Staff
Executive Director
Karen Barthelson
Karen was appointed Executive Director of MAC in 2006 after working several years as MAC’s Exhibition Coordinator. Professionally and personally, Karen has always been involved in art on a variety of levels, coming from a family of artists and taking classes at a young age at the Art Students League in NYC. After graduating cum laude from the University of Connecticut with a BFA in Painting and Drawing, she worked in the graphics field, in publishing at Soundings, Inc., in computer drafting at General Dynamics, as well as doing detailed computer imaging for a company that created four-color separations for wallpaper. Karen continues to take enrichment classes at Mystic Arts Center, Rhode Island School of Design and elsewhere to continue her personal and professional growth. She lives in Stonington with her daughter Kate and dog Penny.
Director of Finance
Judith Flora
Judy has been with MAC since 1998 starting as a part-time bookkeeper and progressing to full-time Director of Finance by acquiring extensive knowledge of financial operations of the organization. Judy came from a restaurant background; she co-owned and operated a local restaurant, Joni’s Place for many years. In addition to financial responsibilities, Judy enjoys designing unusual floral arrangements for MAC’s events and has recently become an Elected Artist member through her love of photography.
Education Director
Dawn Salerno
Dawn grew up suffering through Mystic Disc owner, Dan Curland’s rants about how if she really wanted to hear some good music, she should exchange her Duran Duran “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” for “Pet Sounds.” When the Green Marble opened, she was grateful to have a café in town that didn’t throw out loiterers. When Dawn started at Boston University, she had no clue she’d end up in museums. She found her way to art by studying Classics and Ancient Religions. When she’s not giving a school tour or mixing a martini for Artini Hour at MAC, Dawn can be found at a board meeting of the New England Museum Association or the Fitch High School Alumni Foundation, visiting other New England museums, and teaching kickboxing at the local YMCA where she first met MAC’s Executive Director, Karen Barthelson.
Special Events Coordinator
Gretchen Higgins
After raising two sons and running her ex-husband’s veterinary hospital in NYC, Gretchen Higgins camped, ate and photographed her way across the USA. She played hard in Southern California earning a couple of relatively useless degrees at CSUSB and returned to the East in the late 90’s. She served her country in AmeriCorps at the Providence Children’s Museum and landed happily at MAC in 2003 where she gets to play hard some more with terrific people. She expects to be at MAC until they carry her out in a pine box.
Office Administrators
Kristen Scherer
Kristen joined Mystic Arts Center as its Office Administrator in January 2011. After receiving her BA in Marketing from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, Kristen lived on Nantucket and traveled before settling in Boston. Her prior work experience includes marketing for Winston Flowers and Inc. magazine. Moving back to the area in 2003, Kristen is enjoying raising her two children in Mystic with her husband Mark.
Christina Adams
Christina joined Mystic Arts Center in May 2012, after spending a decade as a stay-at-home mom. A married mother of four children, Christina has lived in Mystic for nineteen years. Christina is an avid runner; she successfully ran her first marathon, KeyBank Vermont City Marathon in May 2010. Her best memory is training in Paris, France where she enjoyed several picturesque runs through Paris streets and the Tuileries Gardens, along the banks of the River Seine. Christina also holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont and has over 15 years experience as a human resources professional.
Marketing Coordinator
Barbara Lipsche
Barbara grew up just over the bridge in Waterford, CT and spent the last couple years living and working in downtown New London. In January 2012, she branched out and now brings her experience in communications, website administration and marketing to MAC’s team as well as an indelible sense of wry humor. When she’s not passionately managing MAC’s social media or working away on a press release, e-blast or other communication she’s surfing the web for the latest e-marketing trends, hitting the gym, hiking, reading or writing. When she’s not doing those things, she’s often found eating or watching movies.
Graphic Designer
James Kaczman
James is not, as has been reported elsewhere, a squirrel, a monkey, or a rabbit. He is, in fact, a human being. He has been an illustrator and graphic designer for almost thirty years. In that time, he has illustrated and graphic designed for publications, such as Newsweek, The New York Times, Time and The Wall Street Journal, and corporate and educational clients, such as AT&T, Boston University, Harvard University, and Microsoft. He has written, designed and illustrated children’s books, including, most recently, Lucky Monkey, Unlucky Monkey, which was published by Houghton Mifflin Company. He has been the graphic designer at Mystic Arts Center since early 2010. His hobbies include climbing trees and collecting acorns.
Development Manager
Andrea Frickman
Since the summer of ’76, Andrea’s mom would pack her and her three brothers, black lab, and all of their bikes in an old woodie station wagon and drive 6 hours to Groton Long Point every July. She can still remember rolling down the windows as they drove by Esker Point to smell the salt air. That smell, the wonderful memories of those visits and meeting her husband Thom brought Andrea down from Boston to Mystic year-round in 2005, after Thom proposed on a sailboat in the Sound just off of Morgan Point. She started at MAC in January 2012, bringing her 15 years’ experience in public schools, universities, and museums. When Andrea’s not at MAC, she’s usually chasing after her 2 boys; her three-and-a-half-year-old son TJ and 4-year-old Boston Terrier, Murphy.
Studio Programs Manager
Carlene Bermann
A New England transplant for just over two years, Carlene hails from Hampton, VA where she received her BFA in Craft/Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009. Her post-college years were spent in environmental and museum education, serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge in Washington State and later at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. She then joined the staff of the Providence Children’s Museum and the interpretation staff of the Slater Mill Historical Site.
When Carlene is not immersed in MAC’s studio-based education programs for children and adults, she enjoys swing dancing, exploring outdoors, traveling, ceramics, metalworking, writing and cooking. She has been a vegetarian for over 16 years and now shares her home with a boisterous four-month-old kitten.
Board of Directors
President
Mary Anne Stets
Vice President
Cynthia Palmer
Secretary
Paul LeBeau
Treasurer
Bill Middleton
Directors
Alex Bancroft
Gwen Basilica
Graham Gavert
Andrew Halsey
Barbara Holland
Jon Kodama
David Madacsi
Christina Morse
Stuart Parnes