Museum School Online Classes Robust with Teacher Talent

The Springfield Museums’ Museum School is offering an array of online classes instructed by its remarkable, talented faculty. Please see The Museum School page for more information on classes. Below please find details about the online staff.

The Museums School offers scholarships to help offset the cost of attending class. Please contact Jeanne Fontaine, Courses Curator, at 413-314-6482  or  jfontaine@springfieldmuseums.org.

Springfield Museums Online Faculty

Theresa Chamberland –  After a lifetime of telling people, “What a great story–write that down,” Chamberland has become a storycatcher—someone who helps people capture their stories in print and video. As a storycatcher, she makes space for stories to be written and shared in her Creative Writing and Memoir classes at the Springfield Museums. Chamberland loves Wednesday and Thursday classes at the museums with her budding writers.

She said, “I wasn’t always a storycatcher. I changed careers many times in my life. Six years ago when my position was downsized and I was laid off from a job I had loved for 15 years, I decided to dream big and make a major career change. I applied my education in English, film, and technology and started my own business, StoryCatcher Studios.”

Chamberland’s current writing projects focus on moments in life during the Coronavirus and my memoir, The Love Bug.

Classes: Intermediate Creative Writing & Memoir
Creative Writing & Memoir

Website: www.storycatcherstudios.com

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 Tiago Finato is a painter who explores the overlap between the labor of contemporary art and the working class. He received his MFA from New Mexico State University and his BFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Tiago’s current body of work narrates a scenario where the subject is caught between these two conflicting ideologies, those of manual laborer and a fine artist. Finato has exhibited his work throughout the United States, Spain and Brazil.

Classes: Painting in the Style of the Impressionists
Landscape Painting in Oils
Painting the Still Life in Oils
Website: www.tiagofinato.net

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Nick Frasco – Nick enjoys working with children and guiding them at a young age to embrace their artistic abilities. With the right approach, he is able to bring out the untapped talent in young people. Nick feels teaching children is his true calling in life, and he is very committed and passionate about his role as teacher.  With a Bachelor’s Degree from Paier College of Art for Illustration, Nick also holds a Diploma degree in Fine Arts. He has also studied and earned a certificate abroad at the College of Urbino in Italy.

Classes: Art Studio – Drawing & Illustration (Ages 8-12)
Adult online studio art classes coming soon!

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Kevin Kopchynski is a nature/science educator, and computer service provider from Long Island where he developed a strong fascination with science and nature. He was a fan of Jacques Cousteau and went to the University of Rhode Island to study marine biology.

Kopchynski is currently a planetarium/STEM educator at the Springfield Science Museum and a naturalist for Mass Audubon. He has taught geologic history for the UMass Extension and has presented workshops in astronomy and geology at Berkshire Museum, Springfield College, and libraries around the state. In addition, Kopchynski teaches photography workshops and is active in four photography groups who frequently exhibit their printed images.

Classes: Online Science Adventures (Ages 9-12)
Beginning Coding with Scratch (Ages 8+)
Coding: Going Beyond with Python (Ages 10+)
Website: www.nature-explorations.com

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Andrea Mackin has been painting in Watercolor for over 10 years.  She said: “I have always loved color and art, but never imagined that it would play such a huge role in my life.  I love the transparency and luminosity of the medium, the unexpected surprises as the colors mingle, and the beautiful blends that watercolor offers.  I have a loose impressionistic style and love to paint architecture, flowers, nature and subjects that evoke emotion.  Painting is a journey and I consider myself a lifelong learner.  I continue to take workshops and classes from various artists all over the world and am excited and honored to share my knowledge and experience with my students.”

Classes: Beginning Watercolor
Intermediate Watercolor

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Eliza Moser is a contemporary, realist painter from Springfield, Massachusetts. From an early age, Moser developed an interest in classical art, beginning her study of traditional realist techniques at the age of 14 under the direction of Angel Academy alumnus Christina Mastrangelo, with whom she trained for five years. Currently, Moser is focusing on creating a body of her own work, merging the ideals of classic technique with current ideas expressive of her own artistic voice.

Moser studied at the Florence Academy of Art, painting program; From January 2010–January  2014 studied privately with artist Christina Mastrangelo and received an Associate Degree in  Liberal Arts at Springfield Technical Community College.

Classes: Painting the Summer Landscape
Painting Clouds & Skies
Painting the Costumed Portrait
Website: www.elizamoser.com/home.html

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Robert O’Brien, AWS NWS, has been painting in the watercolor medium for over forty years. Since moving to Vermont in 1977, he has focused his work on landscape and architectural studies. Vermont, with its distinct four season climate, provides the artist with a wealth of subject matter and ever changing light effects.

He said: “One of my main objectives in watercolor painting is to create light through the use of shadow. In painting ordinary images, I find a fascinating interplay between the two. The transparency of the medium helps in bringing shadows alive while allowing the light to glow.”

O’Brien holds degrees from Fredonia State College and S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo, B.A.

Classes:  Painting Spectacular Flowers in Watercolor
Website: www.robertjobrien.com

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Dave Robison is the owner of Old Bones Genealogy of New England is a professional genealogist from Western Massachusetts. He holds a Certificate of Genealogical Research from Boston University and has completed the 18-month ProGen course in Professional Genealogy.

Robison is an active member of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists-Worcester Chapter, the Massachusetts Genealogy Council, Central New York Genealogical Society (CNYGS), the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society among others. Dave is the former President of both the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society (WMGS) and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists (CSG) and is a past President of New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He continues his position on the CSG Board of Governors and is active on their Program Committee.

Classes: The Nuts & Bolts of Genealogy I & II
Website: www.oldbones.info

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 Don Smith has been on the Museum School faculty for 20 years instructing students in basic drawing, anatomy drawing, color theory, and painting. He maintained a studio in the Indian Orchard Mills, but is currently working out of a home studio. He said: “I’ve been painting and drawing ever since I can remember, and now painting and teaching full time.”   Smith is on Facebook, and is in the process of updating his web site.

Smith graduated from the Maryland Institute of Art of in Baltimore MD with a B.F.A. in Painting and holds an M.B.A. in marketing from Western New England College.

Classes: Digital Art Workshop
Anatomy Drawing From the Classics
Basic Drawing
Beginning Painting
Color Theory for Painting

For the full listing of courses and to register online, please visit the following link https://springfieldmuseums.org/museum-school/