Val Sivilli • BIO

Originally from Brooklyn then Long Island and then Brooklyn again, I currently reside in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. These days, I am building ‘The Civilian School of Art’. It will combine my experience as an art foundation educator and small business entrepreneur into a series of courses delivering excellent and accessible artistic skills in a virtual and affordable environment. On a good day, I can be found playing my accordion somewhere, yet I tend not to stray too far from the banks of the Delaware River in Western New Jersey.

 TEACHING

I teach in the Visual Arts Department at many Universities, Colleges and Art Centers (CV) Since 2003, I have taught at both Bucks and Raritan Valley Community Colleges. I currently teach studio classes both online (via Canvas) and face2face. My current roster of courses include Color Theory, Drawing 1&2, 2D Design, Screenprinting, Book Arts, Monoprinting & Relief.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT THROUGH GRAPHIC DESIGN 

After a 2-year run as the director the coop, The Steamroller Gallery, I adopted Civilian Art as my identity as a T-shirt and graphic designer. While living and working in Frenchtown, New Jersey, I became totally immersed in my community by engaging in the local schools, youth, and professional organizations through a large variety of locally produced art related projects, exhibitions, auctions, youth projects and civic associations. Civilian’s graphics became the face of many of Frenchtown's events including Riverfest and Bastille Day. As the founder of The Hunterdon Art Tour - THAT, a self-guided tour of artist studios throughout Hunterdon County, I served on the board until 2021 branding and creating all of THAT's graphics.

MENTORS

During my 2 years as a Graduate Student at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers, I both taught Screenprinting and was the head of the Printshop.  Antonio Frasconi was my mentor at SUNY Purchase. Val Cushing and Wayne Higby guided me through ceramics at Alfred University with Jesse Schefrin and John Wood as my printmaking instructors. Between undergrad and graduate school, I lived in NYC traveling and working with both Leon Golub and Nancy Spero printing Leon's etchings at the The Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop

Wordpress : https://www.valsivilli.com

Facebook : https://facebook.com/valsivilli/

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/valsivilli/

Linked In : https://linkedin.com/val-sivilli-69586213

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCInPzXrH_lH258MF2MjgAvQ