Board Members 2023

BRENDA POKORNY 

PRESIDENT and SATELLITE GALLERIES COORDINATOR

Brenda Pokorny is a mosaic artist in Mooresville, NC. She received a BFA from Miami University, with a concentration in textile design, and began her career in the design studio of the largest wallpaper manufacturer in the US. After 5 years there, and 10 years managing her own textile design business, she started playing around with mosaic, and was an instant convert. 

Brenda finds inspiration in gardens and nature, mazes, labyrinths, and mandalas. These interests have taken her around the globe exploring gardens, hedge mazes, labyrinths, gothic and renaissance cathedrals, and the mosaics of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. 

Brenda's goal in creating mosaics is to produce art that adds beauty and brings joy. She hopes to have more opportunities to create large-scale public artworks that can involve communities in their creation, and can beautify spaces enjoyed by everyone.

CATHERINE CRANE

TREASURER 

Catherine Crane received her MBA from St Joseph’s University and completed a Post MBA program in Global Business Leadership at the Wharton School of Business.  She is also an RN and holds a BS from Rutger’s University. She practiced as a critical care registered nurse and then joined the pharmaceutical industry leading worldwide clinical drug development programs in multiple therapeutic areas. 

Catherine moved to Mooresville from NJ in 2018 and enjoys all of the wonderful people and the arts, culture and nature programs the area has to offer.

Catherine enjoys the crossroads between art and science. She is an art enthusiast and has taken classes in oil painting and mixed media.  She has a passion for art and believes art is a fundamental human need that sustains us. She believes art communicates both, multi-dimensionally and viscerally and dramatically impacts how we relate to the world around us. 

Her favorite quote from Albert Einstein, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science”

Catherine is excited to contribute her business and analytical skills and her passion for art to support the continued growth and future vision of Mooresville Arts.

VAL MACE 

BOARD SECRETARY

Val Mace was raised in Fort Lauderdale and took a vacation with friends to North Carolina in 1982. She  moved to Mooresville in 1983, never looked back and raised two sons here. After 38 years she still loves being a resident of  Mooresville. 

Val worked for Southern Bell/Bellsouth/ATT until 2014. Her last position was as Project Manager II, handling some of their largest customers across the US. She loved it as it was always changing and certainly challenging. 

Since retirement, Val and her husband have traveled and welcomed two grandchildren into the family. She started painting "on a  whim" with tElie Bou Zeidan, at Studio Elie. Vale loves to paint and has been painting in acrylic and oil ever since learning techniques from Ms. Zeidan.

GIUSTINO CAPODILUPO 

BOARD MEMBER and DEVELOPMENT CHAIR

Giustino retired from the legal profession and moved to Mooresville in August of 2020 from Connecticut. Both of his daughters live in the Connecticut and Boston area. He has been involved in the performance arts arena and, over the years, has served on the Boards of Directors for numerous organizations in the New England area. 

Giustino is an avid art collector and has had a lifelong interest in the creation of fine art. As a result he became acquainted with Mooresville Arts and began, what has become, a passion for the creation of fine art. 

With his legal acumen and work in the management of performing arts and other organizations, Giustino is excited to contribute his analytical skills, business knowledge and love of art toward the management and future growth of Mooresville Arts. 

DIXON HANDSHAW 

BOARD MEMBER and EDUCATION CHAIR

Dixon Handshaw is a photographic educator based in Mooresville, NC. He spent 35 years of his career as a learning and performance consultant as president of his own company, Handshaw, Inc. Before that he earned his living as a professional photographer. Now he is combining those two experiences to teach fine art photography in both digital and film formats. His favorite aspect of teaching is inspiring students to find personal expression through the lens of a camera.

Dixon currently serves as an adjunct instructor in photography at Catawba Valley Community College. He serves on the Education Committee at Mooresville Arts where he also teaches photography. He has a BFA in photography from Alfred University and a MS in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. He served on the Board of Directors for The Light Factory in Charlotte, NC and chaired their Education Committee where he also served as an instructor and designer of courses. He served on the Board of Directors at the Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte,

NC, where he designed and taught a course in Bird and Wildlife Photography. He has been passionate about photography since he was 14. 

CHRISTOPHER MCINTOSH

BOARD MEMBER and BUILDING/GROUNDS CHAIR

Chris was born and raised in Michigan. He studied commercial art and has been an artist since he can remember. For the last 25 years, Chris has worked in home remodeling, construction and maintenance. He moved to North Carolina in 2008 and became a Mooresville resident in 2010. 

Chris made his way to Mooresville Arts by another artist who invited him to join an exhibition. Since that time he has volunteered on numerous projects, served as vice president in 2012 and then as president shortly thereafter. 

Chris is the chair of the Building & Grounds Committee and was the construction leader on the Warehouse to Center Gallery Renovation Project in 2018-19. He continues to serve as a board member.

His artwork is inspired by boldly colored landscape images. He mentally processes those images and transforms them into abstract versions using mixed media. Chris uses oil as the prominent medium as well as some silver, copper and gold leaf, drywall compound, resin and acrylics.