MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
AVA
Ava Straub is a recent graduate of Susquehanna University, obtaining a B.A. in Theatre Production & Design.
Ava is not only a theatre performer, but also a technician with experience in costume and prop design and construction, stage management, musical theater and movement. Ava has previously worked as an Art Camp Director for The Gibby Center of the Arts. Ava is excited to join the CCArts team!
CHARLES
Charles is a long-time professional potter, trained at Penland School of Crafts. He was an artist in residence at Baltimore Clayworks before establishing his own pottery studio and gallery.
Now semi-retired, Charlie devotes his time to sharing his passion for traditional craft with his students.
DEANNA (DEE DEE)
Deanna, also known as Mrs. Dee, is a certified K–12 art teacher based in New Castle, Delaware. A proud graduate of Moore College of Art & Design, she holds an Associate’s degree in Illustration and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and Art Education. Since 2011, Dee Dee has been sharing her love of art with students of all ages through public school teaching, summer camps, private lessons, community workshops, paint-and-sip events, and birthday parties.
Her artistic passions include watercolor, collage, mixed media, and polymer clay. Outside the classroom, Dee Dee serves as a union representative for the Colonial Education Association (CEA) and helps build community as an events organizer with the Delaware Association for Humanism.
In her spare time, she enjoys hosting creative gatherings at home, planning themed parties, and spending time with her husband Jay and their dog, Mochi.
JAMIE
Jamie has been teaching classes in Glass Fusion at the center since 2010. By day, Jamie works in the pharmaceutical industry, & any free time is spent either teaching or learning/experimenting with different glass techniques and mediums.
Jamie thoroughly enjoys teaching at the Center & watching students express themselves through the creation of beautiful glass works of art. Jamie lives in Kennett Square, PA, with her husband Gregg, her No. 1 Apprentice!
RAY
Ray Reinsfelder is a neurodivergent non-binary creative teaching and tattooing in northern Delaware. As a multidisciplinary artist who has a Bachelor's degree in Animation and Painting Ray has a wide field of knowledge and skills in the visual arts.
Taking a versatile and flexible approach to art education Ray is ready to meet you at your level.
STEPHANIE
Animals and nature fascinate Stephanie Przybylek and they're the focus of her art. A Western Pennsylvania native, she comes from a family of artists, which exposed her to a wide variety of art materials at a young age. Stephanie holds a BA in Art from Gettysburg College and an MA in Art History from the University of Delaware. Following a museum career as a curator, exhibit designer, educator and administrator, she returned to her first love, creating fine art.
From gouache and colored pencils to acrylics and mixed media, Stephanie works with the “stuff” of art — she’s always experimenting. A unifying focus of her work is exploration of elements of the natural world, whether through subject, texture or color. She also loves finding out about new materials and incorporating them into her work.
SASHA
Sasha Pillai is a teaching artist passionate about nurturing creativity, confidence, and joyful self-expression in young artists. She currently offers an art club to Kindergarten and First Grade students at Chadds Ford Elementary School, and is studying Special Education at West Chester University.
Sasha holds a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design and works across a variety of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, fiber arts, and mixed media. She is dedicated to creating inclusive, supportive learning environments where every child feels empowered to explore, experiment, and have fun through art.
ALLISON
Allison is a highly experienced teaching artist, who has instructed classes, camps, & workshops to youth and adults across Delaware and Pennsylvania.
“I teach in a style which is a "NEVER GIVE UP" attitude. When something isn't working, it can be easier to cut it off and start over - and I admit sometimes this is the best approach. HOWEVER, I challenge my students to take the more difficult path and try to fix their mistakes, save their pots - even if they don't keep them. Whatever you make in clay there is a deeper connection to be had with oneself in the process.”
BEA
Bea graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and has been a teaching artist for over 30 years. Bea works with both children & adults at several accredited private schools, museums, & art organizations throughout Delaware & Pennsylvania.
She enjoys fostering a classroom environment where her students are able to channel their own individuality without the pressure to only create art in one specific way. Miss Bea feels particularly inspired when teaching young artists, as she’s able to aid children in discovering their creativity, and is able to witness their natural talent flourish.
CONSTANCE
A native of Philadelphia, Constance is passionate about contemporary art & specifically ceramics.
Previously, in AZ, McBride taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center, Chandler Art Center, & through the Scottsdale Museum of Art Education Program. In PA, she taught at Chester County Art Association in West Chester & Clay on Main in Oley. She conducts workshops with senior citizens including at Germantown Home in Philadelphia & has worked with Alzheimer’s patients & their caregivers at the Sunshine Memory Café in West Chester.
In 2018 she taught at Sias University & conducted hand building workshops at art centers in the surrounding villages of Guangzhou, China. She is actively engaged in the Chester County & Philadelphia arts communities & has exhibited her work locally and nationally.
After 16+ years in AZ, McBride returned to PA in 2018 & currently resides in West Grove. She has studied extensively at the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, Oregon College of Arts & Crafts, Mesa Art Center, Paradise Valley College & Scottsdale Artists’ School. Early mentors include Tip Toland, Simon Kogan and Lisa Clague. McBride earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arcadia University, Glenside, PA.
KATE
Kate McGrath has worked as a teaching artist for over three decades, leading theatre and playwriting writing workshops at all age levels, most notably with Philadelphia Young Playwrights and After School Activities Partnerships. Additional teaching credits: Theatre Horizon’s Autism Drama Program, Wolf Performing Arts Center, Walnut Street Theatre School, Darlington Arts Center, and the Heart of the Arts Camp in Norristown.
She has toured nationally as an actor and improvisor and is a professional playwright and dramaturg. She holds a BA in Theatre from UNC-Chapel Hill, an MA in Theatre from Villanova, and has additional certificates from the Folger Theatre Conservatory, the London Theatre School, and the National Theatre Institute.
PAM
Pam is a ceramics instructor, as well as a the CCArts Pottery Studio and Facilities Manager.
“Clay has been a material that has enriched my hands and mind for many years. The ability of clay to bring community together is amazing…especially considering it is a seemingly simple material. Clay’s magnetic quality to join humans in rituals to celebrate life’s little moments has entranced me for as long as I can remember.
Growing ideas with others in a community studio, firing work with folks in a woodkiln, or using clay pots as a backdrop for a nurturing meal continues to excite me. I am thankful for the human interactions brought about by clay and cannot wait to help encourage possibilities with the CCArts community!”
SHARON
Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Sharon Livesay is a jewelry and mixed media artist residing in Wilmington, Delaware. Sharon graduated from the New York Institute of Art and Design with a degree in Jewelry Design.
She teaches at Center for the Creative Arts in Yorklyn, Delaware, as well as Chester County Art Association in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She has experience teaching art parties, jewelry workshops, youth classes, and much more.
SIDNEY
Sidney Kaufmann is a multidisciplinary artist based in Wilmington, Delaware, working primarily in ceramics, wood, and fabric. She holds a BFA from the University of Delaware (2025), where she focused heavily on ceramics and discovered a passion for teaching the medium.
Since 2022, she has taught art across various disciplines, with a special interest in sharing the hands-on, expressive nature of ceramics. Sidney’s work draws inspiration from natural structures, which she distills into simplified, geometric forms that explore the relationship between emotion and the environment.