We are proud that CMS teachers are professionally trained mosaic artists and members of The Society of American Mosaic Artists.
FACULTY | STAFF | VISITING ARTISTS | VISITING ARTISTS ARCHIVE
Faculty
Karen Ami
MFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, BFA, The Boston Museum School, Independent study, Italy ( Scuolo Mosaici Orsoni, Venice), Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nevis, Mexico, and Ireland. Founder and Executive Director of CMS, President Emeritus- Â The Society of American Mosaic Artists and has served on the Board of Directors since 2005. Â Ms. Ami has exhibited in over 24 countries and is passionate about creating and teaching ceramics, sculpture, and mosaic art.
Matteo Randi
Matteo Randi was born in Ravenna, Italy and began his formal training in mosaic art there at the age of 11. He continued his training at theIstituto d’Arte Gino Severini, then at the National School for the Conservation of Mosaics, both in Ravenna. Mr. Randi creates original mosaic art that continues to win awards in major art exhibitions throughout the United States. In 2011, Matteo and his family relocated to Chicago so he could assume the position of CMS Educational Director. Matteo has been a visiting artist at The Chicago Mosaic School for five years and we are honored to finally have him on site as full time faculty. He brings a knowledge of the traditions and techniques of Mosaic Arts that CMS is proud to offer to our students.
Martha Crandall
BFA, Rhode Island School of Design. Director of Studio B, a Mosaic design company in Chicago. Ms Crandall has been included in many local gallery exhibitions and her work was included in “Beneath The Surface”  National Juried Exhibition in 2006, in Chicago. She is one of the founding faculty.members of CMS, and her specialties include Glass on Glass and Community outreach projects.
Gwyn Kaitis
Master of Arts, Southern Illinois University. Â Ms Kaitis is one of the founding faculty members of CMS and is currently serving as Vice President of The Society of American Mosaic Artists. Her organic and rich work has been widely exhibited and her approach to natural materials is unique and original. Ms. Kaitis has studied lapidary arts and has been an assistant to Maggy Howarth (England) creating pebble mosaics.
Andryea Natkin
BFA, School of the Art Institute Chicago. Ms Natkin had been a painter for most of her career before delving into mosaics full time. Her work has been included in several prestigious juried exhibitions, as well as local shows and art publications. In addition to being a great addition to the CMS faculty, Ms Natkin is the founder and proprietor of Tiny Pieces Mosaic Supply at The Chicago Mosaic School.
Joesph Guyer
Owner of Sterling Mosaics, Joe is a professional tile installer and has been working in the trades for many years. His work can be seen in commercial sites, residences, and public locations around the metropolitan Chicago area.
Laura Rendlen
BFA, Sculpture, Kansas City Art Institute, 19th and 20th Century Fine Decorative Arts Certification, Sotheby’s London, England. Laura’s work has been exhibited in Mosaic Arts International (2009,2010) and local and national group  shows. Her works can also be seen in  magazines such as Mosaic Art Now 2008, 2009,  and Profitable Glass Quarterly. Laura’s work has been published in two books: Mosaic Renaissance and Mosaic Fine Art Portraiture.
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Sue Coombs
Sue Coombs is one of the first students to complete the Certificate Program in Mosaic Arts at CMS. In addition to being included in many prestigious national and local exhibitions, Ms. Coombs work has been featured in several international arts publications. She was an artist in residence at the Gwyendolyn Brooks Middle School, 2010-2011, leading students to create a mosaic mural at the school. She is a great addition to our faculty.
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Helga Dangel
Helga earned her BFA and MAAE from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009. Awarded with the Dr. Margaret Burroughs Award and Curator’s Choice she shows as a painter and sculptor extensively in the Chicago area.
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Ahmed Galal Ibrahim
Ahmed has a Bachelors degree in Mural Arts from Helwen University in Cairo, Egypt. He worked as part of the Sabry Mansour artist team designing and installing 4 large mosaic murals at the Ahram Canadian Univesity in Cairo, as well as a project in Helwan University on the Festivals building. Ahmed’s work has been exhibited nationally and overseas. He brings a great enthusiasm in his approach to classes at CMS and we are happy to have him as part of our faculty.
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Chris Forillo
Chris Forillo has been part of The Chicago Mosaic School from its’ inception. He is the Administrative Director of The Chicago Mosaic School and also serves as part time Operations Manager for The Society of American Mosaic Artists. He is well groomed and well educated (MBA, DePaul University) and we are lucky to have him!
