meet our instructors

Jillian Murphy

Jillian Murphy has been a visual art educator in Colorado Springs for over 20 years, teaching in both the private and public sectors of arts education throughout her career. The emphasis of her personal artwork lies in the three-dimensional world of mixed media and photography. Over the years she has used conceptual ideas and social issues as the motivation for her teachings; using aspects of art theory and art history as the cornerstone of her work and the work of her students. She earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado in 2003 and went on to earn her Masters of Education in Curriculum Design and Instruction in 2015.  In 2019 she was awarded an “Excellence in Arts Integration” recognition from the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and in 2022 was nominated for a Crystal Apple award for excellence in education.  In addition to her new role as Director of Education at zoneFIVE Studios, she continues to work for Colorado Springs School District 11 at the District’s very first A+ Arts Integration School.

Jennifer McGlinchey Sexton

Jennifer is a paper and photograph conservator in private practice in Colorado Springs. Trained as a fine-art photographer, Jennifer holds an M.A. in Art Conservation from Buffalo State College, a certificate in Arts Management from SUNY Purchase, and a BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art. Jennifer has honed her skills as a conservator and photographer in positions at museums, regional centers, and private practices throughout the United States.
 

Jennifer is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), a peer-reviewed status. Her practice is guided by the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice. She has served in volunteer leadership positions in the Western Association for Art Conservation, the Cooperstown-Buffalo Alumni Board, Outside the Lines, and the AIC. Jennifer has held positions at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Menil Collection, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Detroit Institute of Art, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Alaska State Library, and Paul Messier LLC.

Riley Bratzler

Riley Bratzler is a printmaker and mixed media artist with numerous exhibitions under her belt over the last several years. She is the co-founder of Bosky Studio, the working studio and exhibition space for herself and her husband, Brett Andrus. Starting in 2013, Bratzler worked for the creative start-up VSCO as content curator of over 250 million creators around the world. She curated for both on online and physical publications.

Paulette Reading

Paulette has been a textile conservator in private practice in Denver Colorado since 2006. She holds a Masters Degree in Art Conservation from Buffalo State College and an undergraduate degree from Washington
University in St. Louis. Paulette is a member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and the Western Association for Art Conservation (WAAC).

During her years in private practice, she has worked for the following institutions: Denver Art Museum; Denver Historical Society; Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Boulder and others. She has held positions at the Textile Conservation Workshop in South Salem, NY where she completed a National Endowment of the Arts Master Internship, the Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, the Agora Excavations, Athens, Greece, and the National Museum of the
American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, and the Denver Art Museum.

Cynthia Lawrence

Cynthia Lawrence is an experienced paintings conservator with over 35 years of experience. She graduated cum laude with two B.A.'s from the
University of California at Santa Barbara, and holds a M.A. in art conservation from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. She has operated a successful paintings conservation practice in Colorado
since 1996, and held positions at the Rocky Mountain Regional Conservation Center and the Denver Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, the American Museum of Western Art, Denver Art Museum, the Salvador Dali Museum, and New Mexico State Museums.  Cynthia is a Professional Associate of the A.I.C.
 

Cynthia has extensive experience working with easel paintings of diverse media and composition, including paintings on canvas, wood panel, metal, paper supports, and wall murals, spanning the 13th
century to modern and contemporary periods.  She has published articles, taught workshops, and lectured for museum professionals and university students since 1989.