Yu Kanazawa was born in Tokyo, Japan and has lived in the USA for 15 years. He received an M.F.A. from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA and his B.F.A. from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. He has exhibited in over 100 national and international exhibitions and his works are collections in the US, Europe, and Japan. Kanazawa serves as coordinator of the studio art: fine art department and teaches drawing, design, and introduction to studio art courses. He taught at SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY; Cayuga Community College, Auburn, NY; and Sinte Gleska, Lakota Tribal University, Mission, SD before coming to JCC

Bill Waite, one of Chautauqua County’s most recognized and popular artists, studied art at SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Fredonia. He is regionally known for his paintings and drawings that can be viewed throughout the county as part of numerous corporate and private collections. Several of his works are in collections in South Korea and Africa. Most recently he exhibited at the Adams Art Gallery, Dunkirk, NY; Palace Gallery, Jamestown, NY; the Olean Public Library, Olean NY; the Patterson Art Gallery, Westfield, NY, and at Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA. Waite teaches painting as an adjunct faculty member at JCC and operates William Waite Fine Art, where he teaches workshops, creates limited addition prints, and sells original artworks. Waite is the former director of JCC’s Forum Gallery (now the Weeks Gallery) and was director of the Arts Gallery at Chautauqua Institution.

Deb Lanni received an M.A. from SUNY Fredonia, a B.A. from Alfred University,and has continued her education at SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Albany, and Maine Photographic Workshops. Her most recent production credits and exhibits include Unleashed: Lessons for and from Today’s Family Dog, 2007; UB Green, 2007; The Eye of the Beholder, 2006; William Waite: Making the Invisible Visible, 2006; Rhythm and Harmony: Butternut Brook Equine Center, 2006; and Camp Gross: A Camp with Kids in Mind, 2006. She received the Rochester Institute of Technology Outstanding Teacher Award, the Artist Fellowship Award, United Arts Appeal; and multiple faculty development awards and teaching/learning grants from JCC. Lanni is an associate professor and coordinator of the communications and media arts programs at JCC, and teaches a variety of communication classes.

Nate Arnone, a JCC alumnus, received a B.A. from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he studied with Heinrich Klinton and graduated with honors. Early in his career, Arnone won the “Rookie of the Year” honor while working for Forrestel Clothing Company in Williamsville, NY. There he designed t-shirts and catalogues. He was the designer for Artifacts, a quarterly newsletter published by the Arts Council for Chautauqua County. Since 1997 he has operated design8, a freelance design company based in Jamestown, NY. One of Arnone’s major clients is Southern Tier Brewing Company, producers of award-winning beer and soda, for whom he creates distinctive labels, packaging, and promotional materials. Arnone, an adjunct faculty member, teaches introduction to computer art and design and studio problems-computer graphics at JCC.

Jim Colby, received an M.F.A. from the University of Buffalo. His Western NY exhibitions include the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the State University of New York at Buffalo, CEPA, and Castellani Art Museum. Career highlights include participation in American Vision, New York University, New York, NY (juror’s award); an invitation by John Phahl to write an essay and participate in the international exhibition, Tainted Prospects, Photographers and the Compromised Environment; a one-person show, On the Grounds, at Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY; and a Top New Photographers Award from Maine Photographic Workshop. Colby is director of the Weeks Gallery and has served as chair and several other positions for the Society for Photographic Education (Northeast Region and National Conferences). He has organized over 125 exhibitions by artists from across the nation and around the world, and founded the Weeks Gallery Art Collection, Global Collection of Photography, and the Museum Without Walls at JCC.