A Chicago native, Ana grew up with a deep love of painting, drawing and a passion for learning. After graduating Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts with honors in computer graphics and painting, she went onto create computer graphics and interface designs for the games industry. Ana continued her passion for learning by attending The School of The Art Institute of Chicago where she graduated with a Masters of Art in Art Education. Ana furthered her commitment to education throughout her career both by working on the creation of a range of educational programs for clients like Northwestern University and serving as faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and at the College of DuPage. She has received awards and recognition in a broad range of media including oil painting, computer graphics, animation and fiber. As a working artist Ana has kept an artist’s studio in Chicago, Oak Park, and at her current home. She has had her work featured in galleries, museums, art studio shows and in the Chicago Cultural Center. She has over a decade of experience owning, operating, and managing all aspects of an independent design firm working with clients throughout the Chicago area and suburbs. Ana is also an accomplished gardener.

Contact Ana at artschool@waterstreetstudios.org

Steve Sherrell is a career painter from the Chicago school of art. He was raised in Indiana but moved to the Chicago area to finish his education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA and MFA in Painting and Drawing. His early influence was his father who was a painter and window dresser for a large department store. As a boy he was exposed to Abstract Expressionism, Cubism, Pop Art, American Realism and the decorative arts. His training at the School of the Art Institute was with Ray Yoshida and Whitney Halstead, who introduced him to studio practices that he has utilized since he graduated. He is a retired Professor of Art from Joliet Junior College.

He is currently the Director of Exhibitions at Water Street Studios in Batavia, Illinois and founder of the Water Street Studios Artist’s Collective.

Contact Steve at ssherrel69@gmail.com

Gianna Bisogni is the Events and Marketing Manager. She comes to Water Street with 10 years of experience in customer service and hospitality, managing hair salons in the Fox Valley area. Gianna has loved art since she was a small child attending art fairs and classes with her mom and siblings. Her passion for creating was re-awakened taking ceramics courses at Water Street Studios where she later became a clay lab subscriber. She also loves learning about and collecting plants, maintaining a collection of rare house plants and a yearly vegetable garden. Gianna’s favorite thing to do in the clay lab is throw on the wheel, and her favorite plant from her collection is the Philodendron Silver Stripe.

Contact Gianna at events@waterstreetstudios.org

Laura joined the WSS team in July, 2023. She had recently retired from managing a library Foundation for 16 years, and in her multi-decade career in Development, she raised millions of dollars for capital and special projects, programming and operational needs. While exploring what to do next with her life, she saw that Water Street Studios was looking for fundraising help. As a lover of art, she was delighted to become part of the WSS team!

Laura loves being a Development Officer because of the amazing donors she has had the privilege to assist as they made their philanthropic decisions. “It is rewarding to see how giving positively impacts the donor(s) and the people they have helped through their generosity." Laura shares, “When I was President of the Delnor-Community Health Care Foundation years ago, the saying above the donor wall was a quote by Winston Churchill - You Make A Living By What You Get, You Make A Life By What You Give - I think this articulates the power of giving very well!”

You can reach Laura at fundraising@waterstreetstudios.org.

Carly Palmer wears many hats at Water Street Studios. On the gallery side, she partners with the Director of Exhibitions and the Gallery Committee to coordinate the behind-the-scenes organizational details for our gallery shows in the Dempsey and Kane County Gallery. She is a co-curator, alongside Ana Vitek, for the new Community Gallery that is located on the second floor amongst the Resident Artist 2D studios. In addition, she is an instructor for the School of Art where she engages with our surrounding local community. She is currently teaching in the CAPE and Art Flow Mercy Housing outreach endeavors, and has also taught senior classes at the Holmstad. Carly is a Resident Artist at Water Street Studios. Her mediums are painting, collage and writing. She enjoys being able to work with other creatives towards a meaningful vision.

Contact Carly at carly@waterstreetstudios.org

Kim Peterson serves as the bookkeeper for Water Street Studios. She comes to WSS with energy and passion around supporting small businesses and non- profits. Kim has a diverse background as an Accounting Management, Office Manager and in Relationship Building. She is an active supporter of Mooseheart Child City through her membership in the Batavia Moose Club.

Her artistic creativity consists of holiday projects, home projects and gifts for others while having a great respect for all the artists at our studio. She has a daughter that resides in Virginia (formerly of Iowa City) with 3 amazing Granddaughters that are the focal point of her everyday - Lillian who loves her clay classes and free form drawing, Identical Twins Olivia & Elaina, each expressing themselves through storytelling, creative imagination and most recently, painting.

Kim is an advocate for adopting pets from a local shelter, having fostered several litters of kittens and pups. She is a firm believer that all children can express their thoughts and expressions through art when given the opportunity.

Contact Kim at registration@waterstreetstudios.org

Erin took several 2D classes at Water Street Studios before taking her first wheel throwing class in 2022. She instantly fell in love with ceramics and working with three dimensional forms. She became a Clay Lab member after a few months to deepen her knowledge of ceramics, as well as learn more about the workings of a community studio. Her favorite part about being a member of the Clay Lab is the comradery and being inspired by the talent and creativity of all the other members. She enjoys looking for new challenges to broaden her skills throwing on the wheel and perfecting the finish of her pieces.

Contact Erin at claylab@waterstreetstudios.org

Mark is a Batavia resident and sculptor/metal smith. He was a resident artist at Water Street from 2016-2023 when he moved across the river to a bigger space. You’ll still see Mark around the studio in a maintenance role, helping care for our historic building.

Contact Mark at markadams2667@yahoo.com