FOUNDER

Alexis Rosasco is a Visual Artist best known for her whimsical illustrations, vibrant acrylic paintings, and photography. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from Tufts University and is a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Alexis has acted as a mentor and coach for young artists from the North Adams community for nearly a decade.

Pictured: Brain by Alexis Rosasco

PROFESSOR

William Oberst holds an MFA in painting from Stony Brook University and a Ph.D in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University. He taught painting and drawing in the Stony Brook Art Department for over a decade, as well as courses in the history of ideas for the university's Honors College. Selected as one of Today's Masters by Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, his paintings are in collections in Italy, Canada, and the United States. He maintains a studio-residence in downtown North Adams, MA, where he continues his art practice and research in the foundations of representational art.

Pictured: Mill Boy by William Oberst

INSTRUCTOR

CJ Field is a talented musician with a unique voice and impressive songwriting abilities. He was nominated for Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards. After moving to Nashville in 2011, he quickly established himself as a sought-after songwriter, working with Ashley McBryde and other notable musicians. He co-wrote the song “Home Sweet Highway” with Ashley and Blue Foley, which was included in Ashley’s Grammy, ACM, and CMA-nominated album “Girl Going Nowhere”. As a multi-instrumentalist, CJ not only writes and sings, but composes, plays and produces the majority of is own material, inlcuding his Apologies EP that was released in 2017. Most recently, he teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer, Eric Torres, to release his latest singles “Good Day” and “Bad Decisions” in 2022 and now splits his time between Massachusetts and Nashville.

Photo Credit: Tony Sarria

INSTRUCTOR

Lama Tashi Norbu is a Buddhist monk and multidisciplinary artist whose work investigates the spiritual journey of the human being, our connection with nature and the challenges of modern life. Of Tibetan heritage and born in Bhutan, Tashi grew up in Dharamsala, India. His childhood was spent in Tibetan monastic schools living with Buddhist rituals and where he studied at the Institute of Tibetan Works and Archives/Traditional Thangka Painting. His name, Tashi Norbu, was given to him by Namkhai Nyingpo Rinpoche, considered one of the legendary and sacred Sky Dancers of Tibet. Among many other achievements, Lama Tashi was a Thangka painter under the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He studied at the Academy of Visual Arts of Saint Luke in Ghent, Belgium, and is the founder of the only registered Tibetan Museum in the world, The Museum of Contemporary Tibetan Art based in Emmen, Netherlands. His work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums such as 20th Anniversary, Trace Foundation in colaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Art With Me Festival Miami, Florida Museum and Gandhi Museum Bihar/India, among others.

Credit: Lama Tashi Norbu

Meg Kemble (they/them), is a New England actor and teaching artist specializing in Shakespeare and classical works. Beginning with their work with friend and mentor Gary Meitrott, Meg has studied and performed Shakespeare's work for over a decade. They hold the writing and rhythms of the bard very dear to their heart, both as an artist and individual. They have trained with Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA), the Prague Shakespeare Company, and were a returning member of the Shakespeare on Main Street company of Vermont for many years. Meg approaches their teaching work with a reverence for Shakespeare’s original text and its profound inhabitance of the physical and spiritual body, with an emphasis on accessibility for actors and artists of all skill levels.