Arts & Design

Arts & Design

Department Overview

Have you always pictured yourself shining on stage? Fine-tune your raw talent with a conservatory-based education at RVCC. Students of our Arts & Design Program create vivid visual portfolios and winning audition pieces. With these assets, they move on to some of the country’s top arts performing programs and go on succeed in talent-based careers. Our graduates have continued their education at such prestigious schools as UCLA, NYU, Parsons School of Design and Berklee College of Music. Our prime location just an hour outside both New York City and Philadelphia gives us access to teaching artists with coveted experience in the field.

Turn your passion into a career with a Arts and Design education at RVCC.
 

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Where Talent and Education Thrive
RVCC’s Arts and Design department cultivates top-notch talent in an academically rigorous environment. Embrace a creative and challenging education among a community of likeminded peers.a

Bio

Instructor

Academic Degrees Achieved: M.L.I.S., School of Communication, Information & Library Science, Rutgers University, B.A., Rutgers University

Programming Consultant, The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, NEH Grant PW-50002-08. Researcher & Manuscript Digitization, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation and Commentary, NEH Grant RQ-50649-12

Area of Expertise
General Computing, Aramaic Studies, Multimedia Production, Web Development, Database Design, Digitization & Archiving
Email
Bio

Associate Professor

Academic Degrees Achieved: M.A., Columbia University; B.S., Gordon College
         
Virtual reality spaces for data visualization Global Game Jam - Regional Coordinator (US) Global Game Jam - Site Organizer

Area of Expertise
Game Development, Multimedia, Web
Email
Bio

Director of Dance
Professor

Academic Degrees Achieved:
M.F.A., The Ohio State University; B.A., The College of the Holy Cross

Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission grant, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 2015; Artists Fellowship Award in Choreography, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 2011; The National Conference for Community and Justice Best Practices Award  - Best of Branchburg honoree, Branchburg Rotary Club, 2011;  Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission grant, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 2005; Puffin Foundation Arts Grant, 2002, 2005; Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission Grant, New Jersey State Council on the Arts,  1993 - 1996, 2001 – 2003; Burlington County Cultural and Heritage Department Grant, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 1998, 1999; New York Foundation for the Arts Grant, 1992; Artists-in-Education Grant, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, ongoing - New Jersey Teacher Dual Certification in Theater and Vocational Arts/Dance

Area of Expertise
Dance
Email
Bio

Coordinator Visual Design
Instructor

Academic Degrees Achieved: M.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art; B.A.,Stockton University

Gold Dragon Studios; Game Design Founding Partner, Creative Director and Content Designer - Greenman Creative; Designer and Creative Consultant - Aspect Arts;  Direction and promotion/branding of all projects including media, design photography, and music.

Area of Expertise
Visual Design, Media
Email
Bio

Assistant Professor

Academic Degrees Achieved:  Doctor of Musical Arts, Piano Performance, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; Master of Music in Piano Performance, University of Minnesota; Master of Music and Bachelor’s Degrees in Piano Performance, Collaborative Piano, Chamber Music & Piano Pedagogy, Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, Russia

Area of Expertise
Music
Email
Bio

Instructor-Arts and Design

Academic Degrees Achieved: B.F.A. Rhode Island School of Design, RI
M.F.A. Montclair State University, NJ

•    Long Island Arts Council grant for Freeport public library mural
•    Artist in residence, AIR-Y, Kofu City, Yamanashi, Japan
•    Artist in residence, Marpha Foundation, Marpha, Nepal
•    Civil Society Fellowship, Artist-In-Residency, Vermont Studio Center

Area of Expertise
Foundation courses and Painting
Email
Bio

Assistant Professor of Art - 3D Design and Sculpture

Academic Degrees Achieved: M.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design; B.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
 

Area of Expertise
3D Design and Sculpture Curriculum and Facility within Art and Design Department.
Email
Bio

Art Gallery Coordinator
Associate Professor - Graphic Design & Foundations

Academic Degrees Achieved: M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art; B.F.A., Hartford Art School / Glasgow School of Art

2015-16 RVCC Full-Time Faculty Research Grant; 2015 Residency: NES Artist Residency, Skagaströnd, Iceland; 2013 Puffin Foundation Ltd. Individual Artist Grant; 2012 Residency: The Solo(s) Project House, Newark, NJ; 2011 NJ State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Grant (top award / painting); 2011 Residency: Salzburg Künstlerhaus, Salzburg, Austria; 2010 Residency: The Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT; 2010 Residency: Chashama North, Pine Plains, NY; 2009 Residency: Virginia Center for the Creative Arts at Mt. San Angelo, Amherst, VA; 2008 Fellowship / Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in conjunction w/ The Millay Colony for the Arts; 2008 Residency: The Millay Colony for the Arts, Austerlitz, NY; 2007 Residency: Artists’ Enclave at I-Park, East Haddam, CT; 2006 Residency: Cooper Union School of Art - Drawing & Painting Residency, New York, NY

Area of Expertise
Graphic Design & Foundations
Email
Bio

Professor

Academic Degrees Achieved:
M.A., B.A., Madras University; M.A., Temple University; A.B.D., Freie Universitaet

Scholarships :  Assistantship, Freie Universitaet, Berlin, Germany. Graduate Exchange Student Scholarship, Temple University, Philadelphia. Graduate Scholarship for Study in Italy, Temple University. Graduate Assistantships in Art History, Temple University. Graduate Merit Scholarship, Madras University, Chennai India.  Research Interests: Literature and the Arts in the cultures of Asia- especially East and South Asia Origins and History of Mother Goddess Imagery- in the East and West Development of the Temple of the Goddess in South Indian Temple Complexes

Area of Expertise
Italian Renaissance & Baroque Art, South & Southeast Asian Art History, East Asian Art History
Email
Bio

Professor - Theatre

Academic Degrees Achieved: M.F.A., The New School for Drama

Lifetime Membership/The Actors Studio (NY,NY); Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Fellowship Recipient for Playwriting; New Jersey Playwrights Competition - Winner (William Paterson University); Actors Equity Member; Member of the Dramatists Guild

Area of Expertise
Theatre (Acting/Playwriting)
Email
Bio

Professor - Music

Academic Degrees Achieved: D.M.A.,
M.M.A., Yale School of Music;  M.A., Columbia University; B.A., Princeton University

Works featured on a New York Philharmonic Chamber Ensembles Concerts, 2006, 2013 2016; New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship in music composition, 2014; Compositions and orchestrations featured on recordings from CD Baby, Musicians Showcase, Naxos, Centaur, Opus One and Newport Classic; Sonata for Solo Violin premiered 2010 in Mendoza, Argentina; Francesca da Bimini commissioned and premiered in the Kennedy Center by the National Symphony Orchestra, 2003

Area of Expertise
Music, Composition
Email
Bio

Associate Professor - Interior Design

Academic Degrees Achieved:
M.S., Drexel University; B.F.A., University of Hartford

Area of Expertise
Design & Visualization of Interior Architecture, Spatial Design of Learning Spaces, Visualization Technology of Interior Architecture
Email

Raritan Valley Community College online courses, as well as face-to-face classes, are taught by accomplished adjunct and full-time faculty.

James Adkins  James.adkins@raritanval.edu
B.F.A., Sculpture, Maryland Institute, College of Art
M.F.A., Sculpture, New York Academy of Art

Joanna Andriopoulos-Holusha Joanna.andriopoulos-holusha@raritanval.edu
B.F.A., Dance, Montclair State University
M.A., Dance and Dance Education - Teaching Dance in Higher Education, New York

UniversityEric W. Araujo    Eric.Araujo@raritanval.edu    
M.F.A., San Francisco Art Institute

Marissa Aucoin  Marissa.aucoin@raritanval.edu
B.F.E., Montclair State University
M.A., SUNY College Brockport

Larry Barbee    lbarbee@raritanval.edu    
B.M., B.A., Berklee College of Music

Lynn Barnes (Lydia Grey) Lynn.Barnes@raritanval.edu
BFA, MFA, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Danielle Barry    Danielle.Barry@raritanval.edu
B.A., Western Maryland College
B.A., McDaniel College

Stephanie Beauchamp  Stephanie.beauchamp@raritanval.edu
B.F.E., University of Texas Austin
M.F.A., Texas Womans University

Lisa Deo  Lisa.deo@raritanval.edu
B.A., Kean University
M.F.A.,Eugene Lang College

Robert Di Matteo
     Robert.DiMatteo@raritanval.edu    
M.F.A., Yale University School of Art

Michael Eckhart     Michael.Eckhart@raritanval.edu    
B.M., Northern Arizona University
M.M., San Diego State University – California State University

Colin Edgington Colin.Edgington@raritanval.edu    
B.A.F.A., The University of New Mexico
M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Kimani Fowlin  Kimani.fowlin@raritanval.edu
M.A., Sarah Lawrence College
M.F.A., University of Wisconsin

Andrea Freiwald Andrea.Freiwald@raritanval.edu
A.A., Middlesex County College
B.A., Montclair State College
M.F.A., Pratt Institute

Barbara A. Friedman Barbara.Friedman@raritanval.edu    
B.F.A., Parsons, The New School for Design
M.F.A., William Paterson University

Michael Gradin Michael.gradin@raritanval.edu
B.A., Rutgers University

Barbara Greenspan  Barbara.greenspan@raritanval.edu
B.A., University of California
M.A., New York University

Lisa Grimes  Lisa.grimes@raritanval.edu
B.F.E., Montclair State University

Kristen Hagen  Kristen.hagen@raritanval.edu
B.A., New Jersey Institute of Technology

Steve Hudson     Stephen.Hudson@raritanval.edu    
M.M., Manhattan School of Music

Lees Hummel     Lees.Hummel@raritanval.edu   
B.F.A., M.F.A., New York University, Tisch School of the Arts

Randy James  Randy.james@raritanval.edu

Kathleen Kececi  Kathleen.kececi@raritanval.edu
M.Ed., Dance & Dance Education, Teachers College Columbia University

Heejung Kim     Heejung.Kim@raritanval.edu
M.F.A., State University of New York at Stony Brook

Ji Yong Kim     Ji.Kim@raritanval.edu    
B.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design
M.F.A., Montclair State University

John Loehrke    jloehrke@raritanval.edu    
B.M.E., University of Michigan

Bill Macholdt     William.Macholdt@raritanval.edu    
B.S., East Stroudsburg University
M.F.A., Bennington College

David Marcinkowski David.marcinkowski@raritanval.edu
B.A., Kean University
M.A., New School Joffrey Program

Jeffrey Mason     Jeffrey.mason@raritanval.edu    
B.A., Bob Jones University,
M.F.A. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Margaret Nelson Margaret.nelson@raritanval.edu    
B.M., Montclair State University
M.M., Westminster Choir College

Dot Paolo     Dorothy.Paolo@raritanval.edu    
M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Dawn Paruta  Dawn.paruta@raritanval.edu
B.F.E., Kean University

Bani Ray  Bani.ray@raritanval.edu
B.S., Biology, Delhi University

Candace Reilly  Candace.reilly@raritanval.edu
B.A., Drew University

John Reinking III     John.Reinking@raritanval.edu    
M.F.A., Marywood University

Jonathan Ricci     Jonathan.Ricci@raritanval.edu    
B.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art
M.F.A., Bowling Green State University
M.A., Eastern Illinois University

Sarah Roche     Sarah.Roche@raritanval.edu    
B.F.A., Moore College of Art and Design
M.F.A., University of Pennsylvania

Kathy Schulz     Kathleen.Schulz@raritanval.edu   
B.F.A., State University of New York
M.F.A., University of Massachusetts

Paulette Sears Paulette.sears@raritanval.edu
B.A., English, Vassar College
M.A., Mills College

Wes Sherman    James.Sherman@raritanval.edu   
B.S., Lipscomb University
M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Lynn Sichel  Lynn.sichel@raritanval.edu
B.M.U.S., Antioch University
M.A., Sarah Lawrence College

Valerie Sivilli    Valerie.Sivilli@raritanval.edu   
B.F.A., Alfred University
M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Wes Sherman    James.Sherman@raritanval.edu   
B.S., Lipscomb University
M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Cynthia Teeters     Cynthia.Teeters@raritanval.edu
M.S. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
B.S. University of California, Los Angeles

San Timur Solu    San.Solu@raritanval.edu    
B.A., Kean University, English Certificate, Oxford University
M.PHIL., Rutgers University

Michael Stuempfle     Michael.Stuempfle@raritanval.edu    
B.M., M.M., Indiana State University

Eldad Tarmu  Eldad.tarmu@raritanval.edu
M.A., Stony Brook University

Laura Transue  Laura.transue@raritanval.edu
B.F.E., University of Delaware; M.S., Drexel University


Whether your major is dance, theatre, music or art, there are opportunities throughout the year to showcase your talents and accomplishments including:

  • Student Art Shows
  • Student Theatre Performances
  • Student Dance Recitals
  • Student Music Recitals
  • RVCC Chorale
  • RVCC Jazz Ensemble

For a complete listing of VAPA events, click here.

Somerset County 2019 Excellence in the Arts Awards Ceremony

Contact Information
shartzell@raritanval.edu
908-218-8876

 

Taking online community college classes offers you the flexibility and convenience to fit college into your schedule. You have an opportunity to interact with instructors and fellow students online. RVCC offers special online course orientations to help you to prepare for studying virtually and to show you how to make the most of the educational experience.

Latest News From Campus

Blog Don’t Miss RVCC’s Career Nights this Spring! Posted Monday, March 13, 2023
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Link to Don’t Miss RVCC’s Career Nights this Spring!
News Releases Students Participate in Dance Conference; Student’s Piece Selected for Gala, Chosen as Alternate for National Concert Posted Thursday, March 9, 2023
Read More
Link to Students Participate in Dance Conference; Student’s Piece Selected for Gala, Chosen as Alternate for National Concert
Blog Learn About the Honors College at RVCC Posted Wednesday, March 1, 2023
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Link to Learn About the Honors College at RVCC