Staff + Instructors | Englewood, NJ | One River School of Art + Design

Staff & Instructors

Leela Prendergast
Director

Leela Prendergast is a graduate from Rutgers University with a Bachelors Degree in Visual Arts and Communications. She was drawn to One River by her passion for the arts. Outside of One River, she enjoys using her visual arts background and creates works in charcoal and watercolor. She loves to spend her free time outdoors hiking, paddle boarding and practicing yoga. She is excited to continue to grow with One River as we strive to transform art education in America.

Sam Moberg
Assistant Director of Education

Sam Moberg is a graduate from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art and Entrepreneurial Leadership. Since graduating, Sam spent several years traveling and living in South East Asia where she taught and started several arts initiatives in her adopted communities. She is excited to be back in New Jersey sharing her passion of art and growing as an educator at One River.

Taylor Sestito
Assistant Director

Taylor Sestito is a graduate from the School of Visual Arts with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts and a concentration in Psychology. Since graduating, she has not only taught art classes, but has also directed art education programs in New York City, New Jersey and California. Her favorite pieces to create are acrylic paintings, collage work and silkscreens. She has always been interested in how art making is a therapeutic process and always incorporates reflection, healing and growth in her work. Taylor has had a passion for the arts since a very young age and is overjoyed, as an adult, to dedicate her career to transforming that way we create, learn and grow with art education.

Michael DeBrito
Art Instructor

I enjoy painting but always love to explore new mediums and push my work in new directions. Teaching has been my way of giving back my knowledge and experience. What I enjoy most about One River School is that it allows students to explore their creativity while being amongst others who share the same passion and interests.

Liam Eisenberg
Digital art instructor

Liam Eisenberg is a multi media artist from Fort Lee, New Jersey. He recently graduated from Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and Animation and is currently pursuing an MFA in Illustration at School of Visual Arts in NYC. While growing up, art, design, and music were always around him. He would go on to soak up inspiration from Rap album covers, cartoons, New York Times illustrations, current events, and even his parents’ taste in music and movies. What drew him to One River was the wide array of digital and traditional art classes offered to people of all ages.

Nicole Cohen
Art Instructor

Nicole is a video artist with a background in painting and drawing. Her focus is the history of interiors. She inserts performers into vintage interior design magazines and works with perspective and color. She received her MFA from the University of Southern California and her BA from Hampshire College. She has been teaching for over 15 years.

ROBYN PHELPS
Digital Art Instructor

A North Jersey native, Robyn Phelps received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and Animation from Montclair State University. Since then, she has started her career working as an illustrator, designer, and educator at One River School. She has always had a passion for creating art as both a career and a way to express herself, and she’s excited to bring this excitement for art and learning into the classroom. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of creating art you love and the joy it can bring, and sharing that with the next generation of artists is an opportunity Robyn is excited to be a part of.

DANIELLE WEISFELD
Art instructor

Danielle is a Bergen County native and a new addition to the One River School community. She graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design. Danielle is a passionate multimedia artist who has always enjoyed working with children and in community settings. She takes joy in facilitating an enriching environment for her students to create. “Art is such an important part of our lives and the world around us, teaching gives me the opportunity to show that importance to others every day”.

Julian Tejera
Art instructor

Julian Tejera received his Bachelor in illustration from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University and his Masters in Fine Art Painting at the Academy of Art University. He continues to explore various mediums within representational drawing and painting, but never losing his focus on the emotional presence of the figure. Since 2009 Julian has taught at various schools and art centers, sharing with people his love of the creative process. One River’s unique approach to art education gives individuals the opportunity to experiment conceptually and technically, thus nurturing a creative, curious spirit in all their students.

ANTHONY LAWLER
Digital Art Instructor

Coming soon

ANGELA SHIN
Art instructor

Coming soon

GABI MESSINA
Digital Art instructor

Coming soon

ERICA YOON
Digital Art Instructor

Coming soon

TINA GRAMMER
Art instructor

Coming soon

Brooke Garlick
Art instructor

Coming soon

Explore One River Career Opportunities

Career Opportunities for Artist, Educators and Art Lovers

Career opportunities at One River School allow passionate artists, educators and lovers of art to share their love and knowledge of art and enhance the lives of people they connect with everyday.

Together we can transform communities by opening our space and sharing what we do for all who are interested. We work hard, laugh a lot, have fun and make people feel good.

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