techniques with Oculus Medium and exploring layered perception through a repeated pattern. Testa’s art explores elements of abstraction and layering. His art is heavily influenced by a shamanic, interconnected view of the world. Testa explores the tools of printmaking and digital layering, as well as pattern to create work blending the boundary between landscape and portrait. Testa spent several years co-teaching nautical and historical workshops at Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum. He has also participated in several STEAM workshops through Adelphi University. Testa is a strong advocate for community-based art, collaborative art making, and promoting peace and compassion through art.
Art Therapist/Art Therapy Trainees
Emilija Mecelicaite was born in Lithuania and has spent the last 9 years living in between the UK, Norway, Spain and Lithuania. She received her MA in Art Therapy from The University of Hertfordshire (2018) and MA in Philosophy from The University of Glasgow (2014). Emilija facilitates individual and group art therapy sessions. She has experience working with adults in an addiction treatment centre, and with children in community and school settings. Emilija sees art as a universal tool for communication and expression, with powerful healing potential. She is passionate about work in communities; creating safe space for others’ inner journey of self-knowledge, connection and empowerment. In her own art Emilija uses clay, inks, watercolours, oil pastels and pens. She often allows materials to lead, later discovering and highlighting forms that arise. Thus, chaos moves into structure, and mess into meaning.
Violeta Camarero is an enthusiastic, grounded and loving art therapist trainee on her last year of training at Hertfordshire University (UK). Violeta is training to facilitate art therapy sessions for people to positively explore their mental health and wellbeing in order to learn to cope better with issues arising and gain emotional resiliency. After qualifying as a product design engineer in Saragossa University (Spain) she moved to England in 2012 and discovered that her call was to do creative work with different people. Violeta started working with learners with learning difficulties as a support worker and as a teacher. She was able to build on this experience in her subsequent training as an art therapist. Since then Violeta has been working with children and adolescents in education as well as in the National Health Service in London. Violeta is a genuine believer that showing up for ourselves through making art brings self awareness and healing.