Rocky Neck Art Colony Board of Trustees
Rocky Neck Art Colony 2022 Strategic Plan
Janice Brand, President
Retiring from a 40-year career as a writer, editor and publishing executive, Janice let her inner artist escape at last with forays into pottery, Asian ink painting and drawing with charcoal, pencil, graphite, ballpoint pens — anything she can get her hands on. She next turned her organizational skills on RNAC.
She manages the Life Drawing Group and launched the RNAC Workshops program. She’s very grateful to the wonderful members of Rocky Neck.
She lives with her husband, painter Bob Grady, and still too much stuff in Lanesville.
Jeff Calder, Treasurer
Jeff has a bachelor of science degree in accounting and an MBA from Babson College. He recently retired after a long career managing the commercial banking relationships of a handful of Fortune 500 companies for JPMorgan Chase Bank.Amy Sudarsky, Artistic Director
Over the past several decades, Amy focused on college-level art education and her own studio practices. She retired from Boston University and Lesley University with the advent of COVID in 2020, but was quickly scooped up to run self-portrait art classes via Zoom to help Rocky Neck through the pandemic.
She remains committed to teaching and relishes the opportunity to help nurture and expand the workshops at Rocky Neck. She lives in Manchester by a lovely pond.
Martha Sutyak, Secretary
Martha is an interior designer and brand creator as well as co-owner of Smartly Staged, a real estate staging company.
Long a volunteer in the arts and community ventures, Martha is thrilled to be on the RNAC board member, serving as Secretary. She is also on the Building & Facilities Committee.
She lives with her husband John in Beverly Cove. She enjoys cooking, gardening and making all sorts of things.
Pat Alto
With a degree in marketing from Boston College, Pat has over 40 years’ experience as creative director in corporate America as well as her own business, Consider it Done! Creative Marketing
Solutions.
Her passion for the arts is evident in her board positions on Cape Ann Plein Air (CAPA), Rockport Art Association and the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA. Once Pat acted on her passion for painting through workshops and classes at Worcester Art Museum, deCordova Museum and Montserrat College, to name a few, she received several awards for her work in acrylic and oils.
Pat is thrilled to be a part of Rocky Neck Art Colony Board of Trustees. Pat and her husband, Glenn, grew up on the North Shore and currently reside in Rockport.
Susan Alvey
Recently retired from a career in executive coaching, organizational development and teaching, Susan now focuses on her artistic pursuit of weaving. She is a member of the SOWA guild in Boston, is part of the South End Woven studio collective at 450 Harrison Avenue and spends time in her home weaving studio.
Among other activities, Susan taught business and leadership at Endicott College and Babson College, and was a member of the Le Grand David Magic Company in Beverly.
After spending two decades as a resident in Cambridge, she is glad to be back in Gloucester (she lived in Rocky Neck in the 1990s). She is an avid kayaker and a Gloucester Gig Rower.
Stephen Gondert
Originally from Ohio, Stephen has an undergraduate degree from Miami University in English Literature and a Master’s from Boston University in Mass Communications. Much of his career focused on helping companies deploy and manage Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.
During his 15 years at Fidelity, Stephen was responsible for defining business cases to secure funding for various technology initiatives. He can apply this experience to help The Rocky Neck Art Colony pursue grants to ensure the future of the organization.
Stephen works in fused glass and has produced a range of works that feature shapes created with a specialized band saw designed to cut glass. He and his wife Andrea moved to Beverly in October, 2019. He is an active kayaker on Essex Bay and a mountain biker on the trails in Gloucester.
Stephanie Mason, Artist Member
After graduating with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, Stephanie pursued a long professional career as a textile designer in NYC and Boston. Moving to Gloucester, she became intrigued with the Japanese folk art of painting and rubbing fish to document its size, also known as “Gyotaku.”
For the last several years, she has been acquiring fish from local fishermen and experimenting with different printing techniques. Throughout this journey, she has documented many species that are now under strict fishing regulations. When not making her own art and running galleries, Stephanie manages the Salted Cod Gallery at 53 Rocky Neck Avenue as part of The Rocky Neck Art Colony.
Mary Mandarino
Mary has an MBA from Bentley University and brings to RNAC her background of 40+ years in finance.
She also has 30+ years of weaving experience, and has been the Treasurer for the New England Weavers Seminar. She’s currently an active member of the South End Woven Collaborative and the Danforth Weavers.
Peggy Cullen Matlow
Choosing baking as a creative way to earn a paycheck, Peggy lived in NYC, working as a pastry chef, food writer and candy-maker. Eventually marrying her college love, Andy Matlow, now a ceramicist, she moved to the Berkshires where they started a design/build company together.
She also got her pilot’s license and was Treasurer of the local 99s–a national group of female flyers. She lives in East Gloucester, finally achieving a lifelong goal of living on the edge of the continent, where land meets sea.
Vanessa Michalak, Artist Member
Vanessa earned her MFA from Tufts University after working as a registered nurse for a number of years. She has been an artist in residence at the acclaimed Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass Village, CO., and was the recipient of a Massachusetts Fellowship Award in painting in 2014. Her work was published in New American Paintings, issue #110. She is also a member of the North Shore Arts Association.
Vanessa owns Michalak Fine Art on Madfish Wharf. Her work has been exhibited nationally locally at Jane Deering Gallery, Charles Fine Arts and Cove Gallery.
As an artist living and working on Rocky Neck, Vanessa is an energetic and passionate advocate for Rocky Neck Art Colony. Her leadership and vision have been evident to everyone, particularly in the exceptional events on Madfish Wharf. Vanessa also serves on the Residency Committee for RNAC.
Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy, builder of birdhouses and highly accomplished artist, is also a graphic designer extraordinaire. He acts as a creative source for project work ranging from web ads, print, environmental advertising and all aspects of graphic design for small to mid-sized companies.
Brian is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, BFA Illustration, Graphic Design, Sculpture. In his other life, he has volunteered for a number of charities. He lives in Beverly.
Robert “Bob” Murphy
In May 2022 after 35 years, Bob retired as an MAI-designated commercial real estate appraiser, expert witness, and principal of Robert D. Murphy Associates, Inc. His work involved extensive analysis of site conditions, building components and utilities, zoning requirements, permitting processes, market analysis, and feasibility studies all of which will hopefully be useful for RNAC.
As a studio artist, his mediums include charcoal and pencil, watercolor, acrylic, and pastels. Bob has studied with Michele Kenna, Robin Thornhill and the inimitable Amy Sudarsky. A graduate of Amherst College, Bob is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Dramatists Guild and has performed on New England stages for over 30 years. He was named a Mass Cultural Council Fellow in Dramatic Writing in 2015.
Bob and his wife Pat live in Beverly where they raised two children and are blessed with three grandchildren.
Rebecca Anne Nagle, Artist Member
Cape Ann based artist Rebecca Anne Nagle is a contemporary painter and mixed media artist who explores layering and transparency within society and nature, searching for the rhythms, lyricism, and repetitions in the visual or metaphysical that produce movement and emotional impact.
Rebecca earned her BFA from Montserrat College of Art in 2021. She is also the artist-owner of M/N Contemporary Art Gallery in Gloucester as well as a professional figure skater. Rebecca enjoyed the graceful physical process of creating visible rhythmic patterns on huge ice canvases. Today, that physicality energizes the edgy, abstract mark making found in much of her work. Her studio is located at Cripple Cove Studios on East Main Street. She is a juried member of the North Shore Arts Association as well as a member of several other art associations.
Rebecca is grateful to be an artist member and is looking forward to contributing to the Rocky Neck Art Colony.
Ruzanna Queenan
Ruzanna provides financial coaching and planning to successful women who want to align their money with their purpose in life. A commitment to art and the community is what attracts her to being on the RNAC board.
She feels we all have a responsibility to support causes that we care about , and art has a very special place in her heart. Growing up, she had much exposure to artists through her two uncles, which enriched her life tremendously. She lives in Beverly.
Cynthia Switzer Roth
Cynthia has worked for 20 years in financial services — to support her art addiction. She was a founding member of Gloucester’s Local Colors cooperative gallery, creator and director of the Lanesville Art Show, and co-owner of Flatrocks Gallery.
She serves on the Goetemann Artist Residency and Exhibitions committees.
She’s a mom, a gardener, a maker and an outdoors-lover who likes to wander aimlessly in Dogtown.
Laura Olmstead Tonelli
Laura has spent her career teaching and promoting arts education. She trained as an art historian at Wheaton College, Norton, MA and Brown University, Providence, RI before joining the faculty at Montserrat College of Art as the Chair of Liberal Arts. For 12 years she also served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Montserrat, where she promoted professional practice training for undergraduates and international study.
Elizabeth Carey, CEO/Director
Working closely with the Executive Committee, Elizabeth brings considerable marketing and Gloucester experience to Rocky Neck.
As the Executive Director of Discover Gloucester from 2016 to 2022, Elizabeth promoted tourism and escalated awareness of Gloucester. Previously, she held various publishing, sales and marketing positions in Boston. She is happy to live on Cape Ann now, and looks forward to harnessing her considerable marketing expertise (and energy) for the benefit of Rocky Neck.
