Art Studio/Fine Art

Rose Thome Casterline

West Campus, 5-146

Professor Thome Casterline is an artist-educator who has been teaching at Valencia College since 2001. She believes that anyone can draw, paint, and design – it’s teachable. Her teaching merges student experimentation with traditional fine art training, fostering foundational and creative thinking skills through the lens of contemporary and social art issues. This approach builds student confidence and their evolving artistic “styles.” Professor Thome Casterline earned her BFA from Kent State University and her MFA from SCAD. She serves as the program chair for West campus and the DTC and teaches classes including Drawing I, Design I, Life Drawing, and Painting I and II. You can view examples of her work at: rosethomecasterline.com

Andrew Downey

East Campus, 3-117

Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Professor Downey shares an experience with his students: earning an AA from Valencia College. He believes that students learn best anything which requires skill by doing and more importantly through practice, practice, practice. Being in the studio working and doing exercises that build one skill on top of the next, students should start to see their skill develop and can also see their strengths and weaknesses and be able to work on improvement and growth. Professor Downey earned his BFA from UCF and his MFA from UF. He serves as the program chair for East and Osceola campuses and teaches classes including Drawing I and II, Design I, and Printmaking I and II.

Michael Galletta

East Campus, 3-118

Professor Galletta worked as a professional studio potter for 7 years before accepting a position at Valencia College in 1986. He has an extensive 45 year exhibition record spanning the” Young Americans, Clay and Glass”, 1978 in NYC at the American Crafts Museum through “Things Overlap Over Time,” a 3-person show with Nancy Jay and Jackie Otto-Miller in 2012 at the Tallahassee Community College art gallery. He most recently showed in “On Purpose“ a group ceramics exhibit show at the Casselberry Sculpture House. Professor Galletta earned his MFA in Ceramics with a minor in Sculpture from Wichita State. His classes include Drawing I, Sculpture I and II, and Ceramics I, II, and III.

Viktoryia McGrath

Osceola Campus,

Professor McGrath is a facilitator who engages students and creates a rich learning environment with an emphasis on active learning, critical thinking, and collaboration. She believes that an approach that accentuates individual relationships while also fostering a community-minded environment in and out of the classroom is crucial to student success. Born in Minsk, Belarus, Professor McGrath earned her BFA in Communication Art and Graphic Design from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and her MFA from the University of Cincinnati. Her courses include Drawing I, Drawing II, Design I, Design II, Art History I, and Art History II.