Instructors

Below are brief bios of our fantastic art instructors. We think you will really enjoy the opportunity to get to know them and have fun learning in their classes!

Nancie Roark: Jewelry, Fused Glass – Nancie is originally from East Tennessee, but spent many years living and working as an artist in New Orleans before she and her husband moved to the Nashville area. Nancie frequently shows her work in regional exhibits and crafts fairs. She combines her fused glass with silver jewelry techniques to create wonderful wearable art.

Pam Francis : Watercolor – Pam has been teaching painting classes at Sarratt Art Studios since 1997. Her watercolor classes are very fun but also very structured. We know this allows everyone to learn the techniques of a very tricky medium. Pam exhibits her work locally and regionally and is frequently working on a commission. She loves to garden and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.

Susan Moody: Jewelry, Drawing Fundamentals – Susan and her family moved to Mt. Juliet, TN from Albuquerque, New Mexico where she was an art educator. She teaches jewelry classes and drawing classes at Sarratt Art Studios. Her unique jewelry can be seen at local and regional craft fairs and exhibits. Susan has been teaching with Sarratt Art Studios since 2004 and is also a faculty member with the Sarratt Youth Art Institute.

David Heustess: Yin Yoga, Bead-ology, Director – Sarratt Art Studios, Youth Art Institute and Holiday Arts Festival – David began teaching clay classes at Sarratt Art Studios in 1996 after graduating from the Appalachian Center for Crafts. He has a BFA degree in clay and fiber arts and studied education at Belmont University. David has taught art in a variety of settings in the Nashville area. David began directing this program in the spring of 2004. In May 2008, David completed his certification to teach yoga through a nine month teacher training program at the Asheville Yoga Center in North Carolina. An avid clay enthusiast David also enjoys Holga photography, metal and fused glass. He has recently began making changes in his art pursuits by creating sculptural vessels through off loom bead weaving techniques that will incorporate other mediums as well.

Audrey Deal-McEver: Pottery, Black and White Photography – Nashville area native, Audry Deal-McEver is a clay and photography artist with an undergraduate degree Ohio University. Recent exhibits include a solo show at the Nashville Airport and public outdoor installations at Kilbourn Park’s Organic Greenhouse in Chicago, the Reece Museum of Fine Art at Eastern Tennessee State University and the 25th Annual Gallery Hop in Columbus, OH. She has taught at the Renaissance Center, Watkins College of Art and Design, and Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. She currently teaches clay and photography courses at Sarratt Art Studios.www.audrydealmcever.com

Kelly Kessler: Pottery -Kelly’s work has been an ongoing attempt to fuse the fullness of everyday life with the realm of ideas. Kelly works as a potter, ceramics instructor, and country singer. Her work has shown across the country and she’s been an instructor of classes throughout Nashville and at workshops nationwide. Kelly apprenticed as a potter at Berea College and pursued graduate studies at University of Minnesota. Her primary sources are ancient pots, nature and biology, and the improvisational impulse of modern and free jazz. Kelly takes her teaching as seriously as her own work and welcomes the opportunity to foster creativity in the classroom. http://divingintotheclay.tumblr.com

Kate Payne - Bead and Wire Jewelry

Lesley Patterson-Marx : printmaking - www.lesleypattersonmarx.com/

Jennifer Knowles-McQuistion: Book Arts - Jennifer Knowles-McQuistion earned her BFA in Photography from Watkins College of Art, Design and Film. She teaches book art workshops and guest speaks throughout the southeastern United States. She also owns and operates Brown Dog Bindery, a private bindery with a 10 year background in fine and experimental binding. Her current works in mixed media, sculptural books and photography have focused on family & community folklore. She exhibits her artist books and photography in libraries and galleries, and her work is found in private and public collections internationally. She is a member of the College Book Art Association, the Tennessee Book Arts Guild, and the Artist Book Collective. www.jenniferknowlesmcquistion.com

Jenni Ohnstad: Graphic Design – Originally from Chicago, Jenni has been enjoying the warmer weather in Nashville since 2001. A graduate of Iowa State University with a BFA in Graphic Design, she designs posters, magazines, brochures, invitations, and branding for Vanderbilt University Creative Services as an assistant art director. Jenni’s Introduction to Graphic Design class at Sarratt Art Studios provides her the opportunity to help people become effective visual communicators. In her spare time, she enjoys creating jewelry and hand-printed stationery, which can be found at juniperberry.etsy.com

JC Johnson: Digital and B/W Photography

Shahpar Kamtarin - Textile Arts, Tranquility Zone

Christopher Cheney: Printmaking, Drawing Fundamentals

Jonathan Rodgers - Digital Photography

 

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