River Gallery School

Back Row: Ezra Stafford, Jason Alden, Matthew Peake, Helen Schmidt, Collin Leech, Lydia Thomson, and Kim Hartman Colligan. Front Row: Donna C Hawes, Megan Stafford, Barbara Merfeld-Campman, and Marilyn Allen.

Jason is the Life Drawing Director and a teacher in the adult program, he has a BFA in Painting from Boston University School for the Arts. He has drawn from the figure for over 16 years and organizes a quarterly Life Drawing Marathon at the River Gallery School. 

Marilyn Allen began painting in 1995 with Ric Campman of the River Gallery School.  Since then she has also studied with Vermont artists, Arrin Fancher and David Brewster, as well as Jim Peters at the Fine Arts Work Center.  She has shown her work in numerous local venues as well as in Massachusetts and Beacon, New York. Her work is in private collections throughout New England and New York. artistmarilynallen.com

Kim Hartman Colligan received her MFA in Printmaking from the University of South Dakota. Kim served as studio assistant and printmaker to the renowned colorfield painter Jules Olitski for several years. She brings a dynamic and exciting curriculum in printmaking to River Gallery School. She has shown her work widely throughout both New England and the upper Midwest, and is included in many permanent collections. Her work is on view for the month of November at the Edward Jones office building at 51 Main Street, Brattleboro. Visit Kim's website

Donna C Hawes is the Administrative Director and energetic pulse of the River Gallery School.  She received her BFA from Auburn University and has been working in the field of graphic design, illustration and book making for over 25 years. She has taught numerous workshops on book binding/book arts through the River Gallery School.

Collin studied fine arts at the Art Students League of New York from the age of 11.  Her education continued at LaGuardia High School for the Arts, followed by The Maryland Institute, College of Art. A creator and facilitator of many arts-based programs for children and youth, Collin has found a lot of ways of using art as a healing tool.

Barbara Merfeld-Campman has trained and exhibited widely as an artist, both in the US and abroad.  She co-founded River Gallery School, and now teaches Art and Meditation as well as heads the Children's Studio art program.  She has been teaching art for 35 years.

Matthew Peake is a family physician of 24 years who gave up his practice in
2006 to pursue an art career full time. Both with medicine and in art,
people have been his inspiration. Although  moved by the natural places that we sentient beings discover, cultivate or trod on, he loves more to paint us in these settings.

Helen Schmidt has been at The River Gallery School for the last twelve years, and is currently teaching printmaking, sculpture, teen portfolio, children and adult studio classes. She studied printmaking with Kris Phillips at Sarah Lawrence College, and received her MFA in sculpture from Vermont College of Norwich University. She has taught art and shown her work locally for the last 16 years.

A Northwest native, Ezra now calls Brattleboro home.  He is an avid enthusiast of creating connections between discarded construction materials, then dismantling them and exploring their internal workings.  At this time Ezra is pursuing his Masters of Fine Arts degree and raising two beautiful children.

Megan, outdoor enthusiast and mother of two young children, has a background in Montessori education. She has worked extensively in the area teaching children and young adults.

Lydia Thomson, Creative Director, has been teaching in the adult program at RGS since 1994.  She received her BA in Studio Art, and also holds an MS in Education. She works mainly in oils and mixed media, landscapes and abstraction, and has exhibited throughout New England and New York.  Visit Lydia's website