Faculty Artists

Paula Boyajian • Yoga Instructor

Paula has been teaching yoga to people with disabilities, at-risk children, and those with serious illnesses since 2000. She is delighted to have worked with CATA since 2004 and especially grateful for the organization’s partnership in creating “Yogability,” an easy-to-follow yoga DVD for people with special needs and mobility issues. Paula is the recipient of The Rachel Greene Grant to teach at Berkshire County Chapter One Schools, The Frank Iovieno Caring for Children Grant to bring yoga to BayState Children’s Hospital and a grant from Kripalu to teach abused women and their children at Berkshire County Kids’ Place. Paula has also served on the palliative care team at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children (NYC) and the Sunshine Rehab Center and Hospital (Ossining, NY). She has also taught at United Cerebral Palsy, Head Start, Berkshire Family & Individual Resources, Northern Berkshire Family Net, Frog Lotus and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She received her certification from the Nosara Institute of Yoga and studied with Sonia Sumar, Author of “Yoga for the Special Child”. With a background in improvisation, Paula mixes traditional yoga with games and creative movement for light-hearted, fun classes.

Janet Elsbach • Writer & Educator

Janet Reich Elsbach has worn a lot of CATA hats over more than 20 years; she is a past board president and board member, was for many years a parent of a Moving Company dancer, has been the CATAdirect workshop leader, and is a long-time faculty member in the visual arts as well as a member of the writing faculty. In her non-CATA moments, she thinks and writes about the food she feeds her family. She writes a blog, A Raisin & A Porpoise, and her book, Extra Helping, will be published by Roost Books in the fall of 2018. Janet began leading writing workshops at CATA in 2012.

Jeff Gagnon • Visual Artist

Jeff Gagnon is a visual artist and arts educator. Jeff’s work has been exhibited at Gallery 51 in North Adams, MA and the campus center gallery at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He has been involved at CATA since 2008, beginning as a volunteer in the visual arts, and is currently Program Manager and a member of the faculty. Jeff is a former intern of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary where he developed curriculum and led after school programming for the education department. Jeff holds a B.A. in Arts Management from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in Community Arts Education at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.

Aimee Gelinas • Drummer/Musician

Aimee Gelinas M.Ed is a naturalist/environmental educator and musician who has been performing, teaching, facilitating, and developing educational programs and curriculum for more than 20 years. She holds a Masters of Education from MCLA in curriculum development in environmental and cultural studies and a Bachelor of Science in natural resource studies with a minor in anthropology from UMASS Amherst.  She co-founded and performs professionally in the world music ensemble’s Gaia Roots and Trio Candela and the hard rock band SIFER, performs in the Cuban and Puerto Rican drum and dance troupe Iroko Nuevo and co-founded and directs the Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center in Windsor, MA a non-profit educational organization situated on 32 acres of conserved boreal forest land dedicated to  “Inspiring environmental and cultural awareness, appreciation and stewardship” by providing nature & drumming programs for all ages throughout Western MA and beyond.  She has studied and performed folkloric drumming and singing in West Africa, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Central America. In March of both 2014 and 2015, she attended a master level week long workshop with her West African drum teacher Mamady Keita in Tulum and Oaxaca, Mexico culminating in a performance at the famous Juarez Theater in Oaxaca, MX. She produces a yearly fundraiser event for Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center, the Berkshire Drum and Dance Fest featuring over 75 drum and dance artists, the 7th annual fest will take place Friday October 14th, 2016. Aimee has performed at the Massachusetts State House and for former governor Deval Patrick, the Colonial Theater, Festival Latino of the Berkshires, Kripalu Center and many other distinguished venues throughout the state and beyond. Aimee joined the CATA faculty in 2015.

Pat Hogan • Visual Artist

Pat Hogan earned her BS in Art Education from Pennsylvania State University. She has taught art in public schools and privately in Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, and Massachusetts. For six years she applied her creative talent in the field of advertising working as a free-lance photography stylist in New York and London. An experienced teacher, Hogan offers painting and drawing instruction for novice and experienced artists. For sixteen years she taught at IS183, previously known as Interlaken School of Art in Stockbridge, MA, where she served as Department Head, Drawing and Painting before resigning in 2008 to pursue other interests. Her classes and presentations have been offered throughout Berkshire County at various venues including Norman Rockwell Museum, Berkshire Botanical Garden, and the Housatonic Valley Art League. Hogan also serves as an invited juror for competitive art shows. Her paintings are in private collections in England, Sweden, and throughout the United States. Since 1997 Pat has taught visual arts workshops. She also curates, frames, and installs CATA Art on Tour exhibitions.

Dawn Lane • Choreographer, Dancer & Teaching Artist

Dawn Lane is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design (1980, BFA) and Lesley University (1992, MEd). Her curiosity, training and experience with mixed ability casts started as a student at Jacob’s Pillow in the late 1980s, studying with Trisha Brown, Liz Lerman, Victoria Marks, Sally Banes and later with Celeste Miller. In the 90s, she worked with Paula Rais and Peter Dimuro, piloting the Elder Arts Initiative thru the Massachusetts Cultural Council to build opportunities for artists to make community based work in elder settings throughout the Commonwealth.  In 2012, Dawn was an Artist in Residence at MASSART, setting her choreography on Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM) majors and artists with disabilities from Gateway Arts in Brookline.  Her work has been funded by Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award Initiative (2015), The Martha Boschen Fund (2017), Massachusetts Cultural Council (1997), Mid Atlantic Arts Council (2000), LEF Foundation (2003) , Cottonwood Foundation (2004), and VSA Arts International (2006).   Dawn was awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council Choreography Fellowship (2010) a distinguished alumnus award from Massachusetts College of Art & Design (2010), the Outstanding Dance Educator Award from Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education (2007) and the Unsung Hero Award for Berkshire County, MA (2005). Dawn is one of three nationally chosen choreographers/dance educators to lead Curriculum in Motion (CIM) residencies for Jacob’s Pillow, a model that draws upon K-12 curriculum frameworks as a source for kinetic learning and student driven choreography. She joined the CATA faculty in 1993-1994 and the staff in 1997. She currently serves as Program and Artistic Director, as well as Director of CATA’s Moving Company, founded in 1997.

Bernice Lewis • Singer, Songwriter, Educator

Bernice was dubbed by Rosanne Cash as “one of the Keepers of the Flame of real songwriting.” She has been a national touring artist for over two decades and has worked with Dar Williams, Bobby McFerrin, Peter, Paul, and Mary, the Dixie Chicks, and Christine Lavin, among others. She currently teaches songwriting at Williams College and Colorado College, as well as at schools and retreat centers. In 2009, she was selected by the National Park Service to be an Artist in Residence. Bernice has been teaching CATA workshops since 2008.

Marlene Marshall • Visual Artist

Marlene is a certified art therapist, water-colorist, mosaic artist, teacher, and author of several books on decorative arts. Her work has been exhibited and sold in galleries and museum shops throughout North America. A graduate of The New School of Social Research in New York City, she also holds a graduate degree in alternative therapies from Greenhouse Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Marlene has taught visual arts workshops at CATA since 1998.

Robin O’Herin • Musician

2013 Boston Blues Finalist, Robin O’Herin, specializes in historically rich, often interactive concerts that include original and traditional American music, for small listening rooms, libraries, festivals and schools. She has toured regionally throughout the US and Europe. She loves teaching and works with a broad spectrum of children and adults in a variety of settings. She has had her original music licensed to PBS and currently has one of her songs being played on NPR’s CarTalk. In addition she is in a Tap & Blues Duo with Rhythm Tap Dancer, Stefanie Weber. in 2015, Robin joined the CATA team, teaching music and instrument building.

Diane Prusha • Actor

Since 2000 Diane has been working with the talented artists and actors in CATA’s Shakespeare’s Players. Diane also teaches at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School and has acted with various companies in the community.  Her latest work was this spring at Nicki Wilson’s new theatre in Pittsfield honoring the 35th anniversary of the Vietnam war and directed by Normi Noel.  She will also be seen at The Mount this summer in a production of Summer, an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel.  Diane continues to be awed and inspired and grateful to be a part of this enterprise called CATA.

Roger Reed • Juggler & Mime

Performing as Roger the Jester for thirty-six years, Roger has delighted audiences of all ages in twenty-three different countries. Starting as a street performer on the streets of Boston, he went on to perform with the Swiss mime/mask theatre, Mummenschanz. He then appeared in Circus Brazil Jack in Switzerland, Circus Roncalli in Germany, and Circus Knie in Switzerland. He spreads joy and laughter through his silent physical humor, object manipulation, magical moments, musical mayhem, and audience play. Roger thanks all of his CATA students for teaching him new ways to juggle!

Janice Shields • Artist

Janice spent much of her life creating art as a hobby. In 1995, with the encouragement of many, she became a full-time artist. A circuitous route over the next year brought her to the beginning of her rustics business, Cut It Out. Janice teaches at the Arnold and Polly Hill Arboretum and has been featured on the PBS series Victory Garden, in The Boston Flower Show, and in many books and magazines. Janice has taught visual arts at CATA since 2001.

Kara Smith • Artist

Kara is a visual artist and art educator living and working in the Berkshires. She received a MA in Art Education and her New York State Teaching Certification from Brooklyn College, and a BFA in Painting from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. She has completed artist residencies at The Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT, and Brooklyn Art Space, Brooklyn, NY, and has exhibited throughout the Northeast.  In addition to several years as an arts educator in Brooklyn, she has been a dresser at the Metropolitan Opera, a freelance art director and prop stylist, and an arts administrator at galleries in Boston, Los Angeles and New York.  In February of 2016, Kara came on board as CATA’s new Program Associate and CATAdirect Studio Manager.

JoAnne Spies • Singer/Songwriter

JoAnne is a singer songwriter using music to help understand environmental issues, build community, and empower voices for positive change. Recent works include songs written for Marmalade Production’s Watershed Waltz, an interactive environmental program for schools, and Sounding the River, an ongoing event that honors Mohican heritage, celebrates the river, and brings together diverse parts of the community. JoAnne has been teaching at CATA since 2000.

Stefanie Weber • Dance Artist

Stefanie Weber began making dances as a child and continues to strive to expand the meaning of what it means to her to be doing so. She presently directs the COH eNsemble otherwise known as the Creatures of Habitat Physical Poetry Performance Group. She is also a member of the Silver Swimmers (USA) and the Commonwealth Tap Collective. Stefanie has been mentored by tap masters such as Dianne Walker and Heather Cornell and had the joy of experiencing the secrets of the shuffle whispered to her from the wise feet of Jimmy Slyde. Stefanie has been leading CATA artists on stages since 2004.