EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Marielena Ferrer is a socially engaged visual artist. She serves as Chair of the Kingston City Arts Commission and the Alianza Cultural de Kingston, an Advisory Board for the promotion, connection and celebration of the arts and cultures of the diverse Hispanic communities. She is the Executive Director of Humanamente, a diversity and inclusion consulting organization. Marielena sits on the Family of Woodstock Board of Directors, and the Advisory Boards of Arts Mid-Hudson and Center for Photography at Woodstock in Kingston.

TEACHING ARTIST

Kelly McGrath utilizes wax, paper, plaster, wood, clay and found materials in her process driven work. She explores themes that are influenced by biologic process like growth and decay, mutation and evolution.

Kelly earned her BFA in Sculpture from SUNY New Paltz in 2007 and her Master's in Art Education from Hunter College in 2019. She taught at R&F Handmade Paints, Women's Studio Workshop, Castle Hill Center for the Arts, Peter's Valley and Snow Farm, and is currently the Instructional Support Technician for the Sculpture Department at SUNY New Paltz.

TEACHING ARTIST

Maedeh Ojaghloo is an Iranian artist and social activist. Born and raised in Iran, she earned a Bachelor's in Avionics and a Master's in Animation before moving to the United States in 2022 to complete her MFA in Photography and Related Media at SUNY New Paltz. In Iran, she was a motion designer, and in the U.S., she worked as a gallery attendant and taught animation and art. Maedeh's multidisciplinary work integrates her past with her present, highlighting the struggles in Iran, particularly the suppression of women, and engaging audiences to amplify silenced voices.

TEACHING ARTIST

Anna's artistic journey is a narrative of empathy and introspection, exploring the human condition through figurative realist paintings and textile assemblage sculptures. Her own experience with disability informs much of her work, offering a unique perspective on embodiment and identity. Anna earned her Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from SUNY New Paltz. Her artwork has been exhibited across the country, and internationally.

TEACHING ARTIST

Ankita Sikari Sunuwar is a Nepali artist specializing in contemporary paubhā painting. With a BFA from Tribhuvan University and an MFA from SUNY New Paltz, Ankita's expertise spans concept art, character design, storyboarding, and 2D animation alongside her painting prowess. Her work reflects a fusion of tradition and innovation, showcasing her dedication to both her cultural heritage and artistic exploration.

TEACHING ARTIST

Scott is a veteran improviser, and recent transplant to the Hudson Valley. He has studied, and performed Improvisational Comedy in New York City, and has been a member of numerous “House Teams” at several well-known New York City Comedy Theaters including The PIT (The People’s Improv Theater), and The Armory. He has also performed, taught and coached Improv at comedy theaters in the Hudson Valley (and has also performed and taught Improv in Russia). When he is not improvising, he is also a magician.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Ava Hricisak is an Art Liaison who resides in Kingston, NY. With seven years of curatorial experience, she enjoys giving back to the community through local art shows and local businesses. She strives to encourage young artists to continue their passions of making because that incentive led her to where she is as an artist today. Ava has earned a B.S. in Visual Arts with a minor in Art History at SUNY New Paltz and is currently pursuing her master’s in Sculpture Design at SUNY New Paltz.

PROJECTS CONSULTANT

Emilie Houssart is a Dutch American artist and curator who moved to the Hudson Valley in 2013. She believes in the transformative powers of experimental arts and youth leadership in growing thriving, equitable communities.

Emilie is Adjunct Professor of Art at SUNY New Paltz, where she is a Sustainability Faculty Fellow and member of campus/community flow collective Eddy. Her personal practice examines ideologies of food and land through performance and living installations. She also holds playful, restorative public workshops as The DIRT Project.

BOARD SECRETARY

Eliza Evans experiments with sculpture, print, video, and textiles to identify disconnections and absurdities in social, economic, and ecological systems. The initial parameters of each work are carefully researched and then evolve through interaction with people, time, and weather.

Our actions are indelibly inscribed in each other and the landscape. Eliza makes these inscribed relationships more legible.

BOARD VICE PRESIDENT

Matthew Friday is an educator, writer, and transdisciplinary artist whose research focuses on developing apparatuses and systems that examine and provoke new political ecologies.

Working both collectively and individually, Matthew’s research-based projects have taken up issues of urban ecology, watershed remediation, and the history and future of organized labor.

BOARD TREASURER

Christine Stage is a recently retired attorney. She was an Assistant County Attorney for 33 years, handling child abuse and neglect cases in Family Court.

After she retired from public service in 2018, she went into private practice representing the indigent in Family and Criminal courts and maintained a general practice until her retirement in 2022. She is also active in local politics.

BOARD PRESIDENT

Born in Lima, Peru, Richard holds a B.A. in History from Vassar College and an MBA from Oxford’s Said Business School.

Following his undergraduate studies, Richard enjoyed a brief career as a professional soccer player in Hong Kong, after which he began to pursue his interest in grassroots development work and education abroad.