Our ceramics teachers in NYC guide students through wheel throwing, hand-building, mold making, glazing, and ceramic sculpture in MCC’s Lower East Side studio. The ceramics faculty bring decades of combined practices, so whether you are throwing your first pot or refining advanced surface techniques, our instructors meet you at your level.

Painting Instructors

Our painting instructors in NYC work across oil, acrylic, gouache, and watercolor — and our painting faculty on the Lower East Side bring serious academic and professional credentials to every session. Their active, ongoing practices make them working art instructors in NYC in every sense of the phrase.

Drawing and Mixed Media Instructors

MCC’s drawing and printmaking faculty bring deep technical range to the studio. The faculty bring extensive artistic and teaching experience to the classroom, helping students build foundational skills, develop their individual style, experiment with materials, and explore new ways of working across media.

Why MCC Hires Working Artists as Instructors

At the Educational Alliance Art School, teaching credentials and active practice go together. Our faculty are not career educators who have stepped away from making work — they are artists who also teach. Many hold MFAs from institutions including Pratt Institute, the New York Academy of Art, the University of the Arts, and Southern Illinois University. Several maintain gallery relationships and exhibition records spanning New York, the national juried circuit, and international venues from Japan to Estonia.

This matters to your learning. When your instructor is actively solving the same problems you are — about color, form, glaze chemistry, or composition — their feedback comes from lived practice, not a textbook. It is one reason the Educational Alliance Art School has sustained a community art program on the Lower East Side for over a century.

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Art Instructors

Who teaches at the Educational Alliance Art School?

The Educational Alliance Art School at Manny Cantor Center is staffed by practicing, exhibiting artists who specialize in ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, and mixed media. They teach classes for all levels in MCC’s Lower East Side studios at 197 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002.

Are the art instructors at MCC professional working artists?

Yes. MCC’s faculty are working artists with active studio practices and exhibition histories; many hold MFAs or equivalent professional training from institutions including Pratt Institute and the New York Academy of Art. Their ongoing practice informs the techniques and feedback students receive.

Who teaches ceramics classes at Manny Cantor Center?

Ceramics classes at Manny Cantor Center are taught by a team of ceramics specialists. Each instructor’s specialties — from wheel throwing to hand-building to glaze development — are listed in their individual bios.

Can I choose my art instructor at MCC?

Students register for specific classes, and each class lists its instructor. Reviewing faculty bios by discipline is the best way to find a teacher whose specialty matches the work you want to make before you enroll. Browse the full class schedule at mannycantor.org/art.

Browse Classes and Register

Ready to take a class? Each instructor teaches specific sessions during MCC’s fall, winter, and spring sessions. Browse by discipline to find the right class and instructor for you:

• Ceramics classes at MCC — wheel throwing, hand-building, and glaze workshops
• Painting classes at MCC — oil, acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media
• Drawing and printmaking at MCC — figure drawing, printmaking, and mixed media

Questions about enrollment? Contact the Educational Alliance Art School office at (646) 395-4264 or visit us at 197 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002.