Diane Luger

Board Member

Diane Luger received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City earning her degree in graphic design which led her to a career in Publishing. She was the VP Executive Art Director for the Hachette Publishing Group where she designed award winning covers for New York Times Bestselling authors including James Patterson, Nelson DeMille and Sandra Brown.

In recent years, Diane had the opportunity to contribute to community projects. She entered her design illustrating the “History of Port Washington” for a mural competition. Her design was selected by Residents Forward and Hearts PW. The mural can be viewed at the corner of N. Maryland Avenue and Main Street. Although Diane had a rich career in the graphic arts, she also nurtured her lifelong love of photography. She discovered and became a member of The Long Island Center of Photography where she was able to exhibit her work at various venues over the years.

Most recently, Diane began painting with watercolor, which is now one of her favorite mediums. Diane continues to learn and practice by taking classes with Marc Josloff as well as other instructors at The Art Guild.

Jo-Anne Behal

Board Member

Born in Australia, Jo-Anne has made Manhasset her home for the past 21 years. Now retired, Jo-Anne worked for over 20 years in the hotel/hospitality industry in operational, managerial, corporate, and consulting capacities. She has a deep personal passion for achieving excellence and creating an environment where both businesses and people flourish. The most exciting part of her experience was working in 12 different countries, in various multi-cultural environments.

She and her husband both love to travel and explore new places. In addition, Jo-Anne enjoys abstract painting, photography, ballroom dancing, and genealogy.

Affiliations
The Art Guild of Port Washington
Nassau County Museum of Art
Long Island Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Manhasset Bay Yacht Club

Mary Behling

Board Member

Mary Behling is a physician who practiced psychiatry starting in 1982 and returned to her childhood interest in art upon retiring in 2017. At that time she relocated from the Stony Brook area, where she was Psychiatric Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Stony Brook University to North Hills. Her husband, Jay Bock, was a professor of Pathology at Stony Brook and retired at the same time. Mary’s business experience included running a private practice in addition to heading the campus psychiatry services at Stony Brook for 27,000 students. She served for 22 years on the Board of Directors of the Heritage Square Condominium Association in East Setauket. In addition to providing services on the SBU campus, she was involved with the training and mentoring new physicians from the hospital residency program and coordinating with the campus health services. Currently she rents studio space and is active in many of the day to day activities at the Art Guild.

Mark Mancher

Board Member

Safia Fatimi

Board Member

After Safia Fatimi received a B.S. in Bio-medical Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1994, she worked as a commercial photographer in New York City photographing fashion, beauty, portraiture, and stock for various magazines, record companies, and advertising agencies.

In 2005, Safia received an M.A. in Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2015, she returned to Columbia University to research adolescent smartphone and digital camera photography and received her doctoral degree in 2021.

Safia has been included in various group and solo exhibitions throughout her career. Currently, she teaches photography, graphic design, filmmaking, and ceramics at Great Neck South High School. She resides with her family in Port Washington, NY.

Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Exhibition; Westbury Arts, Westbury, NY 2022.
Into the Light; The Art Guild – Port Washington, NY 2022
Teachers College; Columbia University, New York, NY 2020 and 2005.
The Art Guild; Port Washington, NY 2019
Safia Fatimi: Moments in Two Parts: JCC, East Hills, NY 2013.
Safia Fatimi: Glimpses; Port Washington Public Library, NY 2010.
Fatal Love; Queens Museum of Art; Queens, NY 2005.
Shaken and Stirred; Bose Pacia Gallery; New York, NY 2001.

Honors

Myers Art Prize; Teacher College, Columbia University. 1/18, 1/19, 1/21.
Teaching Artist in Residence; Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY, 5/05-6/05.
Recipient, Photo District News/Nikon Pix Award: Website. 10/03.
Selected Photographer, Photo District News “Photography Annual: The Power of
Photography.” 8/02 and 8/03.
Recipient, Photo District News/Nikon Self Promotion Award: New Talent. 10/97.

Heather Schwartz

Assistant Director

Heather Schwartz’s background is in Pension and Retirement benefits working at Black Mountain Management for clients’ Human Resource departments.

Heather has explored her creative side at AR Workshop in Port Washington as an instructor assisting students in construction of home décor crafts using wood, canvas, acrylics, stain, and stencils. She also spent time in an administrative position at the Port Washington Union Free School District before coming to The Art Guild.

I love the comfortable “homey” feel of The Art Guild.  It is a pleasure to work in such a creative environment with a collaborative, friendly staff, surrounded by works of art from many talented artists.

Heather and her husband live in Port Washington with their three children and dog.

Heather loves to construct crafts using wood, stain and acrylic paint, drawing and coloring with pencil and gel pens, and sewing pillow covers and furniture reupholstering. Some of her favorite crafts were building dollhouses for her daughters!