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Our Team

Lori Manfra, Mosaic Assistant
Kim Alexander, Mosaic Assistant

Kim worked in the health care arena for many years, and began her mosaic work at Mosaic Oasis three years ago. She has taken several workshops from Betsy and Suzanne as well as from visiting artists, including Ceramics for Mosaic Artists, Mosaic Collage and Tempered Glass. She recently spent a week at The Mosaic Art School in Ravenna, Italy attending a workshop on three dimensional mosaics.

Ann Collins, Mosaic Assistant

Ann Collins started coming to our studio in 2013 and quickly fell in love with mosaic arts. She has gained experience working with a wide variety of materials to create both indoor and outdoor pieces. She has created fine art panels, garden balls, table tops, bird baths, trivets, and Christmas ornaments. She enjoys exploring color, texture and pattern. In addition to taking our Mosaic Taster and Mosaic Art Design classes, she has also taken workshops by well-known mosaic artists including Martin Cheek, Cynthia Fisher, Lisa Houck,  Laura Rendlen and Richard Youngstrom.

Anne Kelly Contini, Mosaic Assistant
Karen Edlund, Mosaic Assistant

Lori works at Mosaic Oasis on Thursdays and Fridays, Lori has been creating mosaic pieces for a number of years.  Her passion arose with a Taster Class from Mosaic Oasis.  She has shown her work at various shops and art shows within the Boston area.  With Suzanne's encouragement and guidance she is now learning the art of glass fusing.

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November 9, 1949 to November 18, 2019 

Ann Baratta, Studio Assistant

Ann has been helping out at Mosaic Oasis since it opened in 2010.  She is available to answer your questions and give you great ideas for your mosaics.

Angel Cacciola, Mosaic Assistant
Betsy Rodman, Mosaic Assistant

Karin Vander Schaaf, Mosaic Assistant

Ronni Yolitsky

Karen was a founding supporter of Mosaic Oasis, and continued to support us until her death in November 2019.

Karen so loved mosaics and worked in a combination of tessarae - glass and mirror tiles, tiles with bling such as glitter glass, smalti, fused glass, natural stones, shells, and found objects.  She helped establish the New England Mosaic Society, an organization to encourage and promote excellence in contemporary mosaic art. 

 

Karen was dedicated to her work as the director Director of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for 23 years, from 1992 until her retirement in May 2015. In this leadership position, she developed and managed the state’s family planning program and other sexual and reproductive health initiatives. Karen was also dedicated to her husband, Phil, her children and her grandchildren.  Karen had a great sense of humor, kind heart, and a wonderful smile and laugh, we miss her presence at Mosaic Oasis.

Ronni is an early childhood music educator in Cambridge and metro-west.  She is our youth and teen instructor. She specializes in mosaic birthday to book club to batchlorette parties. Ronni has been making mosaics since 2012 and has taken numerous classes with visiting artists like Gila Rayberg.

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Angel discovered Mosaic Oasis in 2016 and has thrived. She has taken classes with Suzanne as well as many of the professional artists such as Gila Rayberg, Martin Cheek, Laura Rendlin and others, who visit Mosaic Oasis. 

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Friendship by Betsy
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Betsy is the co-founder and former co-owner of Mosaic Oasis from its inception in 2010 to 2018. She has taken multiple workshops with advanced mosaic instructors, taught a variety of mosaic classes, and created a large portfolio of mosaic art. Betsy works mostly as a representational abstract artist with an emphasis on the use of broken china in much of her work. 

 She is drawn to Japanese china as influenced by over 25 years as a practitioner and instructor of the Japanese martial art of Aikido. “I love incorporating techniques learned in various workshops and am most recently drawn to mixed media mosaics.” Betsy is a former community health nurse for over 20 years. Currently she teaches workshops in a variety of mosaic crafts including unique mosaic jewelry.

Wave Mandala by Anne

Anne has been at Mosaic Oasis since the start, you can often find her running studio time on Sunday afternoons. She has taken many mosaic classes including visiting artists, Martin Cheek, Laura Rendlen, Dianne Sonnenberg, Kellie Knickerbocker, and others.

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Karin has been coming to Mosaic Oasis since 2015, she currently teaches our First Friday Jewelry Workshops. Karen has takken many classes.

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