Welcome to Cotuit Center for the Arts

Award-winning Cape Cod artist Joe Gallant has been a full-time painter and instructor on Cape Cod for 25 years. He has conducted his popular Big Brush painting workshops for beginners and more advanced students at Cotuit Center for the Arts for a number of years. In 2019 and 2021, Joe also conducted all-day painting workshops sponsored by Cape Cod Collaborative for Cape and Islands public and private school arts teachers. He employs a casual and fun approach to painting instruction that his students enjoy.

Joe has an in-home gallery in Sandwich that is open by appointment. His original art, prints, boxed note cards and boxed Christmas cards are also sold in retail stores and on his website at www.capecodwatercolors.com.

Melanie Gillis is an artist and art teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Boston University and a Master of Arts in Teaching Visual Art from Bridgewater State University. She enjoys teaching a variety of mediums that include drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, and clay. She has taught at The Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University and currently teaches in public school and at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. Melanie loves to teach students of all ages and to encourage them to explore, take chances and develop their creative voice. When Melanie is not teaching art she is engaged in making artworks in a variety of mediums; photography, printmaking, clay, and fiber art.

Léonie Little-Lex is a fine artist and illustrator from Cape Cod, MA. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration, then went on to complete her Masters of Arts in Teaching. She shows her work in galleries and art shows on Cape Cod and in the greater Boston area, and has also exhibited nationally in Oregon, New York, and North Carolina. She works in a variety of mediums with an emphasis on painting and pen-and-ink drawings. She recently illustrated her first children's book, "A is for Always: An Adoption Alphabet", published in August 2022. In addition to her work as an artist, Léonie has been an instructor in drawing and painting for over 10 years, both in private and community settings.

Melanie Gillis is an artist and art teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Boston University and a Master of Arts in Teaching Visual Art from Bridgewater State University. She enjoys teaching a variety of mediums that include drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, and clay. She has taught at The Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University and currently teaches in public school and at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. Melanie loves to teach students of all ages and to encourage them to explore, take chances and develop their creative voice. When Melanie is not teaching art she is engaged in making artworks in a variety of mediums; photography, printmaking, clay, and fiber art.

Meet Nick Zaremba, a multidisciplinary artist working in clay who brings a lively world of color, shape, texture, and imagination into the studio. With experience across a variety of art forms, Nick approaches clay as both a playful material and a powerful tool for creative expression.

He especially enjoys helping young artists discover the joy of working with clay and the excitement of turning their ideas into something they can hold in their hands. In his classes, students are encouraged to experiment, problem solve, and trust their ideas as they build confidence through making. With Nick’s warm guidance and creative energy, young makers will have the chance to explore the tactile joy of clay while developing their own artistic voice.

Mary Shea is an experienced educator and artist with a Bachelor of Science from Murray State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Bridgewater State University. She has taught for over 25 years in various studio and classroom environments, including Mansfield Public Schools, Mt. Ida College, Hunakai School of Fine Arts, and the McGraw Ceramic Studio. After retiring from Mansfield Public Schools in June 2021, she moved to Sandwich with her husband in October 2021. When she is not teaching, Mary enjoys hiking and teaching her granddaughters how to paint.

Paula Reardon-Webster is a facilitator, storyteller, mindfulness educator, and community builder passionate about helping people create meaningful lives through connection. After a 25-year career in healthcare leadership, she earned a master's degree in Mindfulness Studies and now designs experiences that blend mindfulness, storytelling, movement, and conversation. Through her work with NowPoint, Paula brings people of all ages together to explore belonging, purpose, joy, and the wisdom that emerges when we truly listen to one another.

Canadian-American artist Jackie Reeves uses mixed media to bring together figurative and abstract elements in her art. She was raised in Montreal by architect parents and studied design art at Concordia University. Her artistic career began as a professional mural painter for corporate, private and public spaces. Concurrently, Reeves co founded the Plymouth Community Art Center. In 2010 she earned her MFA in painting at Massachusetts College of Art and Design at the Fine Art Work Center in Provincetown. She has since exhibited in solo and group shows in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington DC and North Carolina. She has been profiled in numerous publications including WHITEHOT Magazine, the Boston Globe, Art New England and Artscope Magazine.

Reeves is an active member of the Cape Cod community offering mentorship through her art classes, public art and work with youth in creating murals that tackle issues of inclusion, diversity and acceptance.

Jackie works out of the Old Schoolhouse Studios in Barnstable Village and lives with her husband and three daughters in Sandwich, Massachusetts.