Instructors

Studio Manager: Stephen Marder
Stephen Marder is a ceramics instructor as well as Studio Manager at the Visual Arts School. Watch as Stephen lets us in on his artistic world, including his restoration work on the Madison Building in Downtown Norfolk, along with sculptures, pottery, painting and more.

Lynn Allred studied photography at Old Dominion University and, as a prize winning artist, has shown regionally and has published nationally. He was nominated for the LEICA medal of Excellence in Photography.  Lynn has taught beginner through advanced photography at the Visual Arts School for several years and works with a core of returning students.

Vylinda (Lynn) Bryant has traveled throughout Asia, Europe, and North Africa, scouring the antiquities of museums, standing on the Great Wall, swallowing sand in the Sahara. Writing about these experiences, attempting to capture their essence, enables her to work at making sense of the layers that make us human. She believes there is direct correlation between the visual arts, the world we see, and the places of our imagination wherein we shape words to create meaning. Everyone has a story and a unique voice. Lynn received her MFA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University and earned a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa. She has worked in public and school libraries throughout the Southeast and the Midwest. In 2009, Glimmer Train awarded Lynn the Top 25 honor for the Short Story Award for New Writers.

Jim Chalkley holds a Master of Fine Arts from New York State College of Ceramics, in Alfred, New York.  He has taught ceramics on the university level for almost thirty years and has an in-depth knowledge of all ceramic processes.  His award-winning work has been featured in numerous exhibitions, publications, and public and private collections.

Rich Gray is a retired Navy officer and origami enthusiast for forty years with a BA in American History and a secondary concentration in Japanese studies. Spending five years stationed in Japan gave Rich the opportunity to add to his knowledge of origami. Self-taught in the art of paperfolding beginning in high school and a member of OrigamiUSA, he boasts a personal library of over 100 origami books.

Caitlin Harvey received her BS in photography from Indiana Wesleyan University. She began pursuing photography at a young age and has since worked in various locations shooting wedding photography, fine art photography and working as a photographic assistant; although her passion for photography lies in contemporary darkroom techniques. Her fine-art work has been exhibited in galleries in Indiana and Michigan. In her free time she enjoys traveling, reading and exploring outdoors.

Jeannine Harkleroad received her BFA degree in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MFA in Sculpture from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has been awarded residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Bemis center for Contemporary Art and the Fine Arts Work Center. In 2004 she was the recipient of the Gift of Freedom grant from A Room of Her Own. Harkleroad’s sculpture has been experienced in venues such as The Latch Gallery in Los Angeles, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, the ADA Gallery and the Anderson Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. To view her work, please visit jeannineharkleroad.com.

Angela Ives Hill, a graduate of Clemson University and the College of Charleston, started out as a school teacher and administrator. With the birth of her first child, she began focusing exclusively on her art, a life-long passion for her. Angela, a national award winning artist, primarily works in oils using an expressive realistic approach. In order not to be limited to a particular style, she keeps fresh by working with different mediums and studying different artistic styles.

Amanda Page Stephens was raised by the art community in Norfolk, Virginia. In the summer of 1994, she attended a program held at the Maryland Institute College of Art and Design and the following fall, entered into Governor's School for the Arts. Due to the guidance at Governor’s School, Amanda was accepted into eleven undergraduate art programs in the spring of 1995. In January of 1996, she began her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. After studying in Chicago for three years, she returned to Tidewater in 1999. From that time until 2006, Amanda juggled school, family, and work at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Old Dominion University, and Tidewater Community College, earning her degree in May of 2006. Her art has appeared in two solo exhibitions as well as a variety of group shows.

Erica Whitfield found her passion for art at a young age honed her abilities through many art classes at the secondary and collegiate levels. This unbridled passion led to the receipt of her Postgraduate Professional License to teach Visual Arts in May 2010. Erica discusses her work and influences: “I continue my own work as an artist in the midst of pursuing my passion of sharing the world of art and its influences on our everyday lives with others. My medium of choice varies depending on the work I am creating. I often favor charcoal, colored pencils, and Sharpie markers. I find that there is no surface I cannot draw on, and often feel inspired by other artists who use color as their focal point. I am inspired by the work of Dale Chihuly, Frank Lloyd Wright, Brancusi, Van Gogh, Rodin, and many others.”

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