Copy5 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
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
Beth Melton Seabrook Beth specializes in drawing and painting ... , teaching both art forms to students at Blair Center for the Arts. show more
Amy Lepping is an experienced art educator with over 25 years of teaching ... in NJ. Now in SC, she loves creating engaging lessons that challenge her students' creativity. With a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, an EdM from Rutgers University, and National Board Certification, she inspires confidence in her students through observational drawing. Amy is also a painter, specializing in figurative and portrait art, always eager to explore new artistic horizons. 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
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
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
Jack Tracey Jack Tracey is a former graphic designer... media consultant, and fashion photographer - a veteran of four decades in advertising and broadcast production. A commercial muralist and acclaimed sand sculptor, he is a Lifetime Certified National Youth Sports Coach. This working artist has placed pieces in a dozen coastal galleries and shoppes since 2016 - from Charleston to Myrtle Beach. Jack is experienced in conducting art classes and facilitating creative visual expression in a wide variety of mediums and motifs; providing course work at local senior centers throughout 2018 & 19, he hosted studio collaborations for artists of varying skill levels twice weekly in 2018. He is currently instructing and encouraging beginning and intermediate level artists, ages 8 - 80, and has been since the fall of '21 at his Shady Lane and Garaj Mahal studios. 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
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 organizer of our adult workshops at 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
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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