Our Board Members

Marcus Brooks and his wife moved to Williamsburg, NY in the early 2000's and submerged themselves into the art scene, while finding work in fashion and advertising. In 2012, to escape the Aztec prophecy and fulfill their dreams of reestablishing a local art collective-consciousness, they obtained a refuge in Livingston Manor, NY and have called it home ever since.
Brooks is an ardent image-maker and director, showing his works at galleries, festivals, and museums, as well as shooting for media outlets such as Vogue, ESPN, and Rolling Stone.
Brooks aims to redefine the concept of cultural consumerism and reintroduce a philosophy of a universal appreciation for the creation and experience of art and art culture.

Giana is the co-founder of Broadly Entertaining, an event management and party planning company dedicated to putting women and minorities first. We strive to make the world a more fun place to live for everyone. Giana was raised in community theater, directed and performed on stages her whole life, and spent years teaching musical theater to kids of all ages. She intimately knows the importance of building community through art and has dedicated her career to creating meaningful events that bring people together; while doing good and having fun at the same time.

Kim was a computer programmer for 15 years. This led to a fascination with design apps Photoshop and Dreamweaver. She worked with her husband Rob on layout and design of his illustrations for childrens’ books. She also wrote a childrens’ book Antonyms, Synonyms, Homonyms, which Rob illustrated. They moved to Parksville in 2005, changed gears, and chose the restaurant business: Rolling River Cafe Gallery & Inn for 10 years, Upward Kitchen for 2, and currently Double Up in Parksville.
For PAC, she maintains their website and helps out any way she can. She always envisioned the hamlet as an artistic community, and thinks PAC will bring life and light to Parksville.

Heather is an adjunct professor of dance at Hofstra University and NYU/Tisch. She is a teaching artist for the Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance For PD (Parkinson’s). Her career started at Boston Ballet and Hubbard St in Chicago. Besides being a founding member of The Sean Curran Company, she helped run the company - everything from rehearsal directing to planning tours.
For PAC, she is researching grants. She would like to offer Dance for PD classes at PAC. Also, she is in conversation with Lois Welk, who started the arts center in Corning and has been an incredible resource.

James is a Multimedia Artist and Arts Strategist who studied at The Cleveland Institute of Art and Yale University. He co-founded Art Without Walls in the early 1990's and organized large scale Art Events and Performances in abandoned factories and warehouses throughout multiple states. In 1993 he moved to NYC full time and began making collage-like 16mm film vignettes and short films that were inspired by his involvement with The Monster Movie Club. He began to organize Mini Film Festivals at The Knitting Factory on Leonard Street and helped produce Harry Smith Magic Lantern Recreations with Jones and a variety of musical acts. James additionally worked as a camera operator for BET's Live at The Knitting Factory in the KnitActive Live Room that he helped to design and build. He continued to make and exhibit large scale "sculptural" paintings at this time throughout the City in gallery settings. James bought his first Catskills home in 1999 and transitioned to full-time residency in 2007. The first large scale Art Show he produced in the Catskills happened to be in Parksville at the current Beaverkill Studio site. He is currently a Board Member at The Catskill Art Society. Mr. Karpowicz and the late great Claire Coleman bought and opened the Plunk Shop in Livingston Manor in the Mid 2000's with revolving Art Shows, Music Events and Fashion Fun and he went on to help shoot and assist in the production of Claire's first feature film Chuck, Lost Object Found. James currently is a member of NFS, an Improv Noise Band that utilizes unique instrumentation and general madness to create provocative sounds amidst psychedelic projections. James looks forward to help bring challenging, engaging and community based Art to the Catskill Masses!