TOM BALBO
Founder & Papermaker Emeritus
Tom Balbo is a Cleveland-based artist whose work has been collected for well over 30 years. Graduating from Baldwin-Wallace College with a BA in 1977, he completed his MFA in Studio Arts at Syracuse University in 1980 where he was awarded a Syracuse University Fellowship Grant and a Ford Foundation Grant. In 2007, Tom teamed up with noted Cleveland-area artists and national hand papermaking artists to improve and conserve the art of paper & book arts educational programming in the US. Knowing that these were art forms worth preserving, the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation officially opened its doors in October 2008.
NICOLE DONNELLY
Executive Director
ndonnelly@morganconservatory.org
Nicole Donnelly is an arts administrator, a hand papermaking artist and educator, and an entrepreneur. New to Cleveland and Ohio, she brings artistic and administrative experience from local, national, and international sources. Nicole established paperTHINKtank, a community-accessible hand papermaking studio in 2013 in her native Philadelphia, PA, focused on sustainable practices and artistic collaboration. She has been an active member and board member of North American Hand Papermakers, and for seven years, Nicole served as President of IAPMA, 2015-2022 (International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists). Her continued commitment to this field has produced collaborative relationships with artists and arts organizations in paper, print, and book arts that promote handmade paper as a traditional craft and artistic medium across the country and around the world.
For now, Nicole leaves behind her active roles teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the University of the Arts; her work as a professional collaborative papermaker for the Brandywine Workshop & Archives and the Brodsky Center at PAFA; and her involvement with the Philadelphia Print Consortium and the printPHILLY! fair, all in Philadelphia. Her articles and essays have been published in Hand Papermaking magazine and by The Legacy Press. Nicole holds a BA from Bennington College (2002), and an MFA from the University of Iowa (2009). She is looking forward to growing with the Morgan, inclusively expanding its communities, and supporting its continued excellence in paper, print, and book arts.
MICHAELLE MARSCHALL
Studio & Community Arts Education Coordinator
Lead Paper Production
MMarschall@morganconservatory.org
Michaelle Marschall has taught art to all ages in the Cleveland area since 2002, after completing her BFA at Lake Erie College. She is in her fourteenth year of teaching children’s art classes at The Cleveland Museum of Art. Michaelle is a printmaker and has been a resident artist with Zygote Press in Cleveland for over a decade. She most recently completed a certificate in less toxic intaglio methods at Zea Mays Printmaking Studio in Massachusetts.
CELESTE STAUBER
Gallery & Store Manager
celeste@morganconservatory.org
Celeste (she/her) is a 2018 graduate of Baldwin Wallace University with a B.A. in Studio Art and a minor in Arts Management. She is a mixed media artist who has shown regionally in the Cleveland area and spent 2021 as a guest curator for E11even2 Gallery located in 78th Street Studios. In 2017, Celeste was the Berea Arts Fest Event Management Intern and has been a BAF board member since 2021. When she is not painting or drawing, you can find Celeste in the Cleveland Metroparks or tending to her plant jungle at home.
KALIA JOHNSON
Marketing & Communications Manager
Kalia (she/her) is a digital content & marketing creative from the east side of Cleveland. She received her BFA in Graphic Design from Bowling Green State University and has worked with several art mediums such as photography, ceramics, book arts, screen printing, & collage. As an advocate of socio-cultural sustainability & community arts, Kalia is excited to assist the Morgan in ensuring that others across the generations can enjoy & learn the traditional art of papermaking.
R.E. ANDERSON (Lysa)
Workshop Manager/Coordinator
Lysa (she/her) graduated from Kent State University with a BA in Art History and a concentration in Visual Communication Design. She is active in her community, managing a flower bed for the Adopt-A-Spot program, the Prop Production Manager for the Wizardly World of Kent Annual Event, and spearheaded the design production committee for the North Water Street Better Block Project. For the last three years, Lysa bicycled in the Ohio-Erie Canalway Coalition 101-Mile Century Ride (her 2-person team continues to be a top fundraiser). Her first class in printmaking at Kent State ignited her passion for paper/book/printing arts. She is deeply committed to and inspired by The Morgan’s mission to preserve and share traditional papermaking and book arts methods through accessible studios and workshops. Her goal as Workshop Manager/Coordinator is to expand the workshops and workshop accessibility for the community/communities at large.
RYAN CERMAK
Studio Assistant
Ryan (he/him) is a visual artist working in Cleveland, Ohio. He received his BFA in 2020 from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a focus in painting and printmaking. In 2022 Ryan worked as a studio assistant in the paper studio for Penland School of Craft. Ryan currently works as studio assistant for Michaelle producing handmade papers for the Morgan’s store and instructing workshops.
ABBEY BLAKE
Artist Opportunity Manager
Abbey Blake (she/her) is a visual artist and educator who works within printmaking, paper, sculpture and fiber arts. Blake received her BFA in printmaking and biomedical art from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2014 and an MFA in printmaking with minors in sculpture and ceramics from the University of Iowa in 2019.
Blake has received several awards and residencies including The Emerging Artist Residency Award through Zygote Press in Cleveland, Ohio, The Tallgrass Artist Residency in Matfield Green, Kansas,The Artist Residency at The Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota as well as Aguafuerte Taller y Grabado in Santiago, Chile. Blake has exhibited both nationally and internationally including galleries at Baldwin Wallace University, The University at Buffalo, Universidad Finis Terrae, Zygote Press, Overpass Press, Inky Editions, Fava Gallery and Good Sport Gallery in London, Ontario.
ALEX CLAMPFFER
Next Chapter Project Manager
Alex (she/her) is a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University, majoring in psychology with minors in marketing, art history, and Spanish. She is passionate about art & design, & is a strong advocate for bringing community together through printmaking and public art programs. Outside of The Morgan Conservatory, some of Alex’s hobbies include music production, looming, and hiking.