Fine and Performing Art Faculty 

Full Time 

Christine Condaris, Chair
Michael Dilthey
Tony Gengarelly
Douglas Jenkins
Melanie Mowinski
Gregory Scheckler
Dawn Shamburger
Laura Standley

Part Time

Jack Brown - Jack Brown made his professional singing debut as Elijah at Tanglewood's Ozawa Hall in 1995. Since then, he has established himself as a critically acclaimed soloist in over 100 oratorio performances throughout the northeast and Canada. He sings the full range from Handel's Messiah, the passions and cantatas of J.S. Bach, Beethoven's Ninth, and 20th century works by Durufle, Szymanowski, and Bloch. Performances include the Brahms Requiem in Albany, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem in Boston, Einhorn's "Voices of Light" in Albany with Albany ProMusica and Dave Brubeck's jazz mass, "To Hope", in Hartford. A frequent recitalist, he has presented a range of programs focusing on the music of Schubert, Brahms, Mahler and Ives. His early training as an instrumentalist and conductor was followed by his primary vocal study with Richard Cross at Juilliard. He was a finalist in both the Oratorio Society of New York Competition and the Concert Artist Guild International Competition. He also teaches voice and directs the choral programs at both The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville Ct. and at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington. Jack is the owner/manager of Beethoven House Music, a national source for classical and educational print music.

Laura Christensen - Laura Christensen is a Visiting Associate Professor of Visual Art.  She served for seven years as the Visual Arts Education Coordinator at MassMoCA.  She holds a BA in German and a BS in Economics from St. Louis University as well as an MFA from Utah State University and has completed graduate study at the University of Illinois and the Graduate School of Figurative Art.  Laura has had exhibits at Kidspace at MassMoCA, Eclipse Mill Gallery and The Arts Center of the Capital Region to name a few. 

Howard Cruse - Visiting Professor Emeritus Cartoonist Howard Cruse teaches cartooning for MCLA.  Howard's work has appeared in the Village Voice, Heavy Metal, The Advocate, Starlog and many other national magazines.  Howard's career has included theatre and television but the love of cartooning was always with him.  He has published seven books, the latest in 2004, The Swimmer With a Rope in His Teeth.

David Denhard - David Denhard's compositions for theatre, chamber opera, solo voice, chorus, chamber ensemble and orchestra have been performed throughout New England and the Northeastern U.S., as well as in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and England. Denhard is in his twenty-fifth year as Director of Music and Composer-in-Residence at Buxton School in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and taught composition and vocal accompanying at Bennington College's July Program for fifteen summers. Denhard has been composer-in-residence at the Chamber Music Conference and Composer's Forum of the East and has been the recipient of grants and awards from the Massachusetts Arts Council, The Massachusetts Arts Lottery, Meet the Composer, The Rensselaer County (NY) Council of the Arts and Buxton Faculty Fellowships. Since September 2005, Denhard has been adjunct instructor at MCLA teaching Piano I and II, Introduction to Music and Performance Workshops on Gershwin, American Musical Theatre and Duke Ellington.

Jonathan Dimock Secor, Director of Special Programs (Performing Arts Management) - Jonathan Secor oversees Gallery 51, the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, the Berkshire Hills Internship Program, and the Patrons of the Arts series. Jonathan has worked as a producer, director, general manager, production manager and stage manager including at: Yale Rep, Arts at St. Ann's, Center Stage Theater, Sid Caesar and Company (Broadway), Dance Africa, BAM, and The Dallas Opera Company. Jonathan also served as the Artistic Director for the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, and as the Director of Performing Arts at MASS MoCA, where he presented work by Bill T. Jones, Sekou Sundiata, Patti Smith, and Bang On A Can. His company, Secor Productions, has produced events including the Candlelight Concert for Remembrance and Hope at the Cathedral of St. John, the The Harlem Nutcracker tour, and the Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards. Raised in NYC, Jonathan attend City-As School High School, holds a BFA with Honors in theater design and technology from SUNY Purchase and has credits towards a Masters of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary. He has taught at the Yale School of Drama and SUNY Purchase. Jonathan resides on Florida Mountain with his wife, Ana Maria, and daughters Christina and Alegra.

Danielle Steinmann - Danielle Steinmann is an independent museum educator and art historian.  Until recently, she was Assistant Curator of Education at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, where she was responsible for the operation and development of the Institute's education program, including docent training, teacher professional development, lectures, gallery talks, and other programs and special events for students, families, and adults.  Prior to joining the Clark staff in 2004, Steinmann was a Program Coordinator in the education department at the Massachusetts Cultural Council and worked as a consultant to the Harvard University Art Museums' education department.  She has also served as an adjunct faculty member in art history at Bennington College in Vermont.  Steinmann graduated cum laude from Wellesley College and received her MA in the History of Art from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.  

Laura Thompson - Laura Thompson joined MCLA in 2007 as a visiting assistant professor of art history.  Thompson has over 19 years of experience in arts and museum education.  As Director of Exhibitions and Education for Kidspace at MassMoCA since 2002, she has brought about Kidspace's expanded gallery and artist residency program, established educationally appropriate curriculum materials and programs, strenthened the collaboration between the museums and school districts, and curated highly-acclaimed Kidspace exhibitions with world renowned artists such as Devorah Sperber, Long-Bin Chen, and Tim Rollins.  Thompson continues to also serve as an education consultant and lecturer at a variety of museums, arts organizations, and universities in the Northeast and formerly was a Director of Education and Public Programs at several NY history museums, and a faculty member of the Creative Arts Laboratory at Columbia University.  She holds a doctorate in Arts Education from Columbia University Teachers College, with a concentration in Museum Studies.  Thompson is a painter and has shown her work locally in the Arts Center in Troy, NY and in the Empty Set Gallery in Pittsfield, MA.  Laura resides in Saratoga County, NY with her husband Roger and two sons Jacob and Jesse. 

Support Staff:
Terrie Pratt, Administrative Assistant, Terrie has been with the college since 1995, joining the Porter Street faculty in 2008.  She holds a BA in English from MCLA and is a member of the college web advisory committee.

Andrew Hoar, Theatre Production Designer/Technical Director - Andy Hoar has led a varied and active life as a theatre technician. While pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree at New England College in tech and performance, he also survived summer stock in New Jersey and New Hampshire. He has also worked as an electrician and "roadie" for several bands including Boston and New Riders of the Purple Sage. His technical expertise has taken him to the Boston Opera, the Palace Theater (Manchester, NH), Northfield-Mount Hermon School and Colby-Sawyer College. Over the last 20+ years at MCLA, Andy has designed more than fifty shows, including a post-apocalyptic Macbeth with scrap metal including two compacted cars, the elegant solarium for Pillars of Society and the computer projected artwork of The Laramie Project. As advisor and lighting designer for the MCLA Dance Company, Andy works closely with the student organization to produce two full scale dance shows each year. He also enjoys riding his custom Harley-Davidson, creating unique 4-wheel drive trucks, and fishing and boating on a quiet lake in Maine. Andy serves as a board member on the Mohawk Theater restoration committee and is Chair of the Williamstown Zoning Board of Appeals. Andy's position at MCLA allows him to be active in all aspects of his art as he directs his energies towards the involvement of students in theatre.