Welcome Bruce!

Bruce is most known as GiGi’s Art Explosion! instructor and literacy tutor, but he has a past.  Bruce is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has lived in Chicago for more than 20-years.  Bruce earned his BFA from Carnegie-Mellon University; A Certificate from the Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy; an MEd in Higher Education Administration and coursework toward his EdD, ABD, from The University of Pittsburgh.  Bruce spent more than 30-years in higher education as faculty, program chair, dean of education for a Chicago art college and retired 5-years ago as Vice President of Education for a group of 10-colleges in the northeastern United States.

Bruce has served on the boards of directors for Greater Pittsburgh CampFire Council, Pittsburgh Dance Council, The Bottomless Closet and several other boards.  In his community work he has been involved with underwriting, grant writing, fundraising and chairing benefits.  Over his community work tenure he has raised tens of thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations.

Bruce spent his childhood outside of Pittsburgh, playing with and attending elementary school with his neighbor and friend, Petey M. his friend who has Down syndrome.  Over the years Bruce has had relationships with family members and family of friends who have Down syndrome.  When Bruce retired from education he knew exactly what he wanted to do:  give back to the Down syndrome community that he has known since childhood and now he was finally able to do so.

He sought out GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago, then put a proposal together that he sent to GiGI’s, sharing his knowledge, experience and desire to teach art to individuals with Down syndrome.  Bruce thought he would have to beg GiGi’s to run this program but oh he was wrong!   Over the next year he wrote Chicago’s Art Explosion! course, was able to get underwriting for supplies, a prominent Chicago art gallery to exhibit the works and a local photography reproduction firm to reproduce the art work into numbered and signed prints.

From the very first Art Explosion! course it has been a group effort of many of GiGi’s incredible volunteers including board members.  And the rest, as they say, is history…….