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
Hollyn Belle Hills is a singer-songwriter and musician from Charleston, South Carolina. ... She is a self-taught guitarist and has been playing guitar since the age of 8 years old. Now, she plays professional shows at venues around the Lowcountry in addition to recording and releasing her original music. This past year, Hollyn Belle began teaching formal guitar lessons to individuals of all ages. Hollyn Belle’s favorite musical artists include Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Ruston Kelly, and Maisie Peters. 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 also owns the School of Realism, an international art school located in Blair, SC. Dru specializes in airbrush, photorealism, watercolor, pastels,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
Lee Heyburn Lee Heyburn is an artist originally from Virginia, now living ... in the charming neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant. She studied at The Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., where she began her journey as a graphic designer and went on to run her own creative business. With a deep passion for creativity in all its forms and a strong belief in the power of imagination, Lee brings heart and intention to everything she creates. She is especially dedicated to nurturing the next generation of artists, finding true joy in helping young creative minds explore their potential and grow a lifelong love for art. 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
Christi Fabie Christi Fabie brings a fresh and passionate approach to oil painting, specializing in... beginner-friendly instruction. Her rapid progress and natural talent have made her a standout in the studio. Christi understands what it’s like to be a beginner, and her encouraging, down-to-earth teaching style makes her the perfect guide for those just starting their oil painting journey. 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
Amy Scarella Amy majored in liberal arts with a focus on studio art and ... completed her Masters' Degree in Elementary Education at Lesley University in Cambridge, MASS. After teaching in New York City, Amy focused on her entrepreneurial endeavors including starting a non-profit dog rescue and creating a “garage school” for children during COVID quarantine. Currently, Amy offers student support at The Promise school in downtown Charleston which focuses on students with dyslexia. She has always been an artist at heart and values the varied art lessons given to her throughout her young life and the amazing instructors she was lucky to have. show more
Michael Benkoski Michael Benkoski is an artist and art teacher with ... many years of experience teaching art to various populations of students. He currently works at a dual language PK-5 school in Albuquerque, NM, and will be in Charleston visiting friends and family during the summer. He has a background in art history and a master's degree in art education and is currently working on a second master's degree in counseling psychology. Michael likes to combine elements of art history, art techniques, with elements of mindfulness practice in his teaching. 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
Robert Maniscalco Robert Maniscalco has been a professional creative his entire adult life. Born in ... 1959 in Detroit, he has lived in New York, New Orleans and currently in Charleston. His commission portraits and fine art are part of over a thousand collections throughout North America. In Detroit he hosted Artbeat on PBS and founded the Maniscalco Gallery. As a fine artist, he likes to work in multiple series. Perhaps his most enduring series is that of a commission portrait artist, immortalizing Supreme Court Justices as well as children and families. In 2014 Robert took on a vision-quest, called The Quench Project, in which he traveled to Haiti, producing numerous paintings, a documentary short (Out of Darkness), along with a companion book (Quench), juxtaposing the Haitian struggle with obtaining fresh water against our society’s obscene wealth inequality. Robert blogs on a wide range of subjects and written three other books, The Fishly and Point of Art. His fourth book, an Amazon #1 bestseller, is a full color drawing/painting method, called The Power of Positive Painting. He is an actor/director, writer/playwright, musician/composer and teacher, a former Adjunct Professor of fine art and theatre at Charleston Southern University and drawing illustration at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Robert has expanded his creative milieu to include courtroom sketching, covering the Dylann Roof and Michael Slager trials in Charleston. His multi-disciplinary play, Vincent John Doe, received its world premiere, to rave reviews, during the 2018 and 2019 Piccolo Spoleto Festivals. He is now a regular exhibitor in the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition. 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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