Kim Creighton - Founding Director - Visual Artist
Kim Creighton was on a mission.
A member of the North Philadelphia community since 1989, she had come to realize that the youth in her area lacked opportunities for productive extracurricular activities and creative outlets.
Kim had a bold solution. An accomplished mosaic and metal artist, she decided she would found and direct a community arts center, where both children and adults could learn to tap into their innate creative energies.
In 2007, she landed on a old canvas factory in Port Richmond on the corner of Lehigh and Belgrade. From there, turning the building into the dynamic place it is now was an uphill battle. Creighton devoted her full resources to the project and also left a successful career in sales at United Packaging and Shipping in order to pursue her dream. For over 12 years at United Packaging Supply, Kim successfully identified major accounts and prospects, which she had ultimately sold and maintained. Ms. Creighton’s professional and educational experience lay the groundwork for her excellent managerial skills and her ability to lead the Portside Arts Center and the development of their programs.
Ms. Creighton has received art instruction at Fleischer Memorial, Cheltenham Arts Center and privately with well-known Artist, Mary Zaccarian. Kim founded and taught the Mosaics Hands On class at the Portside for seven years before passing the torch. Kim has a unique artistic style, which is based largely on geometric shapes and simple objects. She also enjoys working with several different materials such as metals, glass, tile, wood and paints. In turn, out comes beautiful and breath-taking sculptures, mosaics, floor and wall mirrors. Kim also likes to use found and recycled objects some of which are permanently installed at the Portside.
With her background for business and love for the arts, Ms. Creighton has dedicated her life to running the Portside Arts Center and seeing it become a cornerstone to the community.
A member of the North Philadelphia community since 1989, she had come to realize that the youth in her area lacked opportunities for productive extracurricular activities and creative outlets.
Kim had a bold solution. An accomplished mosaic and metal artist, she decided she would found and direct a community arts center, where both children and adults could learn to tap into their innate creative energies.
In 2007, she landed on a old canvas factory in Port Richmond on the corner of Lehigh and Belgrade. From there, turning the building into the dynamic place it is now was an uphill battle. Creighton devoted her full resources to the project and also left a successful career in sales at United Packaging and Shipping in order to pursue her dream. For over 12 years at United Packaging Supply, Kim successfully identified major accounts and prospects, which she had ultimately sold and maintained. Ms. Creighton’s professional and educational experience lay the groundwork for her excellent managerial skills and her ability to lead the Portside Arts Center and the development of their programs.
Ms. Creighton has received art instruction at Fleischer Memorial, Cheltenham Arts Center and privately with well-known Artist, Mary Zaccarian. Kim founded and taught the Mosaics Hands On class at the Portside for seven years before passing the torch. Kim has a unique artistic style, which is based largely on geometric shapes and simple objects. She also enjoys working with several different materials such as metals, glass, tile, wood and paints. In turn, out comes beautiful and breath-taking sculptures, mosaics, floor and wall mirrors. Kim also likes to use found and recycled objects some of which are permanently installed at the Portside.
With her background for business and love for the arts, Ms. Creighton has dedicated her life to running the Portside Arts Center and seeing it become a cornerstone to the community.
Sarah Damiano - Education Director - Visual Artist
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Sarah holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) and a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). She is a Pennsylvania certified art teacher and has worked with children 3-18 in classroom and after school settings. As an artist she works mostly in drawing and printmaking mediums. www.sarahdamiano.com |
Claudia Bokulich - Studio Manager @Cherry Street Pier, Studio #5
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Claudia Bokulich received her BFA in Painting from Tyler School of Art in 2015. Claudia began with Portside in 2019 as Marketing & Operations Coordinator, and in 2021 changed her focus to enhancing Portside's programming at their Cherry Street Pier studio, as Portside's Studio & Programming Manager. Claudia coordinates Portside's monthly Resident Artists, maintains the studio space, and oversees kids & adult classes at Cherry Street Pier. Claudia is also an active artist, and her work consists of figurative drawings and oil paintings. |
Laura Anne VanDruff - Marketing & Enrollment Manager
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Laura is a recent transplant to Philadelphia from New Orleans, where she worked at the New Orleans Public lLibrary as a specialist in Children's Services. There she planned interactive story times for preschoolers and designed original children's programming. She is a lifelong artist in various disciplines including theater, music, and visual arts. She is also a passionate professional photographer who loves capturing images of children and families. With more than a decade of experience in nonprofit arts administration, Laura is excited to contribute her knowledge and experience to Portside. |
Rachel Nevins - Minnows Lead Teacher
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Rachel Nevins is the Lead Minnows Teacher at Portside Arts Center. Since 2014, Rachel has been an assistant teacher for the sharks and minnows during our summer camp and after school programs. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Childhood Studies from Stockton University. Rachel has a passion for learning about children’s interactions and what goes on in their minds. Her studies help her guide her students in their creative endeavors.
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Rebekah Wilcox - Development Manager & Pirates Lead Teacher (Drama)
Rebekah has a Master of Arts degree in Urban Studies with a concentration in
Community Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Communications. Rebekah is the
Director of Education at Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre and has been working in
arts non profits for more than 20 years. Rebekah joined Portside three years ago as a
board member. Rebekah is also a parent of one of our students.
Zoe Dixon - Pirates Lead Teacher (Visual Arts)
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Kerry Ryan - Sharks Lead Teacher
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Kerry holds a Bachelor’s in Art and a minor in Psychology, and is currently pursuing a Masters in teaching. She has worked in education and social work settings for several years, and has a passion for teaching and a love of art. She's a mixed media artist with a special interest in watercolor.
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Tate Vanderpoel - Sharks Lead Teacher & Assistant Teacher
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Tate is a graduate of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. They started at Portside as a volunteer summer camp counselor. They were first promoted to Assistant, and now they are also Lead Teacher for the Sharks two days a week! Tate is a multidisciplinary artist with experience assisting middle school digital art classes. https://tatevanderpoel.tumblr.com |
Chris Windle - ASAP Assistant Teacher - Adult Figure Drawing Teacher
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Chris Windle is a practicing artist and community mentor. Chris attended the Tyler School or Art where he studied painting and worked several years as a studio assistant for local sculptor Zenos Frudakis. Chris served as a Rec Leader in the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation for 13 years before retiring in May 2018. |
Armony Colon - Assistant Teacher
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Armony is the newest member of Portside's staff. She graduated with a Bachelors in Arts from LaSalle University in 2020, and loves working with acrylic paints and creating fun craft projects. Armony enjoys working with children because they inspire her and she is constantly looking for ways to nurture their creative instincts. |
John Price - Teaching Artist -- Upholstery
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John has over 35 years of experience with upholstery. Before going out on his own, John worked for Regent Upholstery in Old City, Philadelphia under, Isreal Kurman for 20 years. Now John has established his own Upholstery shop in Philadelphia where he specializes in bringing old furniture back to life. Aside from refurbishing the old, Mr. Price can build beautiful custom pieces from scratch. John will work with you to create your own design from the first stitch to the last staple! He can bring furniture back from the heap next to the hearth. www.JohnPriceUpholstery.com
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Rebecca Schedl - Teaching Artist
Johanna Guilfoyle - Teaching Artist
Phylicia Hodges - Teaching Artist
Phylicia is a visual artist and art educator, born and raised in West Philadelphia, and has devoted well over a decade to facilitating meaningful art experiences with organizations across the city - most notably Mural Arts Philadelphia. She is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont with a Bachelors of Science in Art Education and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. Her practice as an artist is expansive and encompasses graphite drawing, painting, multi-media sculpture, and ceramics. Phylicia recently returned to the classroom as K-12 Specialist I at the Barnes Foundation. Instagram: @phodgesart
PORTSIDE'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Hunter Berry - Board President
Mr. Berry is a Reporting Analyst for the Please Touch Museum. Hunter has furthered the Portside’s mission by dedicating his time coordinating fundraising events, giving financial guidance, and building partnerships with local businesses and community groups. Hunter has been an active board member since 2010.
Luca Bernabei - Board Member
Luca first came to the Portside Arts Center as a volunteer for the After-School Arts Program. Luca holds a Bachelors degree in biology from Ursinus College and a Masters Degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. After earning his Masters degree, he worked as a technical consultant for an environmental firm in NJ. Since 2016 he has been working in clinical research for the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine helping develop new treatments for blood cancers. Luca has lived in the Philadelphia metropolitan area for over 10 years and has developed a strong connection with the city. Volunteering for Portside is a way that Luca can give back to the city he has called home for many years.
Claire Pavlica - Board Member
Claire Pavlica studied art history and studio art at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut before moving to Philadelphia in 1995. A member of the curatorial team at the National Museum of American Jewish History for over twenty years, Claire especially enjoys working with students and interns and has taught museum collections management graduate courses. Claire has been a Portside parent for five years and joined the board in 2018.
Jenna Wilchinsky - Board Member
Jenna is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Art's four year certificate program in the Fine Arts; and, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Jenna worked at the Portside from January 2010 until May 2019 and continues to serve on it's board. Jenna received her Masters in Arts Administration from Drexel University.
Jean Murray - Board Member
Since 2012, Jean has had the pleasure of teaching and developing programs at the Portside. At the Portside Jean teaches inbound and outbound after-school arts programs as well as their full-day summer arts camp. Jean has taught craft classes for children and adults for over 10 years and has worked with teens in therapeutic painting class. Jean's always encourages her students to talk about what they have made and how they feel while they are creating art. When Jean is not teaching others she is working in her artist studio located in Bridesburg Philadelphia. She is an abstract painter, paper and paper collage artist.
Rebekah Wilcox - Board Member
Rebekah has been a member of our board since 2019. She has a Master of Arts degree in Urban Studies with a concentration in Community Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Communications. Rebekah is the Director of Education at Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre and has been working in arts nonprofits for more than 20 years. In addition to serving on Portside's board, Rebekah is also a dedicated drama teacher in our ASAP classroom and a parent of one of our students.
Rebekah has been a member of our board since 2019. She has a Master of Arts degree in Urban Studies with a concentration in Community Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Communications. Rebekah is the Director of Education at Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre and has been working in arts nonprofits for more than 20 years. In addition to serving on Portside's board, Rebekah is also a dedicated drama teacher in our ASAP classroom and a parent of one of our students.
