We thank our current (and past!) board members for the generous gift of their time to serve NESA.
Justin Perlman
PRESIDENT
Justin Perlman is a sculptor and fine artist living in Bethlehem, CT. The pursuit of various artistic processes has taken Justin on diverse roads as exemplified in his work, which exists in private and public collections around the globe. From studies in anthropology at Hampshire College he journeyed to focus on sculpture at the Art Students League of NY. From there he moved to Pietrasanta, Italy so that he may work with master sculptors and artisans of marble carving. Seeking deeper knowledge in sculptural processes, Justin returned to the USA as an apprentice and master chaser at a bronze foundry where he trained in all facets of fine art bronze casting. In 2004, Justin moved to Connecticut where he continues to create works of art for exhibition, as well as private and public commissions. Through all of his travel and studies, he has maintained the belief taught to him by his father, “Whatever you do, take care in it, and do it well.” This belief and understanding guides his hand along with his heart. Justin is also teaching sculpture and bronze casting at the Silvermine Art Center in New Canaan, CT.
Bayda Asbridge
VICE PRESIDENT
Bayda is a multi-disciplinary artist, who works in a wide range of mediums. Bayda was trained as an Asian Brush painter then she moved on to teach that art form at Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA. She has vast knowledge in painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, Japanese weaving (Saori), mixed media , sculpture, installation, and basketry. Her work has been recognized in several New England art institutions which gives her a well-rounded knowledge of all stages of artistic production from conception through to presentation.
In 2011 Bayda was awarded the Frances Kinnicutt Travel & Study Award from Worcester Art Museum so she traveled to England and studied mixed media. In 2021, she was awarded Mass Cultural Traditional Arts Award in Arabic Calligraphy and got trained in Arabic Diwani font. More recently in 2023, Bayda was awarded the individual artist grant from Mass Culture which she utilized in learning traditional and modern fiber and wire basketry weaving.
Bayda runs art classes and workshops at Worcester Art Museum, the Worcester Craft Center, Snow Farm New England Craft, and many other local education institutions in MA.
Michaela Morse
SECRETARY
Michaela Morse is an interdisciplinary conceptual artist who seeks to listen deeply and respond carefully to people and materials. She works with fibers, organic matter, repurposed objects, photography and digital processes to investigate how ideas intersect. A common thread in her practice is considering the ways in which we are intertwined with other beings across greater social and cultural exchanges. Notable projects include establishing a pollinator-friendly garden with arts programming at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and her ongoing “my dried hot drinks” series, through which she reflects on an inward response to the climate crisis. From research to fabrication, Michaela strives to practice a more world-centered way of thinking and reflect rigorously on the contemporary challenges of living in an out-of-balance biosphere that is pushing back, calling us into relationships in which the livelihoods of all entities are always already inextricable.
Ilana Krepchin
TREASURER
Ilana has a BA from Hampshire college in Photography and Anthropology, and extensive training in jewelry making from a number of venues including the Decordova Museum. Post-college she worked as the Associate Director of a small non-profit arts collaborative, running teen photography programs. During that period, she also took a lot of jewelry making classes at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and Metalwerx. When she left that job, she immersed herself in the world of jewelry production and craft shows. She worked for many years as a studio manager and production assistant for an established jeweler; and then went out on her own. When the pandemic hit – she didn’t have the usual hustle of craft fair after craft fair forcing her to think of which pieces were likely to sell. All of a sudden, she had the freedom to just make whatever she wanted. So she started to get bigger and bigger. She is excited to on the board of NESA to help grow the organization.
Lynn Simmons
Community Arts Liaison
Lynn Simmons is an artist and educator living and working in Worcester, Massachusetts who has a keen interest in conceptual approaches and social issues. For Lynn, art has the potential to remind us of connections between each other and to things larger than ourselves. Her visual work is involved in conversations between nature and abstraction, location and memory, and activism and materials.
Lynn’s work has been exhibited in venues across New England such as the Portland Museum of Art (Maine), the Institute of Contemporary Art in Portland, Maine, Fitchburg Art Museum, Attleboro Arts Museum, the Jamestown Art Center, Gallery A3 in Amherst, Massachusetts, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport, Maine, and the T.W. Wood Gallery & Arts Center in Montpelier, Vermont. She holds a BFA in Sculpture from the Maine College of Art & Design (2001), and an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Fine Arts (2007).
Lynn is currently Associate Professor of Practice, Art & Design at Assumption University and has served as a committee member for Art in the Park, Worcester for over 15 years. She was also co-director of Healing Fibers, an annual group exhibition and forum that focused on various social justice themes. Lynn looks forward to working with members of NESA, helping to create new connections through community building and sculpture.
www.lynnsimmons.com | @lynnsimmons.studio
Domenic Esposito
DIRECTOR – PAST PRESIDENT
Domenic Esposito is a Massachusetts based artist and social activist. Considered a sculptor first, he continues to refine his craft with deliberate vocabulary borrowed from Renaissance Italy, as well as his own personal cultivation of Asian culture and principles. He founded the Opioid Spoon Project, a 501(c)(3) to serve as a solution-based platform that seeks legal justice and brings voice to the destructive effects of opioid addiction on people from all walks of life.
Domenic’s work has been exhibited in a range of galleries and art fairs across the U.S., including Beacon Gallery and Piano Craft Gallery, Boston; Insight Artspace, New York; Scope, NYC; Art Palm Beach; and SOFA Chicago Art Fair, among others. He recently completed a prestigious artist residency at Mana Contemporary, which lead to his print work with legendary Gary Lichtenstein.
His previous career in the corporate financial world and his experience founding a non-profit round out his art career.
Zvi Goldman
DIRECTOR – MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
Zvi is a contemplative and narrative driven abstract conceptual sculptor. It is his goal to balance intrinsic aesthetics and thought-provoking meaning, and express life, humanity, and the natural world. He works primarily with wood and clay.
Jill Jacobs
DIRECTOR – EXHIBITS CHAIR
Jill Jacobs is a metal sculptor based in Massachusetts. Her abstract works are made of bent and welded steel rod. Her restricted medium and tool usage has informed her visual vocabulary. She has a BFA in sculpture and photography, and a minor in philosophy. Her creative practice explores themes of universal human experiences and life’s momentous thresholds. Jill is also an accomplished visual designer, photographer, and has a dedicated writing practice in poetry and non-fiction. Jill works out of her home studio and her sculptures have been shown throughout Massachusetts.
Patricia Aronson
ARTS DIRECTOR
Pat is a retired OB/GYN who has always loved the arts. While pursuing a post-retirement degree in Arts Administration, she connected with the Society of Arts and Crafts and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and has worked as a part-time administrative assistant in both. She loved working as a Museum Educator at the MFA from 2019-2020, assisting in family programs and gallery learning. Pat is excited to be joining NESA and supporting its work with her organizational skills, community outreach, and fundraising experience.