artNest ArtNest

ABOUT US

LET’S GET MESSY!

We believe in giving children a place where they can completely be themselves, make their own decisions, build their confidence, experience complete and utter freedom of thoughts and ideas and become the best version of their unique selves.

We know that kids learn best when given the opportunity to make their own decisions. Seeing their own ideas come to life creates a natural confidence within them that can't be replicated. We teach our students techniques, styles and methods of Art while still allowing them to make their own creative decisions about their work. Their Art is completely theirs.

We provide opportunities for our students to solve their own problems, make mistakes, work through challenges and celebrate each other's differences and Art. Our main goal, make every day The. BEST. Day. Ever.

Our goal is for children to never deny their creative mind, to explore it even further and continue to give the world the best version of themselves.

STEPHANIE SCIANNA PITTS

ARTIST + OWNER

Art and music were an everyday part of Stephanie’s life growing up. She graduated college with a degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis on painting and photography. Soon after, she acquired her teaching certification and taught Art Education at a Miami, FL Elementary School. Education became her passion. After 6 years, she moved back to NYC to work for The Princeton Review, overseeing multiple afterschool programs.

Stephanie then moved on to School of Rock where she was able to couple her experience and love of education with her passion for the Arts. As Director of Franchise Operations, Stephanie assisted franchisees with successful business practices, implementation of curriculum and had a hand in ensuring that over 20,000 kids around the world learned “how to rock on stage and in life.”

Stephanie currently resides in Delray Beach, FL with her husband and two little boys. She has consulted with various educational non-profits in the area and now presents you with artNEST® Studio. Bringing together her passion for all art forms and inspiring the artist in others, she hopes to ignite the creative souls of the children in the community.

COSIMO SCIANNA

ARTIST + OWNER

Cosimo has enjoyed a long and successful career as designer, illustrator, conceptual photographer, commercial director/cameraman, and artist/photographer.

A graduate of the New York City High School of Art and Design, Cosimo has won nearly every major advertising award for excellence. His debut book is entitled, “Times Square: Celebrating the New Millennium.” (Watson-Guptill).

He has lectured throughout the world and has been published widely. He is a long-standing member of the Directors Guild of America, IATSE, AICP, Getty Images, ASMP and the Society of Illustrators.

He has been an instructor at the School of Visual Arts and was involved for many years in the internship program of New York City mentoring many of today’s successful photographers and filmmakers. His work has been widely exhibited in galleries throughout the United States.

Cosimo presently sits on the Board of the Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park in Boca Raton and looks forward to continuing to nurture young artists.

www.cosimoscianna.com

EMILY HOLTBY

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Emily is endlessly curious and full of big ideas (if not always impossible ones) and enjoys a challenge. She is excited to introduce you to artNEST’s culture of freedom to create and celebration of uniqueness.

Emily found herself at artNEST® Studios after a career in high energy creative youth hospitality. She has sailed the oceans, hosted game shows, slid down the tallest slides, and tested out the gooiest slimes.

She spent time studying fashion, ceramics and travel & tourism before joining a cruise line for a summer job (that lasted 5 years). She has called South Florida home since 2012, but is still Canadian from Eh to Zed.

When not in the studio, you can catch her with her cheesehead husband and glitter obsessed five year old trying out new messy play ideas. Emily enjoys spending time with her two retired speed noodles, thrifting and cooking up new recipes.

Create the things you wished existed!

SARA SACK

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Sara has worked her entire career in Art and Fashion. She has a BFA in Painting and Graphic Design. Her passion for management became clear while working in the fashion retail industry over 20 years ago. Her start was as a Regional and General Manager in fashion and then later moved into the world of Contemporary Fine Art.

From when Sara was a child, her world has been surrounded by Art and creativity. With her mother being an Artist/Art teacher there were always crafts and Art supplies everywhere! Being in a creative environment, Sara grew up with an Artist sensibility and always had the “ I can make that “ way of thinking about anything she saw.

Sara currently lives in Boca Raton with her husband, two teenage children and her one-eyed dog.

COLLEEN USPENSKY

DIRECTOR OF OFFSITES / ENRICHMENT & COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Colleen is extremely passionate about using Art and dance as a tool to spread kindness and joy to all walks of life. With her degree in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado, she has developed and customized social dance curriculum throughout the midwest, US and Europe. For the past 10 years, Colleen has worked extensively in the Chicago Art Education sector where she brought social dance programming to Chicago Public Schools which served thousands of students all over the city. She is excited to join the artNEST® team to spread more joy to the community through Art. Her greatest achievement is her little family made up of her husband and dance partner, two amazing kids and a very special doodle.

NANCY MCGOWAN

BOCA STUDIO MANAGER

Nancy is a true artist from the inside out. From the day she could hold a pencil she started drawing. Her love of Art isn’t limited to just Visual Arts, she has a deep passion for all types of music and other Art forms.

Her Art career started with caricatures, then she found a niche in fashion illustration where she would illustrate for magazines. This led her to jobs as a makeup artist, party planner and custom artwork freelancer. To say she had her hand in many different artforms is an understatement. Nancy can literally make ANYTHING! She has always had dreams of being a Disney Imagineer which is reflected very much in her own artwork.

She now brings her talents to artNEST® where she combines her passion for the Arts with her love of kids and teaching.

Nancy was born and raised in Boca Raton, FL and resides with her husband. When not at artNEST®, you can find her either at the beach, Disney World or creating!

WYETH OLMSTED

SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR

Bright colors, eccentric shapes, and playful designs have attracted Wyeth since before she was of the age of our Little Monsters. Throughout her life she has used Art as a form of self-expression, exploration, and personal development. With a degree in Art and Communications, she has utilized a variety of different mediums including printmaking, embroidery, watercolor, photography and digital media. Her Art focuses on using lighthearted, amusing motifs and vibrant color palettes that spark both the artist and the viewers’ imagination. Wyeth has found Art to be an incredibly therapeutic tool for healing and growth and encourages experimentation and getting a little messy in her practice; exactly what she enjoys most about working in our studio with young artists.

When Wyeth isn’t creating, you can find her roller skating or biking to the beach. She currently lives in Delray Beach with her bunny, Willa.

JENNA COX

DELRAY STUDIO MANAGER

As an artist, a writer, and occasional joke teller, Jenna is constantly creating. With duel degrees in Studio Art and Writing & Rhetoric from FAU, Jenna is driven to bring her artistic dreams to life. From sticky note poems and margin doodles to project plans, Jenna is always in the ON mode when it comes to Art.

A passion for art education and 10 years experience working with children is what led her to artNEST® - where each day sparks a new love for creating and an appreciation for the infinite amount of ways children teach you something new.

In the studio, you will always find her with music on and getting her hands dirty with bubbles and paint. While in her own time, she works on her photography, prose, and is constantly adding to her collection of the best 90’s and early 2000’s CDs she can find.

Jenna was born and raised in Deerfield Beach, FL where she currently lives with her family and hoard of cats.