Our Team | Meet the Staff at New Art Center in Newton, MA

Christina An, PhD

Executive Director

(she/her)

Christina An, PhD, is an arts educator, museum professional, and community builder who believes art has the power to connect people, spark curiosity, and strengthen communities. Before joining New Art as Executive Director, she held leadership and education roles at the Cantor Art Gallery, Boston University Art Galleries, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Newton Public Schools. Christina holds a PhD in the History of Art and Architecture from Boston University and has spent her career creating opportunities for people of all ages to engage with art in meaningful ways. A Newton resident and former New Art board member, she is excited to help shape the future of an organization she has long admired.

Seline Smith

Senior Program Manager
(she/her)

Seline Smith is an artist and artist educator in Boston, MA. Smith’s work is primarily focused on the human experience through an eerie lens. Her work culminates uncomfortable feelings through usage of color, imagery and composition. Smith’s work focuses on the opportunities unknown in an other worldly place, critiquing and commenting on modern life. Smith shows her contemporary paintings, collage, and print work in multiple shows throughout Boston including Newton Open Studios, Cambridge Common rotating gallery, New Art Center, and Harvard. Seline received her BFA in Painting and Art Education, from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 2020. Seline currently teaches at The New Art Center, in Newton, MA teaching all ages in primarily paintings, drawing, mixed media and print.

seline@newartcenter.org

Erin Palazzolo Loparo

Art as Therapy Co-Founder & Program Leader (She/her)

Erin Palazzolo Loparo (b. Tarrytown, NY 1979) is an abstract expressionist, mixed-media and mandala artist based out of Andem Art Studios in Brookline, MA. Erin designs and leads art therapy groups at the New Art Center Newton, formerly worked as resident artist for Brookline Early Education Program and creates private commissions. She has exhibited art in NY and the Boston area with work on permanent exhibit at Harvard Medical School.

Erin graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, with a B.A. in English and honors thesis in Studio Art from Williams College (2001), MS in Art Therapy from The College of New Rochelle (2005), and earned her ATR (Registered Art Therapist credential in 2008.

Growing up, Erin trained under printmaker Myril Adler, graduated valedictorian of Briarcliff High School, NY (1997), studied at Syracuse University School of Art and Design in Florence, Italy (1999) prior to graduating from Williams College (2001). Erin previously worked as a non-profit program analyst for Charity Navigator, in psychiatric hospital and skilled nursing home settings, and as Chair of the Art Department for Mount Alvernia High School in Newton, MA.

She is a member of the American Art Therapy Association, Cambridge Art Association, Mosesian Center for the Arts, and Unbound Visual Arts.

Erin@newartcenter.org

Marte Humbert

Registrar (she/her)

Marte Humbert has been at the New Art Center since 2010. As the Registrar she is the point person for the Center along with overseeing registrations and class availability. Her early working career was in the field of Employee Relations. In her free time she enjoys designing and creating jewelry and spending time with family and friends.

marte@newartcenter.org
617-964-3424 x 12

Gabryella Rodrigues

Development & Marketing Coordinator (she/her)

Born and raised in Framingham, MA, Gabryella has been a lifelong lover of the arts and culture in all their forms. Whether it was making paint from berries in her backyard as a child or performing in the theater for over 9 years, creative expression has always been at the heart of who she is. Recently graduated from Suffolk University with a B.A. in Global Cultural Studies and a concentration in Interdisciplinary Arts, Gabryella began her journey at the New Art Center as an Education Intern and has since stepped into the role of Development & Marketing Coordinator. She is thrilled to continue supporting such a vibrant community and wonderful organization.

gabryella@newartcenter.org

Mattea Weinberg

Facility & Studio Coordinator (she/her)

Mattea has taught at the New Art Center since 2024 and added to her role as the Facility & Studio Coordinator role in 2025. Mattea has a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Public Engagement from the Maine College of Art and Design (MECAD) in 2017 and returned to MECAD for her Master in the Arts of Teaching (MAT) degree in 2018.

Her artistic practice focuses on documentation, pattern-making, and reportage. She remains extremely interested in ethnography and relationships between objects. Her usual medium is watercolor and ink.

mattea@newartcenter.org

Kylie Marden

Ceramics Technician (she/her)

Kylie Marden works as the New Art Center’s ceramic technician and as a clay teacher. While receiving her BFA in ceramics from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Kylie led a student organized group centered around food justice and community partnerships. Since graduating, she has been the 2024 recipient of the William Wyman Fellowship. In her free time, Kylie enjoys visiting museums, reading poetry, and spending time with her cats.

kylie@newartcenter.org

Cici Martignetti

Education and Program Manager (she/her)

As Education and Program Manager at New Art, Cici leads vacation and summer camps and supports a wide variety of education programs. She brings extensive experience as an art educator, having taught students of all ages across a diverse range of settings including public, private, and alternative schools, community centers, and art studios. Fueled by a love of community and creative learning, she is deeply committed to making art education accessible and meaningful for all. Most recently, Cici served as Studio Manager, Curriculum Developer, and Art Educator at Slow River Studio, where she built curriculum systems for 15+ teachers and managed studio operations. She holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont.

cici@newartcenter.org

Katherine (Kat) Wetherall

Ceramics Technician (she/they)

Kat joined New Art as a Ceramics Studio Technician in January 2026. Kat is currently completing her MFA in Ceramics at Tufts. She holds a BFA from Warren Wilson College, where she earned Dean’s List honors, received the Dusty Benedict Award, and served on the Ceramic Crew through the college work program. We’re excited to have Kat supporting our ceramics community and helping keep the studio running smoothly.

kat@newartcenter.org