Copy of About Us
Welcome to Blair Center for the Arts!
The Blair Center for the Arts (formerly Creative Arts of Mount Pleasant) is an art center that engages and inspires our community through interactive art education for kids, teens, and adults. We offer painting, photography, mixed media, crafting, and more classes to help you discover and nurture your inner artist.
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
Avery McMurtry Avery is a third-year design student ... at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She completed a minor in art history and is beginning a minor in human services this spring. Avery lived in Charleston from 2009 to 2018 and graduated from Bishop England High School before college. She is passionate about the power of color, empathetic design, and the joy of creating. Most of all, Avery believes that art should be accessible to all — no exceptions! show more
Beth Melton Seabrook Beth specializes in drawing and painting ... , teaching both art forms to students at Blair Center for the Arts. show more
Carl Turner Carl is a master in both oil and acrylic painting. ... He is a former commercial illustrator and is an experienced and gifted instructor. 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
Jennifer Fallen Jennifer has been teaching in the Charleston area ... for 16 years and loves drawing and painting the colorful subjects she sees around the Lowcountry. Working with artists John Carroll Doyle and Carol McGill inspired her to use more color and appreciate the local scenery. She enjoys mixing it up with whimsical designs on wood and glass as well. Jennifer hopes to encourage confidence and creativity in artists of all ages while having a lot of fun! show more
Joan Body Along with a career in graphic design, ... Joan has maintained a lifelong passion for drawing and painting — and loves sharing the gifts that she’s received over years of formal and informal practice. As a teacher in Charleston since 1998, her classical approach gives children and adults a solid foundation to explore all types of art. Building confidence and enjoying the journey are key parts of any lesson. Along with drawing and painting, Joan has experience in calligraphy, bookmaking, papermaking, basic sculpture, and printmaking. 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
Reagan Strader Currently pursuing a BFA in Illustration and Fibers ... , Reagan’s love for fine arts and character design shines through her youth classes. Reagan is well versed in watercolor, markers, and multimedia, pushing the boundaries of traditional art and blending techniques. 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
Twoie Palmer Twoie is multitalented and versatile. ... She is skilled in collage, ink and alcohol, and tiles. She is known for her Creative Mornings sessions and teaching The Artist Way. show more
Kristy Edwards Kristy Edwards has joined Blair ... Center for the Arts bringing her past skills as Artists, Art Curator, and art teacher. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and educated at the University of Georgia, Kristy married and raised her three children in Macon, Georgia where she lived for 37 years. She has made it a lifelong goal to study painting with some of the greatest living artists in the world believing one never stops learning. It is with a deep and abiding passion and belief in the importance of art to the health of a community that she comes to us to help oversee operations and serve as a community liaison between staff and students. show more
Ginny Lane Ginny Lane Sheridan is a third ... generation artist from Macon, Georgia, passionate about the joys of creative flow and expression of all forms– be is design, art, dance or music. She graduated from UGA in 2019 and enjoys sharing her practice as an artist with her community to connect, grow, and inspire others inside and outside of the classroom. show more
Connie Ringdon A professional abstract artist and art instructor, ... Connie currently resides in Charleston SC. She received her degree in architecture from SCI-Arc. She currently exhibits her artwork in several galleries across the US. She is also the assistant director of The Blair Center for the Arts. show more
Giselle Harrington Giselle Harrington is a fine artist and illustrator.... She obtained her MFA in Illustration in 2018 at the School of Visual Arts in New York City; and has additionally studied drawing and painting at the Art Students League of New York. She works primarily in watercolor but also uses a wide array of media including gouache, acrylic, oil, digital painting, and mixed media. Her illustration work has included books and book covers, logos, labels, and private commissions. Painting en plein air is one of her favorite things to do, when she is not working on an illustration job. Her website is giselleharrington.com 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
Kristen 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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