Meet the Makers!
Alison M Zapata
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Alison Zapata, owner of Zapata Studios, is a visual artist and educator who specializes in vibrant murals designed to energize spaces in the community, home, and business. Since 2006, her murals have been on display throughout Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods and beyond! She is a member of the #notwhite Collective. She has been featured in video productions for Disney/Pixar, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and the Arts Education Collaborative.
Date Details: Look for patterns from nature to create an interesting design to make a small painting or prep for a mural.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @alisonzapataartist
Annie Heisey
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Annie makes luminous oil paintings of everyday people and places in ways that make them seem extraordinary. She loves using unusual color combinations and imagery. When you look at my paintings I want you to see the familiar and conventional in a new and different way, whether it’s the city you live in or the state of your soul.
Date Details: Spend an evening with Annie Heisey at Radiant Hall learning about the process of making a painting from inspiration to the final product. We’ll talk about color theory while having a cocktail! Then, you will be able to get hands-on with a design exercise that inspires ideas for a painting using photographs, free-writing, and thumbnails for color and compositions. Finish up with a live painting demonstration by Annie on how to begin a painting. You would leave your MakerDate with everything you need to make your own painting on your own terms. This could be a date for up to 6 people.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @annieheisey
Benjamin Bishop
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Classically trained with over 15 years of experience working everywhere from fine dining to high-end bakeries, Bishop has developed a skill for elaborate and unique pastries. Today, he designs and creates elaborate cakes, custom desserts, and teaches pastry art classes for private parties and events.
Date Details: Bishop’s activity is a 2-hour experience for up to 4 people to learn how to design and create an edible painting for display or as a cake topper using sugar paste and colored cocoa butter in the comfort of the winning bidder’s home.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @benjaminbishoppastrychef
Brian Miller
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Brian Miller is a retired military soldier, sculptor, and DJ. He enjoys fantasy style aesthetics, sculpting with clay, and making stone figurines.
Date Details: Get your sculpting on with Brian Miller! Learn how to use stone sculpting tools and make your own stone figurines. Get your group of 5 best buddies together, and get into the groove as you learn the process from start to finish.
Byron Nash
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Byron Nash is an artist, musician, creator and producer. He plays guitar, writes songs, performs live and composes instrumental music for businesses, TV, film and theater. He recently produced music for a reel for The Andy Warhol Museum as well as scored the music for the National play “Is God Is.”
In addition to being a creative, he is currently the Community Engagement & Events Coordinator for The Pop District: An Initiative Of The Andy Warhol Museum. Lastly, Nash is an entrepreneur and the owner of DUYA Wellness: A fitness and life coaching program. He is a level 2 coach at Crossfit Pittsburgh and runs BNDEEPendent Music and BNDEEPendent Creative, LLC.
Date Details: Express yourself with music and sound with Byron Nash. Let the creativity fly with an ideas and collaboration session as well as writing poems and song lyrics. Produce a piece of music with one of Pittsburgh’s greats! This collaborative MakerDate is for up to 10 people.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @Byron_Nash412 @Nash.v.illmusic
Cara Friez & Matt Thornton
Live Auction
Cara Friez
Maker Bio: Cara Friez is an educator, creative multimedia producer, and video editor with two decades of experience seamlessly integrating artistic storytelling, education, and technical expertise to produce exceptional deliverables. Currently serving as the Post Production Supervisor for The Warhol Creative at the Pop District, she oversees the seamless execution of post-production processes, ensuring high-quality outcomes. Her production credits include notable collaborations with CBS’s As the World Turns, VEX Robotics, WPXI-TV, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic.
Matt Thornton
Maker Bio: Matt Thornton is an inspiring individual with over twelve and a half years of remarkable recovery experience. As a proud member of the recovery community, he rediscovered his passion for filmmaking. Now, as a Producer for The Warhol Creative and the Director of Marketing for The Warhol Academy at The Pop District, an initiative of the prestigious Andy Warhol Museum, Matt’s filmmaking talents have flourished. His impressive client roster includes Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Baron Batch, South Side Works, Spirit Airlines, and the Miami City Ballet. Beyond his professional achievements, Matt’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of resilience and serves as an inspiration to others seeking a brighter path.
Date Details: Create a mini docu-style video about you with the Pop District creative team, Cara Friez and Matt Thornton. Spend the day at Pop District HQ to have an interview and b-roll recorded of you. Experience the video shooting and editing process firsthand. By the end of the day, you will have your own 30-60 second docu-style profile to take with you! This date is for 1-2 people. The Pop District is an initiative of the Andy Warhol Museum.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @thepopdistrictpgh
Instagram: @carafriez
Instagram: @blinc_of_an_i
Casey Droege
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Casey Droege (she/they) is a slightly organized tornado, an artist, and a cultural producer with a practice that’s hard to pin down. It floats between organizing and object making, while incorporating entrepreneurialism (because it’s useless if you can’t eat). Their work has been written about in the New York Times, Temporary Art Review, ARTSY, and most Pittsburgh publications.
Date Details: Dream up the best arts ecosystem possible with some big paper and markers and we talk through the logistics of how it all works. Brainstorm how to get things funded, how to get things off the ground!
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @caseydroegeculturalproductions
Cody Baker
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Cody launched a marketing company called Creatives Drink about 8 years ago. They focus on highlighting local food and beverage companies in the area, while also partnering with brands on events, content creation, social media marketing and more.
Date Details: Take a tour around the city and grab a drink at a local distillery before hitting dinner at Bar Marco with Cody!
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @tehbakery
Diane Turnshek
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Diane Turnshek teaches astronomy at Pitt and CMU. Her light pollution research focuses on measuring the light of cities with drones, aircraft, satellites and astronauts aboard the ISS. Besides being a dark sky defender, she also writes science fiction and fantasy writing in her tiny abode nestled deep in the woods in the City of Pittsburgh.
Date Details: Search for the stars with Diane Turnshek. Join her for a private tour of the Allegheny Observatory. Spend the afternoon or evening sketching the telescopes and listening to celestial sounds. Diane can accommodate up to 12 guests in the Observatory.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Emmanuelle Wambach
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Emmanuelle Wambach received her Bachelor’s in art from Swarthmore College in 2008, her Post Baccalaureate Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2009, and her Master of Fine Arts in ceramics and sculpture from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2012. Emmanuelle moved to Pittsburgh in 2014 and became part of Pittsburgh’s vibrant arts community, joining organizations such as Union Project and the Creative Business Accelerator. In 2016 Emmanuelle traveled to Japan as part of a ceramic artist residency. She returned to Pittsburgh with a renewed love of ceramics and a new motivation to create and explore her identity as a queer, Black, female artist. This love and desire to create new work, led her into her past. Through her mother’s love of gardening, lace, and fabrics, she discovered her own passion for lace and its history. This breakthrough inspires her current body of lace textured ceramic work. Each piece of lace has a story. Through Clay, Emmanuelle takes that story which normally fades, and tatters overtime, and makes it permanent. She receives the lace from friends, customers, antique shops, and online. The breaking of the glazes over the lace pattern accentuates the natural beauty of the clay underneath. Together the fabric texture impressions, clay, and glaze, capture a moment in time; like putting a memory in stone. Emmanuelle creates heirlooms, gardens and memories that can last lifetimes and that can be used to create new memories.
Date Details: Work with Emmanuelle to make some hand built ceramic items you can actually use! Using some basic hand building techniques, choose to make a variety of items, including small plates, a platter, bowls, or a handmade mug. Participants can also bring a personal piece of lace or fabric to texture their items. You will then use underglazes to color the items. After the class, items will be glazed and fired. Participants can pick up the items when they’re ready. Classes can be 4-5 people.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @emmanuellewambach
Facebook: @emmanuellewambachceramics
TikTok: @emmanuelleceramics
YouTube: @emmanuelleceramics
Grace Evans
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Grace J Evans is a queer artist and educator based in Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from Alfred University in 2022 with her BFA in Art & Design and minors in Art History and Spanish. Grace works as the SOY Elementary Coordinator at the Latino Community Center; she loves her community and is an advocate for accessible programming. She has been in a variety of shows in Alfred, NY, and Pittsburgh, PA. Her art focuses on thinking and thoughts, memory and nostalgia, and the concept of self. She uses paint, ceramics, installation, and other mixed media to explore the material as it relates to her conceptual ideas.
Date Details: Have your stories jump off the page by creating comic strips with Grace Evans! Learn about the process of crafting a story through pictures from beginning to end, and go home with your own collection of comics. This Maker Date will be between 3-4 hours for between 1-15 people!
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @gracejevans_art
Jim Lavrinc
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Jim Lavrinc has created and taught Calligraphy for over 20 years at Fox Chapel Adult Education, Community & Senior Centers, KetchupCity Art Gallery, Area Churches and more. He has a BA in Graphic Design with a love for letters.
Date Details: Explore the art of calligraphy! Jim will provide the markers, pens, inks–all calligraphy materials needed. This date will include a demonstration and individualized instruction.
Madeline Gent
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: When Madeline isn’t at Associated Artists of Pittsburgh or walking her dog, Taco, you can find her brushing off her Algebra 2 and AP US History skills for Prepmatters. Prepmatters is a D.C.-based tutoring firm that has helped thousands of students achieve excellence in academics and testing. Madeline has recorded over 1000 hours tutoring for Prepmatters. Her tutoring philosophy is simple: “There’s more than one way to cook an egg. Whether it’s tonight’s homework or tomorrow’s SAT, problems often stump us because we focus on finding the ‘one, perfect’ way to get to a solution. Instead, I say, let’s be solutions oriented! Let’s train our brain to actively look for different approaches. If we see a problem from all angles, we can find the way that works for us – which is something that you can apply in and out of the classroom.”
Date Details: Join Madeline for one thirty minute meet and greet with needs assessment, five 50 minute tutoring sessions and 1 SAT or ACT practice test and assessment.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
prepmatters.com/team/madeline-gent/
Mary Tremonte
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Mary Tremonte is an artist, educator, and a member of Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative. With Justseeds and independently Mary has exhibited, presented lectures and workshops, and performed throughout the United States, and internationally. Formerly the youth programs coordinator at The Andy Warhol Museum, she values art education as a means of empowerment and social change.
Date Details: Join Mary for an intimate screenprinting or risograph printing workshop. Learn the basics of either print process and then make an edition of 25 prints together.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @marymackprints
Matt Verlinich
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Matt Verlinich is a scientist by nature, an engineer by training, and an entrepreneur by choice. He currently manages Innovation Works Manufacturing initiatives, runs an Ecommerce business, and has a passion for inspiring and helping entrepreneurs to build their dreams.
Date Details: Mix it up with Matt Verlinich! Get shaking with a little mixology class learning about the science of clear ice! Also, create your own CNC milled, monogrammed ice brands. This can be up to 4 people for 4 hours total. Kids are also welcome to join and make mocktails!
Mike Onofray
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Jen and Mike are a long-time married couple living their dream of sharing tasty beers with happy people in the neighborhood. We are the local neighborhood brewery down the street! We love making great craft beers and supporting the great neighbors around us.
Date Details: This is a multi-date MakerDate. We will initially meet with the auction winner to design a beer of their liking. From there we collaborate on the beer’s name and can label design. On brew day we would brew the beer together – experiencing both the physicality of a brew day as well as the science behind the art. When the beer is ready we would meet again to package the liquid into cans and kegs. Finally, we will have a release party for the beer!
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @twofraysbrewery
Ramteen Sazegari
Silent Auction
Maker Bio: Ramteen Sazegari (a.k.a. Amby Doosters) is an electronic musician, composer and educator based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Date Details: This date will be a 3 hour introduction to hardware musical instruments for one person. Sequencing, basic sound design, and production techniques will be explored. Ramteen will share a raw recording of the improvisations/experiments afterward.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @amby_doosters
Bandcamp: https://ambydoosters.bandcamp.com/
Amby Doosters “D.R.A.” e.p.: https://aud-art.bandcamp.com/album/d-r-a
Tiffany Huff-Strothers
Live Auction
Maker Bio: Tiffany T. Huff-Strothers is a Serial Entrepreneur whose work has garnered her many accolades including Award Winning Author. She is CEO and Founder of When She Thrives, and an Executive Development and Storytelling Expert at The Tiffany Huff Experience. In 2017 she published two books: 30 Day Stay: A Story of Escaping Death, Healing From Heartbreak & Finding Hope in Homelessness, and Empower Moments for the Everyday Woman: A 31 Day Devotional to Empower Your Womanhood.
Date Details: Break through the myth of writers block with Tiffany Huff-Strothers! A perfect date for aspiring artists and authors looking to understand the mission and vision of their story. You will get to walk away with an outline and writing prompts for completion of your manuscript within 60 days.
Social Media Handles and/or Website:
Instagram: @whenshethrives