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

Christina An

Executive Director

(she/her)

Christina An was an Assistant Director for Education and Engagement at the Cantor Art Gallery, College of the Holy Cross. She received her BA in English from Stanford University and her MA and PhD in the History of Art & Architecture from Boston University, where she also taught art history.

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Her dissertation on Johannes Vermeer and cross-cultural exchange is the subject of recent publications by the Rijksmuseum, most recently Closer to Vermeer (2025). Christina has more than 20 years of experience in education and the arts, including roles at the BU Art Galleries, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Newton Public Schools’ Creative Arts and Sciences, and Teach For America. A longtime Newton resident, she lives in Waban with her husband and two daughters. She is delighted to serve on the Board of Governors to help advance the New Art Center as a dynamic and relevant presence in Newton’s cultural life.

Holly Ludewig Johnson

Interim Co-Director: Operations & Programs
(she/her)

Holly Johnson began her career in operations, HR, and strategic planning at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, among other nonprofits. An entrepreneur at heart, she also founded a mural painting business and a textile design company that combined her passion for business and the arts.

Holly is committed to increasing access to the arts and supporting artists, as well as pursuing her career as a painter and creative. She studied fine arts and painting in college and later earned a master’s degree in business administration to support her love for nonprofit management. She is thrilled to join the New Art team and the Newton community.

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Jan Taylor

Interim Co-Director: Development, Marketing, & Board Governance

(she/her)

Jan Taylor joins the New Art Center with over 25 years of experience in leadership, community development, and nonprofit fundraising, including more than a decade as the owner of a fitness studio dedicated to fostering community and well-being.

A proud native of Provincetown, Jan grew up immersed in the arts and holds a deep appreciation for creative expression, inspired by her grandmother, a celebrated local artist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre and a master’s degree in communications management.

Jan@newartcenter.org
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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
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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