Ceramics

Jesse Armstrong (Mesa)
Sandy Blain (Tempe)
Julius Forzano (Scottsdale)
Elliot Kayser (Tempe)
Jenneva Kayser (Tempe)
Larron Lerdall (Mesa)
Farraday Newsome (Mesa)
Jeff Reich (Mesa)

Drawing / Painting / Printmaking

Jon Arvizu (Scottsdale)
Ron Bimrose (Tempe)
Harold Lohner (Phoenix)
Brent Bond (Scottsdale)
David Manje (Mesa)
Augie Tantalo (Tempe)
Janet Towbin (Paradise Valley)
Agustin Vargas (Scottsdale)

Glass

Brooke Breyfogle (Mesa)
Joshua Dopp (Phoenix)

Laurie Nessel (Tempe)
Troy Moody (Tempe)
David Vogt (Chandler)
Joan Waters (Tempe)

Metals

Jonathan Leo Brown (Phoenix)
Jewel Clark (Mesa)
Teri Jo Kinnison (Chandler)
Polly O’Dette (Mesa)
Richard Rozinski (Gilbert)
Matt Smith (Mesa)

1970s

• Mesa Parks and Recreation begins offering public art activities, including concerts, visual arts classes and children’s theater.

1980s

• The Cultural Program is created and housed in the old Irving School on 2nd Street and Center. Built as a WPA Project during the Great Depression, the building is on the Register of Historic Buildings list.
• The name of the building is officially changed from the Mesa Activity Center to Mesa Arts Center.
• Margaret Chipman is hired as the first full-time ceramics instructor.
• In 1987, Jeff Reich replaces Margaret Chipman as ceramics instructor.
• In addition to the preexisting gas and electric kilns, the ceramics studio installs salt, saw dust firing, car and car raku kilns.
• In 1989, Maurice Grossman is invited to conduct the first ceramics workshop. Harvey Sadow leads another one later that year.

1990s

• In 1991, Mesa Arts Center hosts its first National Empty Bowls Day, which raises money through the sale of ceramic bowls to fight hunger and benefits Paz de Cristo (now held at Mesa Community College).
• Ceramic workshops are led by Wayne Higby (1990), Paul Soldner (1993), David Shaner (1996), Jack Troy (1997), Don Reitz (1998) among others.
• “Quality of Life” sales tax is put on the May 19, 1998 Mesa ballot. It asks for a half-cent sales tax that would fund quality of life services and programs, including police, fire, library hours, bus pull-outs, as well as the construction of a new performing and visual arts center. The measure passes by a margin of 56/44 percent and $90.8 million is raised through the “Quality of Life” tax as well as $4.7 million by the Mesa Arts Alliance (capital campaign) for the new Mesa Arts Center.

2000s

• Ceramic workshops are conducted by Patti Warashina (2000), Linda Christianson (2001) and Akio Takamori (2006) among others.
• In May 2002, ground is broken and building begins for the new Mesa Arts Center.
• In March 2005, Mesa Arts Center moves into a new facility, becoming the largest arts center in the State of Arizona and the only center to offer comprehensive professional performing arts, visual arts and arts education programming in one state-of-the-art campus.
• The ceramics studio encompasses 8,000 square feet of the Mesa Arts Center complex and features 3 classrooms, 30 wheels, 4 slab rollers, 2 extruders, a spray booth, clay and glaze mixing areas, and a kiln yard with wood, soda, gas, raku and electric kilns. The studio has the only wood kiln in the Phoenix area intended for student use.
• Mesa Arts Center collaborates with National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) annual conference in April 2009, hosting a workshop by renowned ceramicist Sergei Isupov and corresponding ceramics focused exhibitions at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, including a solo exhibition by future Ceramics Lead Jesse Armstrong.

2010s

• Ceramics Workshops are conducted by Patti Warashina (2018), Adam Field (2015) and Sam Chung (2019) among others.
• In 2014, Jeff Reich retires after 20+ years as the Lead Instructor of the Ceramics Studio, and Jesse Armstrong takes over as Lead Instructor of the Ceramics Studio.
• In 2017, Mesa Arts Center launches Arts in Service (AIS), a program that provides free art classes for veterans and service members in every visual arts department.
• The Resident Artist program for ceramics is moved to a larger new space with two studios, expanding the number of residents from one to two.

1970s

• Mesa Parks and Recreation begins offering public art activities, including concerts, visual arts classes and children’s theater.

1980s

• The Cultural Program is created and housed in the old Irving School on 2nd Street and Center. Built as a WPA Project during the Great Depression, the building is on the Register of Historic Buildings list.
• The name of the building is officially changed from the Mesa Activity Center to Mesa Arts Center.
• David Manje is hired to teach drawing, watercolor painting, oil and acrylic painting in 1982.
• In 1985, David Manje obtained a manual Griffin lithography press, which he converted into an intaglio press. This press continues to be used as one of the two intaglio presses in the East Valley Tribune Printmaking Studio.
  
  

1990s

• “Quality of Life” sales tax is put on the May 19, 1998 Mesa ballot. It asks for a half-cent sales tax that would fund quality of life services and programs, including police, fire, library hours, bus pull-outs, as well as the construction of a new performing and visual arts center. The measure passes by a margin of 56/44 percent, and $90.8 million is raised through the “Quality of Life” tax as well as $4.7 million by the Mesa Arts Alliance (capital campaign) for the new Mesa Arts Center.
• The Mesa Arts Center hosts an international mono-screen workshop with the Glasgow Print Studio in Scotland. For one week, members of a local arts organization create numerous prints under the tutelage of four master printmakers from Scotland.
• David Manje is invited as one of two printmakers to travel to Glasgow, Scotland to the Glasgow Print Studio to create prints. After an intense two weeks of production, their work is included in a print exhibition at the Glasgow Print Gallery.
• The Mesa Public Arts fund sponsored a week-long workshop. Will Maw and Norman Mathieson, Glaswegian printmakers, facilitated a workshop with ten local and national artists not familiar with printmaking. Prints produced in the workshop became part of the City of Mesa’s Permanent Art Collection, the Glasgow Arts Council Permanent Arts Collection and personal collection of the artists.
  
  

2000s

• Ground is broken and building begins for the new Mesa Arts Center in May 2002.
• In March 2005, Mesa Arts Center moves into a new facility, becoming the largest arts center in the State of Arizona and the only center to offer comprehensive professional performing arts, visual arts and arts education programming in one state-of-the-art campus.
• In May 2006, David Manje officially retires but continues to teach at Mesa
  Arts Center.

2010s

• Organized by David Manje in 2011, master printmaker Dan Welden offers a workshop on solarplate etching.
• In 2013, David Manje invites Agustin Vargas to teach in the drawing and painting studio, watercolor, oil and acrylic and be part of the group of instructors. At this time, program artists include Helen Rowles, Augie Tantalo, Gwendolyn Stine, Ed Kennefick, David Miller in Drawing and Painting; and Ron Bimrose and Jeremy Yokum in Printmaking.
• Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum highlights Mesa Arts Center’s Drawing, Painting and Printmaking Studio in an exhibition in January 2014.
• In 2014, David Higgins is hired as a printmaking instructor.
• In 2015, Agustin Vargas replaces Helen Rowles and becomes the Lead of the Drawing, Painting and Printmaking studios.
• Several annual events are organized, including festivals and exhibitions featuring the artwork of students and faculty members.
• In 2017, Mesa Arts Center launches Arts in Service (AIS), a program that provides free art classes for veterans and service members in every visual arts department.
• New instructors are incorporated into Drawing and Painting studios, including Ludmila Demich and Loretta Tedeshi. Diana Calderon, Emily Ritter and Jon Arvizu are brought on to teach in Printmaking.

1970s

• Mesa Parks and Recreation begins offering public art activities, including concerts, visual arts classes and children’s theater.
• Faux stained glass is taught at “Art Barn” on Pomeroy Street.
• In the early 1970s, Lucille Enos is hired to teach genuine stained-glass classes.

1980s

• The Cultural Program is created and housed in the old Irving School on 2nd Street and Center. Built as a WPA Project during the Great Depression, the building is on the Register of Historic Buildings list.
• The name of the building is officially changed from the Mesa Activity Center to Mesa Arts Center.
  
  

1990s

• “Quality of Life” sales tax is put on the May 19, 1998 Mesa ballot. It asks for a half-cent sales tax that would fund quality of life services and programs, including police, fire, library hours, bus pull-outs, as well as the construction of a new performing and visual arts center. The measure passes by a margin of 56/44 percent and $90.8 million is raised through the “Quality of Life” tax as well as $4.7 million by the Mesa Arts Alliance (capital campaign) for the new Mesa Arts Center.
• Lucille Enos adds fusing and “Hot Glass Beads” to the curriculum.
• Workshops are conducted by Dan “the Art Police” Fenton and Leslie Perlis.
• In 1998, Laurie Nessel succeeds Lucille Enos as lead glass instructor.
• Oxygen/propane torches replace Mapp gas torches, annealers replace vermiculite and cone fired fusing kilns are equipped with digital controllers.

2000s

• In May 2002, ground is broken and building begins for the new Mesa Arts Center.
• Workshops are conducted by Leah Fairbanks, Al Janelle, Kate Meleney, Doug Remschneider, Bill Rasmussen, Jim Wuerfel and Kristin Frantzen Orr.
• In March 2005, Mesa Arts Center moves into a new facility, becoming the largest arts center in the State of Arizona and the only center to offer comprehensive professional performing arts, visual arts and arts education programming in one state-of-the-art campus.
• Workshops are conducted by Loren Stump, Akihiro Ohkama, Janis Miltenberger, Steve Sizelove and Patty Gray.
• In 2007, kiln casting and mold making are added to the curriculum, taught by instructor and artist-in-residence Joshua Dopp.
• Glassblower Charlie Lowrie demonstrates his interpretation of Italian style glassblowing in October 2008.
• Einar and Jamex de la Torre demonstrate their unique style of conceptual glassblowing in the Pomeroy Glass Studio Courtyard in November 2008.
• Mesa Arts Center collaborates with Arizona Glass Alliance to host demonstrations by acclaimed flame workers Robert Michelson (October ’09) and Bandhu Dunham.
• Along with an expanded curriculum and studio comes increased service and “housekeeping” and this could not be done without the efforts of our artists-in-residence and exceptional, dedicated volunteers, most notably Jackie Kahn, Hal Bass and Jon Hembree.

2010s

• In 2010, Troy Moody becomes an artist-in-residence in the Glass Studio.
• In May 2012, grants from the Mesa Arts Alliance, Arizona Glass Alliance, and Robert Hammerman fund the construction of an in-situ 200# crucible gas fired glass furnace by Charles Correll (Massachusetts).
• Matt Eskuche’s borosilicate workshop, Vessels and Form Consciousness is held September 2012.
• Jamex and Einar de la Torre return in September 2012 to celebrate Mesa Arts Center’s season opener with a glassblowing demonstration, lecture, and two-man exhibition at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum.
• Through the efforts of Laurie Nessel and artist-in-resident, JeriLyn Adderman, the flameworking program flourishes. Mesa Arts Center’s Glass Studios host workshops and demonstrations with Bandhu Dunham, Roger Paramore, Andy Pollack and other celebrated glass artists.
• In partnership with The Arizona Society of Glass Bead Makers, more weekend workshops with national instructors are brought to Mesa Arts Center’s Glass Studio.
• Artist-in-residence Troy Moody begins teaching weekly kiln-forming classes and the Fused Glass program explodes in popularity.
• In 2017, Mesa Arts Center launches Arts in Service (AIS), a program that provides free art classes for veterans and service members in every visual arts department. Troy Moody succeeds Laurie Nessel as Glass Studio Lead in 2017.
• Traditional and contemporary stained glass experiences a resurgence. Modern glass painting classes for both stained and fused glass are added to the curriculum.
• In 2018, Norwegian Cast Glass artist Lene Tangent visits the hotshop for a weekend and provides a demo with Glass Blower Dave Vogt.
  
  

2020s

• In February 2020, artist-in-resident JeriLyn Adderman conducts a wildly popular marble intensive weekend workshop.

1970s

• Mesa Parks and Recreation begins offering public art activities, including concerts, visual arts classes and children’s theater.
  
  

1980s

• The Cultural Program is created and housed in the old Irving School on 2nd Street and Center. Built as a WPA Project during the Great Depression, the building is on the Register of Historic Buildings list.
• The name of the building is officially changed from the Mesa Activity Center to Mesa Arts Center.
• Wendell Waters is hired as the first full-time metals instructor.
  
  

1990s

• “Quality of Life” sales tax is put on the May 19, 1998 Mesa ballot. It asks for a half-cent sales tax that would fund quality of life services and programs, including police, fire, library hours, bus pull-outs, as well as the construction of a new performing and visual arts center. The measure passes by a margin of 56/44 percent and $90.8 million is raised through the “Quality of Life” tax as well as $4.7 million by the Mesa Arts Alliance (capital campaign) for the new Mesa Arts Center.
  
  

2000s

• In May 2002, ground is broken and building begins for the new Mesa Arts Center.
• In 2003, Polly Smith succeeds Wendell Waters as metals instructor.
• In March 2005, Mesa Arts Center moves into a new facility, becoming the largest arts center in the State of Arizona and the only center to offer comprehensive professional performing arts, visual arts and arts education programming in one state-of-the-art campus.
• MAC has three studios dedicated to metalsmithing and jewelry. The Metals and Jewelry Studios are well equipped for all kinds of jewelry fabrication, holloware and casting. The Lapidary Studio is equipped for cutting and shaping natural rock into cabochons for jewelry or small-scale stone sculpture and for faceting clear gemstones into shapes for jewelry including brilliant, emerald and other traditional or experimental cuts. The kilns and classes for enamel and metal clay are also in this studio. The Sculpture Studio is dedicated to work in steel. Classes are taught on welding, blacksmithing, Damascus steel, knife making and Tama-hagane patterned steel.

2010s 

• In 2010, Matt Smith is hired to teach and develop the Welding and Sculpture Studio as a Master Teacher.
• Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum and Mesa Arts Center collaborate with the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) annual conference in May 2012, hosting a variety of metals focused exhibitions.
• Mesa Arts Center collaborates with Arizona Designer Craftsmen (ADC) in May 2012, hosting SNAG Pre-Conference Workshops with renowned metals artists Marilyn da Silva, Jack da Silva, Cynthia Eid, David Huang, Kevin O-Dwyer, Sam Patania, and Caitie Sellers.
• In 2017, Mesa Arts Center launches Arts in Service (AIS), a program that provides free art classes for veterans and service members in every visual arts department.
• In 2018, Frank Christensen and Samuel Troxell from the Mesa Arts Center’s Blacksmithing and Knife Making program gain national attention as contestants on the TV series Forged in Fire.

2020s

• In 2020, Matt Smith becomes the Lead Instructor over the Jewelry, Metals and Sculpture Studios.