About the Adrian Center of the Arts

Val Herr is the Executive Director of the Adrian Center for the Arts. She leads a team of exceptional artists and women to make sure that art is an important and accessible part of the community.

Pi Benio is the Programming Director for the Adrian Center for the Arts. Pi has been an essential member of the LCVA since its beginning and founded the Adrian Center of the Arts. She has a BFA with concentration in ceramics, fibers, sculpture and art theory. Pi is a 40-year veteran professor of art at Adrian College and has received numerous awards for her work. She has been a guest lecturer and instructor at various universities and arts organizations.

Taina is the Youth Programming Director at the Adrian Center for the Arts. Her love for painting began at age 14 and has continued to grow throughout her life. She majored in Fine Art at CCS in Detroit until she enrolled in a class called ‘Psychology of Creativity’ that inspired her to pursue art education. While teaching K-12 art for 25 years she continued to study and produce art. Taina’s art is rooted in story-telling and expressing emotional experiences. Her portraits combine symbolic content to create highly personal glimpses into the subject’s lives. She especially likes to explore the simultaneous experiences of life through layering and transparency. Taina has a studio in the 2-D Gallery studios.

Jill is the Acorn Studio Director at the Adrian Center for the Arts and teaches several painting classes. When not at the ACA she enjoys gardening and spending time with family. Her passion is in painting with pastels and enjoys teaching others. Jill is also an accomplished cook and enjoys cooking for others. Jill facilitates our Thursday Painting Club which is a free painting club open to our members.

Laura is the Clay Studio Director at the Adrian Center for the Arts. She earned her BFA in Studio Art, Ceramics at Adrian College and her MFA in Studio Arts, Ceramics at the University of South Carolina. Upon her return to Michigan, she taught at Adrian College, Henry Ford College, and the Village Potter’s Guild.

Annemarie is the Director of Metalsmithing/Jewelry at the Adrian Center for the Arts. She is a lifelong artist who continued her art education with formal study in metalsmithing. Annemarie has expanded her skills through co-mentoring with regional artists and loves to help others find joy in their art.

Catherine Royer is a painter/drawer who fell for letterpress (and printmaking) after becoming interested in book arts about 20 years ago. She’s a lifelong teacher recently retired from the art department at Adrian College. She makes art in all of these media, and often creates one-off mixed media prints which may also include drawn and painted elements.

Susan is the Glass Studio Director at the Adrian Center for the Arts. She is an accomplished art glass beadmaker, also known as lampwork or torchwork, and teaches beadmaking and other glass techniques. Her foray into glass began in 2001 with a class she took at the Toledo Museum of Art. Susan was represented in the last seven annual juried exhibits by the International Society of Glass Beadmakers as well as several other shows, and published in Bead & Button, The Flow, Ornament, and Profitable Glass Quarterly magazines.

Julia Tomaro is the Director of Volunteer Engagement at the Adrian Center for the Arts. She has 40 years of experience as a K-12 art teacher and loves being a part of the ACA community. Julia is proficient in many art disciplines and enjoys volunteering for a community center that offers a diverse range of options for artists of all levels.