Tim McFarlane is a painter based in Philadelphia, PA. His abstract paintings and works on paper examine the fluid and contradictory nature of memory and place as informed by time, with an emphasis on color, multi-layered systems and process. McFarlane’s observations of the visual impact of human activity and his everyday engagement with man-made and natural environments form the basis of his work. McFarlane’s work also includes site specific mixed media installations, murals, photography and digital experimentation.

A 1994 Temple University/Tyler School of Art graduate, Tim has exhibited his work

extensively in the U.S. and at major art fairs in New York, Miami, Dallas and San Francisco. McFarlane’s works reside in numerous private and public collections such as The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Woodmere Museum of Art, The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, Bucknell University, Fox School of Business (Temple University) and West Virginia University. His work is represented by the Bridgette Mayer Gallery (Philadelphia).

Eric Anthony Berdis (BFA 2013) is an artist and educator whose practice strives to celebrate DIY collectivity and play for themself and their students. All while reflecting on the ghost of queer history and activism. Eric has received honors from the Amos Lemon Burkhart Foundation, the Lydia McCain Artist Fellowship, and Slippery Rock's 10 Under 10 Awards. He has had solo exhibitions at The Marlin and Regina Miller Art Gallery as the Artist in Residence at the Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, the University Galleries of Illinois State University, Random Access Gallery (Syracuse, NY), Project 1612 (Peoria, IL), Practice Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), and Bunker Project (Pittsburgh, PA). They have also shown work at Amos Eno Gallery (NYC), Iridian Gallery (Richmond, VA), Stay Home Gallery (Paris, TN), the Erie Art Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  His work has been published in Teaching Artist Podcast, Emergency Index Annual Performance Publication, and New American Paintings. He has also presented papers at CAA (NYC 2022), SECAC (Kentucky 2021), and PAEA (Erie 2023). Eric received his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020 and his M'Ed from Pennsylvania Western University in 2023.

Melissa M. Haims is a sculptor who creates knit graffiti, soft sculpture, and large-scale installations using knitted and crocheted materials.  Additionally, she sews unconventional quilts using vintage fabrics and subversive text. The majority of her work is produced using post-industrial, pre-consumer waste from textile manufacturers.

Since 2012, Haims has focused on creating work about death, dying, and mental illness. She draws viewers in with color, texture, and the promise of a tactile experience (every piece of work is meant to be touched, loved, and handled). They then deliver a “one, two punch” with a challenge to think and talk about difficult subjects.  More specifically, her work has largely focused on America’s endemic gun violence and its impact on our communities. Part of her practice is the documentation of children from 0-17 who have been killed by a gunshot wound. Each child is represented by a small piece of a large sculpture or weaving.

Ms. Haims has worked on a number of large scale, site specific sculptures. In 2020 she built a 35' wide American flag for March for our Lives. This was a voter registration event on the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art’s staircase. In 2021 she created a 12' high sweater for the League of Conservation Voters at the State House in Concord New Hampshire to draw attention to the Build Back Better program. Currently she is working on a gigantic friendship bracelet that will be touring college campuses around the country to talk about mental health.