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
Coming soon
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
Yasmine Abdellah
Art Instructor
Willa hut
Art instructor
Willa Hut graduated from Dickinson College with a Bachelor’s degree in Art and Art History, and a minor in Philosophy. She is a painter and collage artist who has taught art in diverse settings including museums, a high school in Rome, and now One River School. Willa has always enjoyed working with children and in community settings. As president of Dickinson’s Arts Collective, she organized art workshops, juried exhibitions, visiting artist lectures, and service projects for the college and greater community.
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.
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.
Find a Class for You
