About Us
Deborah Bazer and Lahri Bond have had the honor and joy of learning alongside children for over twenty-five years each. They strongly feel the need to foster creativity by providing a safe community in which children can experiment artistically, as well as explore and connect with the natural world. They are firm believers in the power of storytelling, and they can often be found in classrooms and under trees, telling tales of wonder drawn from folklore from around the world. In their art classes, they encourage children to tell their own unique stories, both verbally, and pictorially.
Deborah Bazer has enjoyed teaching art classes for children and adults for over 25 years, in her home studio, as well as at Guild Studio School, Amherst Community Arts Center and Artspace. She holds a M.Ed from Antioch New England University in early childhood and elementary education and a B.F.A. in ceramics from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
When she is not making art or telling stories with kids, she can be found in the woods or by the ocean, collecting materials to bring back to the studio. In her studio, she builds sculpture, carves raised relief tiles out of clay, as well as draws and paints.
Lahri Bond has taught art classes to children and adults for over 25 years. He was a founding member of Amherst Community Art Center and the Guild Studio School. Through Lahri Bond Graphics he has created album covers, posters, book covers and illustrations for an international clientele. He currently teaches adult art classes at Holyoke Community College. He was a staff writer for the Parent's Choice Foundation 2005-2020. His paintings are regularly shown at Gallery in the Woods in Brattleboro, VT.
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Aliyah Hall transferred from Holyoke Community College to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is currently pursuing a B.F.A. in Painting. In the spring of 2024, she had her first gallery exhibition at the Glimpse Gallery in Concord, New Hampshire, where she showed 12 pieces of multimedia work. Her work is also featured in the gallery’s online space. Aliyah has always been passionate about art, and at UMass, she has had the opportunity to explore a wide range of mediums, including ceramics, sculpture, collage, and digital art. We are delighted to welcome back Aliyah for her fourth year as artistic assistant.