Meet the Faculty
Personal Enrichment Courses: Noncredit Instructors
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Ashley is currently the Narrator of Disney Dreamlight Valley. Her voice can be heard in over 80 commercials, as well as voice-matching celebrities for Marvel, Disney, Pixar, Paramount and Sony in the properties Inside Out, Captain Marvel, Vice, Sofia the First, the MTV Movie Awards & more!
She’s been the voice of: Crest, Walt Disney World, Walgreens, Oreo, Walmart, Oprah Magazine, & AT&T.
Other credits include: Solar Opposites, Marvel’s What If…? We Bare Bears, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Eliza in Final Fantasy: War of the Visions, Glitter, and Atlas Fallen.
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Denise Bessette is a professional actress/producer and teacher with over 40 years of experience in theatre, television and film. She has taught as an Adjunct Acting Professor at Purchase for many years, and founded Westchester’s Hudson Stage Company, which specialized in the development of new plays and contemporary work.
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Rafael Ferrer (rafaelferrer.com) has been a professional voiceover actor for almost 30 years. His voice is one of the most identifiable and requested in the entertainment industry. His voiceover credits include more than 1,000 national commercials, and he has voiced network promos for every major television broadcast and cable network and movie trailers for every Hollywood studio. He is the voice of Pencil in HBO’s Little Curious cartoon series, Stavros in FX’s Archer series, and Darth Malak for the popular video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Ferrer works on both coasts and currently resides in Connecticut.
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Michael G. Garber, PhD, is an interdisciplinary historian of American film, musical theater, and popular songs of the first half of the twentieth century, leader of community engagement music programs for all ages, and an award-winning college teacher. His many writings on movies, theater, and music include the books My Melancholy Baby: The First Ballads of the Great American Songbook and Songs She Wrote: Forty Hits by Pioneering Women of Popular Music.
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Originally hailing from Washington state, Madison Jones is an artist currently living and working in New York. Their work includes many different disciplines with a focus in lens-based work and prints. They received their BFA from Eastern Washington University are currently enrolled in the MFA/MA program at Purchase College.
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Arnold Kastenbaum rekindled his love for photography in his early 40s when he connected with other fine art photographers in the local area. Since then he has participated in numerous shows in Westchester county and New York City. In his work no attempt is made to depict an object as it naturally appears. His goal is to create a new object that didn’t exist before. Kastenbaum is well suited to support his photography students on a similar path of personal vision development.
Website: www.akastenbaum.com
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A professional artist for over 40 years, Andrew Lattimore’s work is currently in numerous private collections and institutions in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Italy.
Committed to the practice of fine art since the age of 12 when he began his artistic training, Andrew has remained true to his endeavor, “the pursuit of truthful beauty in human creativity.”
Following his passion, Andrew studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts in New York with renowned artists Daniel Greene, Edmond Fitzgerald and Harvey Dinnerstein. A major influence on his artistic life was his study of life drawing and anatomy with Stephen R. Peck, author of the consummate book on anatomy, Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist. Throughout Andrew’s artistic career, the human figure has remained his most inspiring subject. “The challenge, the mechanics, and the rendering of the human form leaves no room for error,” he says. Represented by Portraits, Inc. for over 30 years, Andrew says, “The challenge of portraiture involves finding out what inherently makes someone unique. I not only want to render their physical likeness but reflect the spirit of the individual as well. This is what makes for a successful portrait.”
Once he completed his training at The National Academy of Fine Arts in New York, Andrew spent three years in Europe which became the definitive influence in his professional life.
A life-long New Yorker, Andrew is a noted painter of the figure and still life. His official portrait of Gov. George Pataki hangs in the Hall of Governors at the State Capitol in Albany. Also, a prominent landscape painter, Andrew’s work has been featured in PleinAir Magazine. Andrew is represented by Portraits Inc. in New York and Portrait Brokers of America in Birmingham, Alabama.
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John (JP) Morgan trained and worked as a film editor at renowned visual effects house, R/GA Digital Studios in New York City, before becoming a full-time teacher. Working alongside top commercial directors, designers, animators, and digital compositors, he helped create ground-breaking special visual effects for motion pictures and television. Trained in both 35mm film and computer-based editing platforms, JP has cut everything from TV commercials and documentary films to motion picture special effects and main title sequences. He enjoys teaching and learning from students who share his passion for film.