Our mission is to nurture creativity through hands-on workshops.
Our nonprofit emerged from a passion for art and the desire to create a welcoming space for artistic expression.
Carol Ventura and her late husband, Andrzej Gutek, built their energy efficient ICF studio and home with the hope that it would someday become a public art center. Carol established the 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2026 so now Carol and Andrzej’s studio and home is the Craft & Art Studio & Home. For now, it is only open to the public during workshops.
Meet our Board of Directors
Carol Ventura
President and Treasurer
Carol has an MA in ceramics, an MFA in printmaking, and a PhD in art. She taught ceramics, photography, printmaking, silversmithing, enameling, basketry, and weaving at other colleges before becoming the art historian at Tennessee Technological University in 1994. She retired in 2021 as Professor Emerita. https://www.carolventura.com/ .
Luke Anderson
Vice President
Luke has a PhD in Exceptional Learning with a concentration in Literacy. He taught middle and high school English for nine years before becoming a Lecturer in Secondary English Education at Tennessee Technological University. He regularly publishes work on education, society, and autoethnography. He is a proud supporter of the arts, especially local artists in Tennessee.
Shayna Snider
Secretary
Shayna teaches art at Hume-Fogg Academic High School in Nashville. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from New York’s School of Visual Art. Achievements include 2017 Tennessee Governor’s School Teacher of the Year, 2022 MNPS Blue Ribbon Teacher distinction, 2023 Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction, 2024 Hume-Fogg High School Teacher of the Year, and being listed as an educator with student artwork in the 2022 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards’ Best of High School Art publication.
Mitchell White
Board Member
Mitchell has a BS in art education, and has been an art instructor at Cookeville High School for over 30 years. His teaching focus is International Baccalaureate Visual Art, painting and drawing. He is also a professional artist maintaining a studio in his hometown of Livingston, Tennessee. His oil paintings primarily focus on the unique scenery and light of the landscape in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. https://www.mitchellwhite.com/