Our Instructors
Welcome to Blair Center for the Arts!
Our Emphasis On Small Classes Allows For Stronger Individual Attention From Our Talented Team Of Instructors. Whether Students Are Creating Original Projects Or Working As A Team, The Results Are Incredible! Guided By Their Instructors, Our Students Gain Self-Confidence As They Explore And Develop Their Artistic Abilities. BCA Is Passionate About Empowering Students Of All Ages With Tools Of Creative Self-Expression.
Our Instructors
Aliza Holmes Aliza specializes in mixed media and has tremendous ... popularity with our younger artists. She also is skilled in macramé and crafting. show more
Amy Sargent Amy has an energetic teaching style that resonates ... with younger artists. Her “Mix It Up” classes are the most popular of her class offerings. show more
Daisy McClellan Daisy McClellan is a fiber artist residing in Charleston, SC with ... her husband and 3 young sons. Combining punch needle with sewing and natural dying she makes wearable objects like bright cardigans and bags as well as items for the home like plant holders and heirloom stuffed animals and baby teethers. She sells her work as well as DIY punch needle kits on her website, in local shops, and at juried art fairs. In addition to creating she offers her expertise as a maker teaching workshops, retreats, and camps ranging from punch needle to candle making to indigo dying in museums, galleries, camps and shops in the region. Most recently she completed an artist in residency program at the Gibbes Museum of Art and exhibited her work in a solo show there. show more
Katie Wilson Katie is an illustrator and arts educator who enjoys painting, drawing, and printmaking. ... Her love for the arts shows through her warm and inclusive teaching style. She studied at the College of Charleston where she received her degree in Arts Management & Studio Art and her Masters in Teaching. She is currently an elementary art teacher for students ages PK through 5th grade. She loves working with her students and igniting their passion for creativity as they explore self expression through their work! show more
Catherine E Case holds a Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA) ... in illustration and graphic design, a Master of Arts degree (MA) in drawing, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) in commercial art. Catherine has been the recipient of more than 30 grants and awards for her fine art both nationally and internationally. She has been a Professor of Art for 35 years, having taught more than 60 different college courses in the arts. She also chaired the graduate and undergraduate departments at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which brought her to the lowcountry. https://catherinecaseart.com show more
Dru Blair Dru is the owner of Blair Center for the Arts and ... holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from USC. Dru specializes in airbrush, photorealism, watercolor, 3D animation, digital art, and drawing. View some of his photorealistic paintings HERE. show more
Fiammetta D'Aversa Fiammetta is an Italian artist who ... studied art in Rome, Italy, and Paris, France. Her specialties include illustrating children's books, custom furniture designs, t-shirt designs, acrylic paintings, watercolor, and live drawings. She has a passion for languages, teaching, piano, and traveling. show more
Lauren Danner Lauren Danner is fueled by a passion for art, the power of ... words, the beauty of movement, mental wellness and sustainable living. Known for her unwavering persistence and an endless well of creativity, Lauren can usually be found sipping coffee and nurturing her homeschooled children. Her art journey started as a child chasing curious ideas, building and sewing things for imaginative play. Her yoga journey began as a means to enhance her musical theater performance. Little did she know that yoga would lead her on a path to cultivating a joyful and connected life while reconnecting her to innate creative curiosity and wonder. Lauren's teaching style fosters practices that are both immediately beneficial and sustainable for a lifetime. Her yoga classes are thoughtfully designed to move energy through breath, intention, meditation, yoga poses, and creative flow. Lauren holds a BA in Theater and is an E-RYT 500. show more
Melissa Griffin Melissa attended college in upstate New York and received her degree in Art Education, ... with a concentration in photography. She taught elementary art in Virginia before moving to Charleston and starting her own photography business. show more
Kevin Free Kevin is a photography specialist with a diverse ... background in the photographic industry. He received his Master’s of Fine Arts degree from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), Savannah, GA, in 2014. Kevin earned his undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Watkins College of Art, Nashville, TN, in 2012. Kevin has worked with nearly every form of photography in his career, from alternative processes to the latest digital technology. show more
Lisa Hase Jackson Lisa Hase-Jackson is the creative compass every writer ... seeks. As a professionalwriter, creative strategist, and poetry mentor, Lisa gives her clients the clarity and strategy they need to achieve their creative goals. Her debut collection of poetry, Flint & Fire (The Word Works) was selected for the 2019 Hilary Tham Capital Collection Series by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown. She holds an MFA in poetry from Converse University, and an MA in English from Kansas State University. Her award-winning poetry has most recently appeared in such journals as The South Carolina Review, Tipton Poetry Review, The Strategic Poet, and The Cimarron Review. Lisa is Editor in Chief for South 85 Journal. show more
Marie Johnson After 25 years of teaching early- and ... elementary-age children, Marie combined her art history education and love of helping children learn with a desire to manage her own business. In 2009, Marie launched her visual arts curriculum in Central New Jersey area elementary schools and preschools with great success. Her visual art program is now taught in over 20 schools in Central New Jersey and continues to grow, reaching hundreds of more children. The unique curriculum uses creative teaching methodologies to help children improve their fine motor skills and develop their problem-solving abilities. In doing so, they learn the underlying concepts of art in ways that will help them see their world through different eyes — all the while having fun. Marie now lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband and is thrilled to be teaching at the Blair Center for the Arts. show more
Jen Larsen Jen grew up in California where she resided until a few years ago... when she took a chance and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to study art. Having always been drawn to Charleston, she was so impressed with the art appreciation here and endless miles of inspiration that it was an easy decision as to where to plant new roots. Through her paintings, Jen aims to illuminate the remnants of a divine process from which the ordinary is born. show more
Silvia Belviso Blair is a classically trained Italian ... artist specializing in drawing, watercolor, oils, and acrylics. Her style ranges from photorealism to impressionism. She is also owner and manager of the Blair Center. show more
Waverley Doherty Waverley is a versatile multimedia artist, ... bringing creative vision to life through a diverse range of mediums such as painting, embroidery, and Woodburning. Her passion for crafting whimsical folk art reflects her unique and imaginative approach to art-making. show more
Cat Brantley Cat Brantley is a dedicated teaching artist based... in Charleston. She is a Visual Arts Instructor with Engaging Creative Minds and is listed in the SC Arts Commission Artist Directory. Recently, she launched Mindful Art Creative, blending mindfulness with creative expression. She teaches a variety of mediums, including watercolor, basic drawing, mandala art, indigo dyeing, and batik dyeing, and is always open to exploring new artistic techniques. show more
Steve Cefalo Steve Cefalo is a seasoned imaginative classical oil painter, ... character and graphic novel illustrator, and former instructor at numerous art schools and universities, Steve Cefalo has a unique and eclectic vision. He shares his broad base of knowledge with a sense of lighthearted fun, passion, and a love for people. show more
Katie Brash is an artist specializing in large-scale ... charcoal drawings, and figural work. She moved to Charleston in 2017, shortly after securing her degree in Global Health & Studio Art from Allegheny College. Always looking for ways to be involved in the arts, Katie secured a residency at Redux Contemporary Art Center where she participated in local events, gallery openings, and shows until 2020. Also an experienced educator, she received her Masters in Teaching from College of Charleston in 2022. Katie continues to look for ways to expand her knowledge as a student and an educator of art- practicing and teaching many mediums including: graphite, charcoal, acrylic, and large-scale work. show more
Pam Hricik Pam Hricik is a local artist in Mount Pleasant, SC who ... creates original works with flowers she sources locally and presses in a traditional wood flower press to preserve their natural beauty. Before she discovered the art of pressed flowers, she was a floral designer for more than 20 years in several Mount Pleasant flower shops as well as on her own working out of her garage. Her background in floral design was a natural fit for her transition to pressed flower art. She is a student of renowned pressed flower artist, Trica Paoluccio. In addition to wall art she also makes cards, bookmarks and other items with her pressed flowers and print designs. show more
Beth Northcut Williams Elizabeth Northcut Williams (“Beth”) is a fine artist ... whose diverse body of work can be found in collections all over the country. Since receiving her BFA in painting from the University of Evansville, she has developed a wide range of techniques in oil painting, watercolor, drawing, and mixed media. Creating everything from portraits to murals, Beth loves to translate ideas into meaningful visual expression, often combining traditional techniques with more contemporary, expressive applications. Inspired by beauty and redemption, she is forever grateful to honor the significant of her subjects. show more
Kristin McGivern Kristin is an artist from Greenville, SC ... now residing in Daniel Island with her husband and two children. She graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and has pursued art her entire life. She enjoys experimenting with all mediums, palettes, colors, and subjects as she discovers new techniques and new perspectives of God’s beautiful design. Most of all, she loves sharing the techniques she learns with others so that they are empowered to create their own works. show more
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