Our Team

Kaitlin Harrison

ArtWorks Gallery & Studio's Senior Program Coordinator. She oversees all creative expression that the ArtWorks Gallery and studio an art program driven by Beacon Specialized Living- Keystone Community Resources. She earned a bachelors degree from Keystone College in Visual Arts and specialized in Art Therapy. Currently Kaitlin is pursuing her Master's degree in Arts Administration at Drexel University. Kaitlin's passion for immersing individuals with intellectual disabilities into the broader arts community has been expressed through the continuous growth of the ArtWorks program.

Kaitlin has instructed children & adults with intellectual disabilities and autism, along with community-based classes, for over 10+ years. She has exhibited her artwork in galleries throughout the mid-Atlantic region and has been commissioned in several permanent installations and mural works. She sits as a member of the Scranton Chamber and works closely with the broader arts community. Her extensive experience curating exhibitions and coordinating events is showcased monthly during First Friday Scranton. Her passion is to continuously explore various processes and expressions to enhance the growth and knowledge of supporting outsider artists.

Margie Makowski

Margie Makowski is a graduate from Marywood University, Magna Cum Laude with her Bachelors of Arts in Art Therapy and Art History, Minor: Psychology. Margie also studied at Studio Arts College International (SACI), College of Art & Design, Florence, Italy where she studied contemporary European and Italian art as well as in Art History of the Renaissance. Margie has exhibited her artwork throughout Northeast Pennsylvania and internationally in Florence, Italy. She has collaborated and participated in the creation of numerous largescale murals in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Margie's creative practice centers on finding the human interaction and particularly a feminine essence in very concrete and objective concepts. Flowers and moons are often incorporated into her work to reflect the life source and belief that the creative process is much like a rhythmic lcycle, always modifying itself and evolving. Positivity and personal connection are integral to Margie’s creative process, as the day to day moments she shares with her students, colleagues, family, and friends inspire her to be a better caregiver, teacher, friend, sister, and artist.

Tee Valenta

Tee Valenta has a degree in education from Lackawanna College and studied Graphic Design and Photography at Marywood University. She has worked with adults and children with Autism, Downs Syndrome, and various other forms of intellectual disabilities for more than 10 years. She participated in an exhibition-making a tuxedo out of Saran Wrap. She has made graffiti pieces that were displayed on the walls of the Vintage Theater in Scranton, PA. Tee has sold several pieces which included paintings, portraits, pen drawings, and stickers through networking. Tee enjoys helping others express themselves through the arts, teaching different methods and techniques, and also learning from the people she serves at Artworks.

Peg McDade

Peg McDade, professional fiber artist, is well-qualified to teach special needs students at ArtWorks Gallery. For eight years as a consultant/teacher and lead team designer in the Title 1 Arts Program in the Scranton School District, Peg taught hand- and loom weaving, stitchery, pottery, and drawing concepts with special needs students in grades one through high school, and at adult levels. This Program, which served six public and six private schools, was granted a Pacesetter in Education Award from the PA Department of Art Education for its excellence. Currently at ArtWorks, students are learning needle weaving and basic embroidery stitches.

Peg has taught Fiber Arts, Pottery, Drawing , Color and Design, History of Costume, and Art Appreciation at Marywood University and Keystone College; and History of Art at Luzerne Community College. She exhibits in galleries regularly. Her large commissioned artworks are installed in institutions and office buildings. Peg’s one-only art-to-wear is treasured by over 350 private collectors.

Jeff Kuratnick

Jeff Kuratnick is an artist currently based in Scranton Pennsylvania. He earned an MFA in Ceramics from the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at Georgia State University. Upon acceptance into the program, Kuratnick was selected for the premium Welch Fellowship, the highest honor awarded to MFA candidates at the university. During his time at GSU, Kuratnick also earned a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.

His current studio practice examines the psychological aftershocks of accessing a government-sanctioned hidden past for adult adoptees that are part of the closed domestic adoption industry in the United States. An article about Kuratnick’s thesis work at GSU “Hiraeth Never Fades: Reclaiming My Identity through the Studio” was published in the March 2020 issue of Studio Potter, an academic journal centered in studio practice for the ceramic artist.

In addition to his studio practice, Kuratnick has been actively involved in the field as a museum and arts administrative professional for the past decade. Before earning his MFA, he served in the capacity of Researcher with The Marks Project: The Dictionary of American Studio Ceramics 1946 - Present, and as Education Director and Ceramics Area Head at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, Montana. Curatorial projects include Montana Clay: The Past Present and Future of Ceramics Under the Big Sky (2015) featuring 75 artists and Go West (2017) an exhibition tracing the origins of the ceramics field in the state of Montana through select artists and the objects they left behind.

Recent accolades include a 2019-2020 installation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia; work selected for Over the Divide, a National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference Exhibition in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and; work selected for the 22nd San Angelo National Ceramic Competition and Symposium, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Texas.

Kuratnick has participated in both national and international exhibitions and residencies. His work is currently represented by Artaxis.

Colleen Germain

Colleen is a Fulbright Scholar to Thailand and received her MA in decorative arts and design from Bard in New York City. She possesses curatorial experience at the Met, the Museum of Arts and Design, and Sotheby's Home. Her experience living in Italy helps her appreciate all forms of creativity, and informs her methods of fostering intellectual curiosity in the classroom. Colleen paints in oil and enjoys portraits and landscapes. She is motivated to design exciting projects for her students using found materials especially vintage jewelry, comics, and textiles.

Anna Vanderpool

Anna is an educator as well as an artist. With her bachelor’s degree in Art Education and a specialization in Art Therapy, her skills are well rounded in many different forms of media. However, Anna’s concentration and love for the arts are expressed through sculpture. Clay and metal make it possible for her to express how she sees the world. She uses nature and human figures to create pieces that question what is normal with today’s society.

Morgan Maceyko

Morgan Maceyko, identifies as a caregiver and an artist. She has expressed the gratitude to possess a professional career that includes both passions, art, and helping others with disabilities.
While it was in high school, she discovered that painting as her selected medium. She attributes the passion and skill set as a natural gift. She believes the award was passed down by her Grandfather, who was an established artist during WW ll era.
Morgan received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Keystone College. During her time at Keystone College, Morgan studied psychology and visual arts. While in school, she obtained employment with Keystone Community Resources as a Direct Service Professional in a residential home. The residential home consisted of 8 male individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. During her employment in the residential setting, Morgan introduced art and creativity within the residence. Providing the individuals a creative outlet ensued Morgan to reflect and appreciate the marriage between the population and fine arts. It is Morgan’s belief creating art is an escape from high stimulating situations, its an escape from reality just for a moment. Art is an expression, especially for those who are non-verbal, and it’s a form of therapy. She believes creating art challenges the mind and motor skills. Art is used to expressing a story, a dream, an imagination, art is Morgan’s happiness.

Caitlin McLaughlin

Caitlin McLaughlin is a graduate of Keystone College, Cum Laude, with her Bachelors of Arts in Visual Arts and a double concentration in Photography and Printmaking with a specialization in Art Therapy.

Caitlin’s expertise lies in both traditional and digital photography. She is also passionate about printmaking and bookmaking. Nature is her biggest inspiration and primary subject matter. Capturing the bright colors of nature in the light of the sun, her use of color captures how she sees the world. As an art teacher, Caitlin brings her knowledge of art history into her lessons and helps her student artists combine traditional skills with a fresh and modern feel. Caitlin has worked as a curator and event planner and as a photography teacher at Arts Alive in Scranton.

Meet the Team