OUR INSTRUCTORS

MELISSA ZIMBERG

With more than 20 years of experience, Melissa has taught at every level from middle school through college; and has taught in some of the top art schools in the country including Pratt School of Art and Design, and the Fashion Institute of Technology.  I've sat on admissions committees to top Art and Design programs, and know what it takes to be admitted. 

Each year I help hundreds of students create work they didn't think possible; and guide dozens of high school students into great art programs at schools including NJIT, Pratt, St. Andrews, NYU, Rutgers, and more. 

My years of experience as a designer, professor, and teacher allows me to provide students of all levels insight and instruction typically reserved for those attending the top arts programs. 

DANA DIMURO

Dana is an award-winning artist whose passion for art focusing specifically on portraiture and the effects of light and shadow on the human figure. After studying at the Art Students League and the National Academy to more deeply explore the techniques of the old masters, she pursued classical realist training at the Florence Academy of Art.  Dana's roots are in classicism but each painting brings a new slant to her work. 

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 ‘Looking past the obvious, close observation and engagement of the subject are a large part of my painting process. One of my goals is to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully at the world around them, to discover beauty in nature, and to be drawn toward pictures that find meaning and poetry in the everyday. This with a love of drawing and a keen desire to explore the effects of light has formed my passion for painting.’