Peoria Art Guild

Studio School Instructors

All of the instructors associated with The Peoria Art Guild Studio School are dedicated to their profession and to helping people realize their art potential and bring more meaning to their appreciation of the arts.

Liz Barnes

Liz Barnes grew up in the Peoria Area and graduated with a BSA from Illinois State University. Her focus was in art education, art history and glass art. After graduation she moved to the Chicago area and attended glass blowing workshops through the Art Institute of Chicago, directed an after-school art program for at-risk students in the Elgin area, taught K-8 art in a private school, and was certified as a PMC artisan by the Precious Metal Clay Guild. Liz currently resides in Peoria.

Ann Conver

Ann Conver completed her undergraduate studies at Saint Mary College in Leavenworth, Kansas and in 1991 received her MFA from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Ann shoots and prints digital photographs, traditional black-and-white, color and transparency films and her style can be defined as journalistic or fine art. Ann has 33 years of experience working as administrator and teacher in varied educational settings and teaches all levels of photography. Currently Ann serves as the manager for Harp & Thistle Imports of Peoria Heights.

Randi Graham

Randi Graham, a native of Canton, Illinois, recently graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts with primary focus in Drawing, Painting & Printmaking. During Randi's four-year stay in Chicago, much of her spare time was spent volunteering. She participated in a Community Outreach Project called “Art in the Hood” at Lincoln Park Community Center developing creative activities for homeless residents, including storytelling, illustration, & performative activities. Randi also spent weekends at The Little City Foundation in Palatine, Illinois where she assisted mentally delayed youth in creative art making. She is currently applying to graduate schools while working at The Peoria Art Guild in Visitor Services.

Doug Goessman

Doug Goessman is a native of the city of Chicago, Illinois. He attended Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois where he received his degree in Art with an emphasis in Printmaking. He began his career as an artist and graphic designer in Chicago before moving to the Peoria area. Doug has been recognized as one of Chicago’s Top Emerging Artists and was listed by various sources as an “artist to watch.” His work is regularly exhibited and represented by galleries in Chicago and Bloomington, Illinois, England, and Germany. Doug’s artwork can be found in several private collections and in the permanent collections of galleries, libraries and school.

Jacob Grant

Jacob Grant was born and raised in rural central Illinois. He became interested in the arts while in junior high school, but it wasn’t until attending college at Eastern Illinois University that he discovered his passion for ceramics. Jacob has made and sold pottery since 2000 and in 2003 started his own business, The Potter’s House. In 2008, Jacob earned an MFA degree from Bradley University and in addition to working as an independent artist, works part-time as the Education Assistant for The Peoria Art Guild. Jacob’s pottery is available for purchase in The Peoria Art Guild’s gallery store and the Illinois Artisans Gallery in Rend Lake, Illinois.

	Susie Matthews
	Susie Mathews grew up in a small town south of Springfield and has lived and taught all over Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida and Iowa. She moved back to this area of Illinois in the late 1990s and began taking college courses at Spoon River College. Susie received her BFA in studio arts with a concentration in ceramics from Bradley University in 2002. She has been affiliated with The Peoria Art Guild since 1999, first teaching, then serving in the capacity of Director of Education and now back to teaching. It has been her pleasure to serve ArtReach, PAG Outreach, Community hART, Kids Fine Art Festival, ArtSmart and The Peoria Art Guild's Studio School.

	Jeff McSweeney
	Jeff McSweeney grew up in Washington, Illinois and attended Eureka College where he graduated with a Communications Degree in 1987. In 1991 Jeff earned and MFA in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. Over the years Jeff has worked as a staff photographer for a daily newspaper and convention center management for five years. In 2001 Jeff returned to central Illinois where and worked in Alumni Relations at Eureka College. In 2005 Jeff launched his own company, Jeff McSweeney Creative Services. Jeff McSweeney currently resides in Eureka with his wife, Mary, and their two children, Cameron and Quincy.

Jerry McNeil

Jerry McNeil is a clay artist specializing in wheel-thrown stoneware pottery. Jerry studied pottery with Marlene Miller at Illinois Central College. By 1981 Jerry had acquired his first potter’s wheel and a small, used kiln and spent the next several years working part-time in basements and garages as he focused on technique, form and the endless trials of high fired glaze development. In 1997 Jerry went professional and by 2001 he acquired new studio space, which allowed him to expand his offerings to include porcelain and raku. Jerry continues to produce and exhibit his work while partnering with local organizations and teaching at The Peoria Art Guild to promote the arts within the community. Jerry’s pottery can be purchased through his studio, McNeil’s Pottery on Walnut Street, and at The Peoria Art Guild’s gallery store.

	Jen Pizzuti
	Jennifer Pizzuti is a Graduate of the Bradley University Art department. She earned her BFA in 2004 with a concentration is painting. Jen is currently teaching painting classes for all ages at the PAG. She is also the scenic artist at Illinois Central College’s Performing Arts Center. Jen enjoys volunteering as the chapter advisor for Bradley University’s chapter of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. She is extremely happy about being able to share her knowledge and love for art at The Guild. Her hopes are to continue to spread ideas of expression, color, and pure enjoyment with a canvas, brush and an open mind.

	Erin Robert
	Erin Robert is a freelance collage artist who received her AFA in Illustration in 1999 from Delaware College of Art and Design in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1999 Erin moved to Waterloo, Iowa and in 2002 was offered her first solo show by The Waterloo Center for the Arts. Erin’s work has been used as the cover art for albums and has served as the inspiration for a group of poems published in a book titled “Spirit Fire” and her artwork was used for the book’s cover. Erin has volunteered as a visiting artist to elementary, alternative and high schools in both Iowa and Illinois and served as the Arts and Crafts Director for two consecutive years at Camp Walden, a co-ed summer camp for children ages 7 – 15, in Cheboygan, Michigan. Erin has exhibited her work in Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and England and her work is included in many private collections across the country. Erin Robert currently serves as the Education Coordinator for The Peoria Art Guild.

Ken Tiessen

Ken Tiessen has been drawing and painting since he was a child. After a successful career in illustration for 25 years, Ken is now turning toward a new emphasis in landscapes, nature, and people offering him new creative directions in the Fine
Arts. Ken recently returned from a two-week plein-air painting trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado and the Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with new work. In addition to a BFA degree with Honors from Art Center College of Design Pasadena, Ken has taken impressionist oil workshops with Dan McCaw, and portrait classes with Richard Schmid and some of Ken’s strong creative influences include John Singer Sargent, Nicolai Fechin, and Joaquin Sorrolla. His website is www.kentiessenart.com.

David Vernon

David Vernon first picked up a camera at the age of eight. He was distracted for a time, earning an undergraduate degree in Statistics and Economics at the University of Wyoming and a Masters Degree in Computer Science from Bradley University before designing software for Caterpillar for 12 years. In 2006 he joined the Commercial Photography team at Caterpillar which allows him to travel around the world photographing Caterpillar people, machines, and the places they meet. He founded eScapesPhoto.com in 2005 to share his love of landscape photography. David is thankful for the Art Guild's Education program which served as a primary motivator a few years ago in helping him focus on doing the right things with his life.

Maggie Weber

Maggie Weber recently graduated from Bradley University with a degree in ceramics and elementary education. Maggie has been teaching children’s art classes at The Peoria Art Guild for over a year including Kids 2D Design and Kids Clayworks; she has also assisted with a variety of workshops. Maggie’s favorite aspect about creating art is exploring new ideas. She thinks art should be an enjoyable activity and strives to structure her classes to facilitate this.

Tracey Frugoli - http://traceyfrugoli.com

Born in 1966 in Chicago, oil painter Tracey Frugoli earned a BFA with an emphasis in Metals from ISU, and a MA in Art Therapy from SIUE. After 11 years as an art therapist and numerous professional painting workshops, she turned to painting full time. Inspired by light and beauty, Frugoli most identifies with the American Impressionists. She is unapologetic in eschewing novelty and shock in favor of authenticity, and views the painting process as a humbling endeavor that seeks to reflect and thereby enhance the most noble of our ideals. Frugoli has won many awards including 1st Place in the 2006 Havre de Grace Plein Air in MD; 1st Place in the 2005 Plein Air Easton Quick Draw; Best Architectural Painting in the 2005 Plein Air Easton; and Museum Purchase Award in the 2007 Plein Air Easton in MD. In 2008 she won the coveted Best of Show at the Art Fair at Junction City, Peoria, IL. She has exhibited throughout the country and was accepted into Greenhouse Gallery’s Salon International in 2005, 2006, and 2009 in San Antonio, TX. Two of her paintings were selected for the permanent collection at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD. Her work hangs in numerous private collections and appeared in the February 2004 American Artist and May 2005 Plein Air Magazine. She has freelanced for Workshop magazine and is the current Illinois/Midwest Regional Editor for Fine Art Connoisseur.