Mary Jean Canziani holds a BFA from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY with a concentration in Printmaking, but her education in the arts has been continuous through her career pursuits. Her first professional experience was in visual merchandising, creating interior and window displays for major department stores. Working in this field cultivated a keen design sense and an ability to work in 3-dimensional design on a large scale. Canziani’s next career step was owning a decorative painting business, executing a myriad of faux finishing techniques, murals and specialty plaster applications for residential and commercial clients. Completing these projects increased her repertoire of capabilities, resulting in a veritable storehouse of creative experience to call upon.

She returned to her personal art practice in 2010 and began exploring ways to express what she wanted to say.  Decorative painting had provided an opportunity to work on non-traditional surfaces- murals and faux finishes had made their way onto anything from a brick wall to an air conditioning unit. She experimented with painting her own concepts on wood, plaster, metal and velvet, etc., which led to her current series of using books as a canvas.  Canziani has participated in numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, having had three solo shows in Venice, Italy. Her pieces are in collections in the U.S. and Europe. Most recently she has been sharing her experience and skills to teach adult studio art classes. Fittingly, her art education continues as she finds there is much to learn from her students.

Lauren Curtis graduated with a BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ), in 1988.   She has remained in the New Brunswick/Franklin Park, NJ area ever since and has been creating   as a full-time artist. She enjoys working in a variety of media, including oils, collage, pen & ink, watercolor and photography. The artist is happiest when creating pieces that represent her love of nature,  wildlife, travel and spiritual subject matter. The symbolism and mythology of ancient cultures are fused with the symbols from modern-day , natural spiritual practices, to form a unique and eclectic style. These images are often portrayed through the woman’s perspective,  showing the importance of “The Feminine”, which is sometimes over-looked. Travel is another major influence in Lauren’s work and the pieces, usually photographs, created from these journeys helps the artist to convey the beauty found in diversity, as well as in the similarities, that run through various cultural belief-systems. As someone who believes in Earth centered spirituality and the importance of mythology, Lauren has & continues to study the myths of various ancient and modern cultures and religions, which ties together her love of travel, nature and symbolism. This is evident in her photography and digital mixed media work, which includes her current series, "X-RAYted", which began in 2010 & continues today. In this body of work, Lauren incorporates photos she has taken of human and animal x-rays, which are combined with other original photos, ss well as various collaged elements.

Lauren has had artwork and poetry published by greeting card and crafter companies, magazines, children’s books and historical organizations, including the Middlesex County Cultural & Heritage Commission (New Jersey). One of her pieces was selected for the permanent collection of the Joyce Kilmer Library in central NJ.   Her work has been displayed in private collections, healthcare centers and galleries and was selected for a solo exhibit at Johnson &Johnson World Headquarters, July-August, 2009. She was a featured artist on the Science Channel‘s TV show Oddities (2011-2012), was also featured on Germany’s TAFF TV (2015), several New Jersey/New York City cable /YouTube TV shows and has done radio interviews as well. Lauren has participated in over 150 solo, group & juried exhibitions throughout the US, won multiple awards and is a member of NJ Arts organizations. Her artwork has been sold throughout the US and abroad and she exhibits her work monthly in gallery shows, art fests and cultural events.

About 15 years ago, Lauren ventured into becoming an art teacher, giving private one on one or small group lessons to beginners and intermediates of all ages. She then expanded to becoming a marketing coach for a wide variety of creatives who want to expand their own artistic careers. This has been very rewarding and she continues to expand her classes and student base. Being that she can teach both in person and virtually, she has students both locally in Central NJ as well as several other states and has had students as far away as Greece! Lauren finds this work very rewarding as well as a great way to supplement her income in between commissions and freelance illustration work, which includes children's book and other publication illustration, book cover design, logo and marketing material design and more.

Mark Harris is an exhibiting photographer from Metuchen, NJ. Beginning as a teenager, when he processed his first B&W film and prints, Mark has been interested in photography as both a means of telling stories and as an art form. He was Photography Editor of his High School Yearbook and continued making photographs when in college. Graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers, Mark began his career with the Engineering Department of a major television network where he has since specialized in on-air graphics systems. In 1994 he began volunteering with the local Girl Scouts documenting events and working with local media to get the scouts publicity. He also has led numerous Photography Workshops for the Girl Scouts. He has attended classes and several workshops at International Center for Photography, The Center for Photography at Woodstock, five summers at the Maine Media Workshops, and a workshop as part of the Palm Springs Photo Festival. Mark now works exclusively in digital which allows the ability to explore new areas including the use of color.

Andrew Lackland is a multimedia artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. They graduated from Ithaca college with a BFA in Art in May 2021. Their work often explores and depicts moments of struggle and relief, and reflects the process of creation as a means of achieving relief in itself.

Born in 1969 and raised in Metuchen, Ken Palko first found artistic success winning first place in a poster contest sponsored by Metuchen savings and loan in third and fifth grade while attending Moss school. He took after school drawing classes from Mrs.Graph, which is where he was when president Reagan was shot (starting a lifelong belief in the power of art). He graduated Metuchen high school in 1987 with a focus on drafting. Received an associates degree from Middlesex Community College in marketing art and design. Transferred to Rutgers to study art history and philosophy. Received his Bachelor's of science from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia for architectural studies in 1993. Earned a full scholarship to George Washington University for an MFA in scenic design. Relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1996 to begin his professional career as an artist and designer. Several art studios, numerous exhibits in Minnesota and Wisconsin, artist in residency programs, multiple commissions, permanent art installations and competition entries, including architectural design for the world trade center memorial. Palko headquarters and the church of Palko were established until gentrification and family emergencies brought him back east in 2018. This is his first exhibit in New Jersey.

Dawn Schultz is a multidisciplinary artist and educator who holds an MFA in Choreography and is presently a Ph.D. of Art and Design candidate at Liverpool John Moores University. Her current research aims to investigate methods that explore movement possibilities through merging visual art with the process of creating choreographic works through Score reading and improvisational movement tasks. In analyzing various modalities one can engage with to design works, Dawn empowers movers in celebrating their ideas to explore personal creative voices cultivating confidence and community, harnessing the power of moving together to bridge disconnects between people, bringing attention to our shared humanity.

Gifted with a unique sensibility from an early age, Juan Valdez began to develop his creative abilities while growing up in the Dominican Republic. He later studied at the renowned Escuela De Bellas Arts De La Vega and the Universidad Autonoma De Santo Domingo. Influenced by his Caribbean heritage, Valdez has been able to cultivate an effortless use of lines, shapes and textures complimented by a superb mastery of color. Traditional Caribbean iconography takes a central stage for Valdez, who commands extraordinary skill to develop his signature style. The incredible fluidity of his brushstrokes, along with a splendid palette, have become essential to the creation of a body of work that never ceases to be intriguing and vibrant. Valdez has participated in numerous groups and solo exhibits throughout the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States. On August 8, 2020, Juan Valdez was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a brain tumor that has caused complications with his quality of life. However, Valdez remained strong and his passion for art became his sole priority. Due to cancer, his dominant hand abilities were taken away from him. This didn’t stop him from learning how to create phenomenal paintings with his left non-dominant side! Valdez passed away in 2022, and we are so grateful to have been able to feature his work, much of which is still available for purchase on our website.

Wren is a multi-media visual artist currently based in Central-Jersey. Their work encompasses stop-motion animation, drawing, printmaking, fiber-arts, and painting, and centers around themes involving bodily dissonance and violence.