Our Team

Ashley Cottrell, Studio Manager

Ashley has her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Kent State University and is currently attending Ursuline College earning her Masters in Counseling and Art Therapy. Ashley has always been interested in the connection between art and mental health because art has been a powerful tool for me personally in times of stress. The media I gravitate towards tends be acrylic painting, pencil drawing, and a little bit of digital art.

Mellissa Redman, MFA, Instructor

Mellissa earned her Masters in Painting from Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University and a Bachelors in Painting and Drawing from The University of Akron. She is presently the Art Specialist at the Shaw JCC of Akron’s Camp JCC and the visual art coordinator for Akron’s 2017 High Arts Festival. During the 2015-16 school year Mellissa was a featured artist in the Midwest Artist Studios ProjectTM. Watercolor is her favorite medium to work with and her paintings tend to include drawing, serigraphy and collage.

Sara Eversole, MA, Instructor

Sara has her Bachelor's degree in Fine Art with a focus in painting and art history and has earned her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction for Art Education from the University of Akron. Sara is also a middle school art teacher. Although she enjoys learning about, making, and teaching art of all kinds, she is especially passionate about oil painting, multicultural art, and figure drawing.

Samuel Hoskins, Instructor

Samuel is one of our studio assistants and instructors. He studied art at East Tennessee State University and has a background in teaching K-12 students. He has been a freelance artist for over 10 years. Samuel’s primary art mediums are mix-media/watercolor and digital art.

Brian Bakos, Studio Assistant/Instructor

Brian is a seasoned freelance artist with over 25 years of experience, primarily honing his craft through self-directed learning. His artistic journey has led to his works being featured in numerous local exhibitions and galleries, as well as displayed publicly and in corporate settings. Throughout his career, Brian has cultivated a distinctive voice within the art community, earning recognition for his ability to engage viewers through vibrant colors and intricate details.

Melih Meric, Studio Assistant/Instructor

(b.1998, Istanbul/Turkey) is a printmaker and educator. They explore a spiritual journey through Islamic geometric abstraction. Using printmaking as their main medium, they create works that talk about diaspora, assimilation and a combination of Middle Eastern traditional practices. Their works combine traditional pattern making and a contemporary way of creating editions of prints. With a passion for pattern and paper, they use innovative methods of printmaking and textile arts to create stitched editions and embossed works on paper.

They received their MFA in Print Media from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and BA from Bennington College in Printmaking. Their works have been exhibited in Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Vermont, Texas and internationally in Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Austria, Australia and Turkey.

Emzi Alander, Studio Assistant

I am a passionate student of art education and painting, deeply engaged with all forms of artistic expression. I am currently earning my degree is art education from Kent State. I thrive in a collaborative studio environment where I can connect with fellow creatives who share my enthusiasm for art. Together, we explore diverse mediums and inspire each other to push the boundaries of our creativity.