About Us
Dot and Line Art Studio's name originates from our thinking about a well known quote by the artist Paul Klee: "A line is a dot that went for a walk." It encompasses our teaching philosophy of learning through play, experimentation, reflection, and engagement. Kate and Branden started Dot and Line Art Studio in Summer of 2021 with a belief that everyone of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can share in the journey of learning and exploration through the visual arts. They live in Mt. Lebanon, Pittsburgh, PA with their 10-year old son, who loves to design, build, and make big messes.
Photo credit: Bill Gugliotta
Kate Gugliotta
Kate, a native Pittsburgher, returned to the city after 14 years living and teaching art in New York City. Prior to moving back to Pittsburgh, Kate designed the art curriculum for the Gillen Brewer School and was their head art teacher for 11 years. Kate also worked in the education departments at the Whitney Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and the Noguchi Museum. Currently, she is the Lower School Visual Arts teacher and Chair of the Visual Arts Department at a private school in Shadyside and teaches in the graduate art education department at Moore College of Art and Design. Kate’s research in education has been featured in several publications and has presented at many conferences and led professional development workshops, both in the United States and internationally. She is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University and holds a MA in Art Education.
Branden Koch
Branden, born in Cleveland, Ohio, lived and worked in New York City for 14 years prior to moving to Pittsburgh. A practicing artist, Branden has shown his work nationally in several group and solo exhibitions, with features and reviews in many in-print and online publications. As an art educator, Branden has worked with students from a variety of backgrounds and abilities. He has taught locally at The Mattress Factory, The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, The Winchester Thurston School, and works with several private students. Branden currently teaches Design in The Fine Art and Design Department at Chatham University, has recently served as Part-Time Lecturer at The Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and as Mentor for MFA candidates at Lesley University Art + Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art and The Milton Avery School of the Arts at Bard College, both with concentrations in Painting. Branden recently attended Interlude Artist Residency in June, 2022, and has had a solo exhibition of his work at Bunker Projects, Pittsburgh, PA in November, 2022.
Meet our Studio Team!
Carolyn Myron has been teaching and working with young children for more than 10 years in various in-school and out-of-school learning environments. She received her M.A. in Art History from Syracuse University and her M.S. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. She has worked and taught locally at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, after school programs at the Shadyside Boys and Girls Club, Winchester Thurston, La Scuola d'Italia Galileo Galilei, and Primrose School of Peters Township. Carolyn also spent 5 years as a therapeutic art instructor for individuals with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. She has led professional development sessions related to early childhood education and experiential art at The Andy Warhol Museum and the Frick Pittsburgh, and has led educator workshops for Trying Together, Maker Ed, and PBS Kids. Currently, Carolyn works in special education for a cyber school and offers educational consulting and programming in art, nature ed, and yoga & mindfulness through her own business, Rooting to Rise, LLC. For more information about Rooting to Rise, visit https://carolynmyron.wixsite.com/rootingtorise or @rootingtorisepgh!
Grace Magyar recently graduated from Chatham University with a Master's Degree in Teaching Art Education K-12. Grace strongly believes that everyone can be an artist, and loves to share the possibilities of visual thinking and making with others. Her goal as an art educator is to help students grow their own artistic voice and confidence through making art.
Grace is a practicing artist with a focus in mixed media art. Her creative practice interweaves the traditional with the contemporary, through combining different mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, and found objects. She currently has work on display at Small Mall Art Gallery in Lawrenceville. Check out Grace's artwork on her website, https://www.gracemagyar.com
Jamie Boyle is an artist who works with a variety of weaving and fiber techniques. She received a BA in Studio Art and Art History from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA in art from The Ohio State University. Jamie’s first weaving teacher was artist Ann Hamilton, in whose studio she worked for several years after graduate school. Subsequently, in New York City, Owyn Marisol Ruck, Kira Silver, Isa Rodrigues, Kelly Valetta, and Jose Picayo taught Jamie how to use a floor loom as a tool for weaving. In addition to weaving in New York City, she frequently collaborated with artists to create material stuff (props, costumes, or set components) for dance and theater productions, working with Wally Cardona and Jennifer Lacy (The Set Up), Faye Driscoll (Thank You for Coming: Play), Ursula Eagly (piece with gaps for each other), Siti Company with Ann Hamilton (the theater is a blank page), and Geoff Sobelle (The Object Lesson), among others. Jamie has shared her love of art and weaving with communities of learners at Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh Public Schools, the University of Pittsburgh, the National Council of Jewish Women NY Lifetime Learning Center, The Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY), and the Textile Arts Center (Brooklyn, NY). Jamie has participated in artist residencies at the Textile Arts Center, the Museum of Arts and Design, Contemporary Craft, and through the SU-CASA program administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council. We're so happy to welcome Jamie to our studio! Learn more about Jamie's work at : http://www.jamieboyleandfriends.com
Elizabeth Friedman is an elementary educator from Mt. Lebanon. She is a graduate of Kenyon College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University. When not teaching first grade, spending time with family, playing tennis, or crafting, she is working towards her doctorate in Educational Leadership.
We are so happy to welcome Cam Houghton to our Studio Assistant Team! Cam is a visual artist and music maker coming from a family of musicians and painters. She has been studying art from a young age and has recently attended the advanced drawing and painting program at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. Cam is a freshman at the Mount Lebanon High school and enjoys cartooning and sculpture in her leisure. Over the past few years she has assisted in local community art programs and enjoys working with children. She values the process of trial and error and advocates for an open environment for students to explore their style without limitation.
We are so happy to welcome Ava Tischendorf to our Studio Assistant Team! Ava is a senior at Mount Lebanon high school and hopes to go to college to study bio medical engineering or the environmental sciences. In her free time Ava babysits and enjoys painting and drawing digitally, as well as making sculptural objects with household materials.
