Staff

Adam Welch

Executive Director

Adam Welch

awelch@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x 104

Adam Welch is the Executive Director for the Arts Council of Princeton. Adam is an artist, critic, and educator. Adam’s art is about making and decoration. His writing examines the artists and activities of contemporary art. As an educator, Adam encourages students to inquire and create, examine worldviews and to awaken their understanding of self and the world and the relationship of the two.

Adam has participated in thirty-seven solo or group exhibitions in the United States over the past ten years, including at the Arts Council of Princeton, MoMA PS1 and White Columns in NYC, and AIR Gallery in Brooklyn, with solo exhibitions at the Hunterdon Art Museum, Kean University, Princeton Day School, and Northwestern College, and several curated, group, and invitational exhibitions throughout the United States. His art has been featured in four books including The Best of 500 Ceramics: Celebrating a Decade in Clay and 500 Ceramic Sculptures: Contemporary Practice, Singular Works, in the NCECA Biennial (Tampa Museum of Art) catalogue and has been reviewed in Ceramics Art and Perception, the Korean magazine Monthly Ceramic Art, and featured in Ceramics Monthly. Additionally, in the last ten years he has published forty-eight scholarly essays, reviews and catalogue essays.

Before joining the team of the Arts Council of Princeton, Adam had worked at Greenwich House Pottery since 2003. In 2007, he was appointed Assistant Director and in 2010 appointed Director. In 2010, Adam was appointed lecturer at Princeton University where he continues to teach. Adam holds a MFA from Virginia Commonwealth and a BFA with a minor in Art Education from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. He lives in Hightstown, New Jersey with his wife, Rachel, a fashion designer, and their two daughters.

Erin Armington

Education Manager

Erin Armington

earmington@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x102

Over the past 20 years, Erin Armington has taken classes with long time instructors Libby Ramage and Bob Jenkins, volunteered for Communiversity, and worked as a counselor at the Summer Camp program. After graduating from Rutgers University, she worked for several years in customer service and administration, and spent a year as an AmeriCorps member at the College of New Jersey, collaborating with local arts organizations. As a lifetime lover of the arts and arts education, she is excited to be the Education Coordinator for such a long running community nonprofit.

Caroline Cleaves

Director of Development

Caroline Cleaves

ccleaves@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x 109

Caroline considers her background as a trained cultural anthropologist (B.A. Smith College, M.A. University of Chicago) an asset as a fundraising professional. She has held development positions with the Petey Green Program, The Grounds for Sculpture, and Rider University. She has held positions at the Smithsonian, The National Trust (U.K.) and NPR. Caroline’s a Princeton native and is thrilled to be back in her hometown, working to advance the Arts Council’s mission. A favorite childhood memory is taking an arts council class with her father, when the painting studio was located in a barn on Ettl Farm. In her free time, Caroline is a stone carver and amateur blacksmith.

Barbara DiLorenzo

Outreach Program Manager

Barbara DiLorenzo

wavepaint@gmail.com Barbara DiLorenzo began her teaching career with The Creative Center in New York City, where she worked specifically with seniors and cancer survivors. In 2013, she completed their Creative Aging Training program–learning valuable information about how to work with physical and mental challenges present in some of her students. After moving to New Jersey, and teaching all ages and abilities at the Arts Council of Princeton, Barbara is enjoying her role as Outreach Program Manager. In this role, she is searching for populations of people who benefit from art instruction–but may not have the resources necessary to ensure a consistent, quality art experience. Her biggest joy is teaching ArtsExchange, the program with talented young artists from HomeFront in Trenton, NJ. Barbara is also a fine artist and illustrator, with two published picture books: RENATO AND THE LION (Viking Children’s Books, 2017) and QUINCY: The Chameleon Who Couldn’t Blend In (Little Bee Books, 2018). To see more of her work, please visit: barbaradilorenzo.com.

Maria Evans

Artistic Director

Maria Evans

mevans@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x105

Maria Evans graduated from Humboldt State University with a BA in Art and Design. Maria apprenticed with sculptor Craig Nutt while living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and attending the University of Alabama. She moved to Princeton in 1993 after her husband (a book conservator) was hired at Princeton University. Maria began her work with the Arts Council of Princeton in 1998 teaching children's ceramics classes. Maria served as ACP's Gallery Manager for four years before becoming the Community Arts Manager and now serves as the Artistic Director for the organization.

Mark Germond

Director of Operations

Mark Germond

mgermond@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x107

Mark Germond's business management background includes store design, construction management, lease negotiation, and retail operations management for Williams-Sonoma, Marimekko, Conran's, and Anthropologie. He has worked for The Arts Council of Princeton since September of 1994. His responsibilities include operations management, financial and benefits management, facilities management, and IT systems management and gallery installations. He holds a BA in English Literature and is also an accomplished woodworker.

Leah Lane

Education Coordinator

Leah Lane

(609) 924-8777 x 103 - llane@artscouncilofprinceton.org

Equally at home mixing paint colors for a children’s class or writing an e-newsletter, Leah Lane is the Arts Council of Princeton’s Education and Marketing Assistant. Leah has a B.A. in Journalism and Creative Writing from the Queensland University of Technology and has worked as a journalist, media adviser and corporate communications coordinator. A mid-career change saw her working in early years education for several years before moving with her family from Australia to Princeton.

Melissa Kuscin

Marketing/ Program Manager

Melissa Kuscin

mkuscin@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x110

Melissa Kuscin is the Program/Marketing Manager for the Arts Council of Princeton. She holds a BA in Arts Administration from Rider University and is passionate about collaborative art-making and its ability to unite and strengthen communities. Melissa is responsible for designing inclusive and accessible arts and cultural programming for the greater Princeton area’s diverse populations, from our community's Martin Luther King Jr. event to artist talks & panels, as well as booking performing artists for Communiversity ArtsFest and the long-running Summer Courtyard Concert Series. Melissa manages ACP social media, website, and print and digital advertising.

Mini Krishnan

Office Administrator

Mini Krishnan

mkrishnan@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x108

Before joining the Arts Council of Princeton as the Office Administrator, Mini Krishnan was the Executive Director of the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra (GPYO). Mini Krishnan earned her Master’s in Psychology from University of Kerala, India and a Certificate in Interior Design from New York School of Interior Design. She worked as an assistant designer at an NYC design firm before beginning her tenure at GPYO. At the Arts Council, she is responsible for volunteer management and managing the rentals of Council space for community events. Mini’s other passions include Girl Scouts (for whom she has been a troop leader for the last ten years), photography, sewing, and crafting with natural and recycled materials.

Stephanie Nazario

Financial Administrator

Stephanie Nazario

snazario@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x111

Stephanie Nazario joined the Arts Council of Princeton as Financial Administrator in July of 2009. She has over twenty years of experience in non-profit financial management including organizations such as Princeton in Africa, the Project on Ethnic Relations, and the Population Resource Center. She also worked previously as an audit field examiner for Trump Lender Services. Stephanie studied finance and computer information systems at Rider University where she received her degree in business administration.

Kathleen Preziosi

Ceramics Manager

Kathleen Preziosi

(609) 924-8777 x207

Kathleen Preziosi is head of the Ceramics Studio at the Arts Council of Princeton. She received her BA in Liberal Arts, specializing in the Studio Arts, Art History and Arts Management, from Sweet Briar College. Her work includes functional forms and explores the sculptural aspects of clay. She is in a constant state of exploration, stretching the parameters of this medium, currently throwing classic shapes and distorting them with applied assemblage.

Betsy Riley

Receptionist

Betsy Riley

Curry Simmel

Administrative Assistant

Curry Simmel

csimmel@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777

Curry Simmel grew up in Princeton, attended Princeton High and graduated from Emerson College, Boston with a BA in Communications. She began her career as a page for NBC Studios in NYC and later moved to Vermont where she worked as an advertising copywriter at WCAX-TV in Burlington. After returning to the Princeton area, Curry managed retail accounts for Lenhart USA and Gillespie Advertising agencies and Lenox China and Crystal. Curry has been an active volunteer in many community organizations, joining the Arts Council of Princeton in 2010.

Emma Stephens

Development Associate

Emma Stephens

estephens@artscouncilofprinceton.org - (609) 924-8777 x 102

Emma Stephens is a graduate of Rider University, where she received her BA in Arts Administration with a concentration on the visual arts. She has always had a love of and appreciation for the arts and theater, which put her on the path to joining the ACP team. Her experience in customer service and administration makes her an ideal fit for our Development department.

Sue Bannon

Graphic Design Consultant

Sue Bannon

Sue Bannon has been the graphic designer for the Arts Council of Princeton since 1988, as well as for many other organizations in the Princeton area. Current and past clients include Drumthwacket, The Historical Society of Princeton, Blue Curtain Concerts, Princeton Friends School, HiTOPS, McCarter Theater, NJFuture, IAS, Toshiko Takaezu Studio and Sustainable Princeton. Sue studied illustration at Parson’s School of Design and continues to draw, now primarily with digital tools. On view at sue-bannon.squarespace.com

Dan Bauer

PR Consultant

Dan Bauer

danbauerpr@gmail.com

The former Director of Public Relations at McCarter Theatre Center, Dan served as Producer for Smart Talk Connected Conversations working with a long list of distinguished speakers, including Julie Andrews, Debbie Reynolds, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Phylicia Rashad. In addition to his full-time work with American Repertory Ballet/Princeton Ballet School and his consulting work with the Arts Council of Princeton, Dan also works with Ananta Creative Group, Trenton Children's Chorus, and Cobblestone Creek Country Club.