All of our teachers are working artists, professional art educators, and art historians, carefully matched to the classes they teach. The list below has links to short biographies of instructors and staff for the Creative Workshop.

If you are looking for a specific teacher/artist not listed, please email us at creativeworkshop@mag.rochester.edu.


  • Amy Jarnagin Fisher

    Amy has a wide body of experience teaching various people groups of all ages in a variety of environments including the gallery space and art studio. “I prefer to teach through leading experiences that build skills in art viewing and art making. Participants have the opportunity to construct meaning and images that are unique to…

  • Aubrey Donovan

    Aubrey Donovan teaches children’s and family art classes here at the Creative Workshop and has done so since 2014. Aubrey holds a Master of Science in Creative Arts Therapy which compliments her undergraduate degree of a Bachelor of Science in Art Education. For two years she served as the Humane Education and Outreach Manager at…

  • Ben Leyer

    Ben began teaching at the Creative Workshop in Spring, 2018 and remembers taking classes with John Kastner when he was a child. That class and other experiences fed his creativity and led to a long journey in the arts. Ben earned his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art and…

  • Ben Mayer-Fried

    Ben is originally from Long Island, where he started learning ceramics in high school. During college at both Alfred University and Brockport College, Ben took classes with Lori Mills, John Gill, Ann Currier and Wayne Higby. He enjoys teaching students of all skill levels and “meets students where they are” to support them in their…

  • Bobby Padilla

    Bobby owns and operates Roc Paint Sip and will teach painting, drawing, and other related classes starting in the Winter 2023 session. Teaching at the Creative Workshop comes naturally for Bobby after years of painting and teaching. He holds a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD. His experience as an artist…

  • Brooks Girsch

    Brooks Girsch teaches art as a way of looking and of thinking that can be explored in any medium—from paint to clay and back again. She champions art making as a universally accessible and deeply human practice. Her classroom is a welcoming space to learn new skills, connect and enjoy creating. She has a particular…

  • Christie Lundberg

    Christie is a Nazareth College Alumni who graduated Cum Laude with a BFA in 2016. Her work won a best in show award at Nazareth and two pieces were purchased by the college. After graduation, Christie started working towards setting up her own studio and obtaining her LLC for CLMCERAMICS. Over the past few years…

  • Dale Klein

    Dale has been with the Creative Workshop since 2011 and her association with the workshop is long and deep. Dale is a printmaker and a painter who is interested in the post-industrial landscape of Upstate New York. Courses she took as a child and then as an adult inspired her to become an artist after…

  • Dave Gardner

    Dave trained as an architect in Minnesota taking art classes along the way. After college, he worked as an architect and commercial illustrator in Minneapolis before moving back to hometown Rochester, NY. He has put his mark on many buildings in Western New York as he has operated his own architectural firm for over 25…

  • Dejan Pejovic

    Dejan Pejovic has taught sculpture and drawing classes at the Creative Workshop since 1994 and remembers taking Workshop classes as a child. He addresses students’ individual needs and potential, with a focus on modes of observation. Dejan earned a BFA from York University in Toronto and also studied at RIT, City and Guilds Art School…

  • Eddie Davis III

    Eddie Davis III is the son of two local artists. Born and raised in Rochester, he holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Sculpture from Rochester Institute of Technology.  Eddie has spent over two decades making and teaching art, starting as a teaching assistant at…

  • Faith Gruver

    Drawing and Painting Faith has been with the Creative Workshop since 2016. After earning a BFA in Illustration and minor in Museum Studies from RIT in 2018, she found teaching at the Creative Workshop fully utilized her love of art and museum spaces. While teaching with the workshop Faith also began working for a small…

  • g. a. Sheller

    g. a. Sheller has taught painting at the Creative Workshop since 1983. She has toured the world as an artist and instructor—in Ireland (pictured), France, Italy and Scotland, as well as Rochester—aiming to help students, beginners to advanced, grow in their painting ability and learn to paint successful, expressive views of their world. Her own…

  • Gabriel Cruz

    Gabriel joined the Creative Workshop as the morning registrar in 2023. Prior to his current role, he worked as an aftercare coordinator for elementary school children, setting up artistic as well as physical activities for them after their school day.  In addition to his professional responsibilities, Gabriel has a passion for drawing, animating, and writing…

  • Grace Gumina

    Grace Gumina’s love of teaching paired with her love of art is a combination that brings her incredible joy. Webster born and raised, she is a dedicated and passionate entrepreneur, teacher, and artist with a profound love of working with kids and building strong relationships in the classroom. She has loved creating since before she…

  • Hinda Mandell

    Hinda Mandell, Ph.D., will teach new Fiber Arts classes focused on hand-sewing and knitting when she joins the Creative Workshop during the Spring 2024 session.  She is a professor in the School of Communication at RIT in New York, where she teaches the course “Global Craftivism, Gender and Handwork.” She is currently under contract (Rowman &…

  • Jacob Dambra

    Jacob Dambra is a ceramic artist active in the Rochester arts community. He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022 with a BFA in Ceramics. Shortly after college Jacob worked as an exhibit fabricator at the Rochester Museum & Science Center to help construct the Wonders of Water exhibit. In his work Jacob…

  • Jason Ferguson

    Born in Rochester and raised in Brockport New York, Jason has consistently loved creating art in all its forms. With early influences of abstract impressionism, classic renaissance illustrations, various artist such as Dali, Van Gogh, and Picasso; Jason soon found himself in 2000 landing an apprenticeship under a local tattoo artist in his hometown learning…

  • Jennielyz Santana-Vega

    Jennielyz (Jenny) Santana-Vega first joined the Creative Workshop team as a volunteer and over the last five years moved into a Teacher Assistant role. Beginning in Fall 2022, Jenny will be joining the team as a Ceramics Teacher for kids aged 7 to 9. Born in Puerto Rico and moving to Rochester when she was…

  • Joan Nichols

    Joan is a painter who specializes in brightly colored, expressive florals and landscapes. She is excited to teach beginners and others how create their own authentic paintings. She is also a Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher/Trainer and has been studying yoga for over 29 years with well over 1,600 hours of training with yoga masters from…