celebrate mindfulness and mental health with chair yoga and art therapy exercises

Celebrate Mental Health Awareness in the Month of May!

Meditate & Create

Date: May 19th
Time: 7 – 9:00pm
Free event! Open to high school students and up!

This May, The Art Guild, is  hosting island wide events during May Mental Health Awareness Month. Please join us on as Sandy Wilding, yoga instructor from YogaLife, starts off the night leading chair yoga and breathing exercises. Pamela Schindler-Thomsen, licensed art therapist, will follow up with a mindful art project. Space is limited so please RSVP. Free event! Open to high school students and up.

IN COLLABORATION WITH

sandy wilding yogalife

Sandy Wilding – yoga instructor

Several years ago I was mentally drained and physically beat up from my job. I decided to take some time off to heal. I wandered into a yoga studio in Port Washington and never looked back. I knew that after just two weeks of practice I wanted to become an instructor and was certified to teach within 6 months. I hold several certificates, including Yoga Alliance RYT-200, Health and Wellness Coaching, Restorative Yoga and Reiki. Besides teaching yoga year round, I spend my summers teaching kids’ yoga at Port Day Camp. During the school year I am a Teacher Assistant in the ENL program at Schreiber High School. Please join me on a journey to a place where the heart is open and the mind is free.

Namaste


Pamela Schindler-Thomsen – Licensed Board Certified Creative Arts Therapist

I’m a licensed Creative Arts therapist specializing in helping children through adults identify obstacles in their lives that cause conflict in their day to day lives.

I like to think outside the box and use creative thinking in helping my clients problem solve.  In session I like to use mindfulness.  Whether that means focusing on our senses instead of the chatter in our minds to help be in the moment, or deep breathing to quiet that chatter.

We can’t solve tomorrow’s issues with todays information.  I stress the importance of being present, because we CAN handle anything in the moment, but cannot change what happened in our past, or control what happens in our future.

In session, I use breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and hypnotherapy to help with anxiety.

Together we will work to identify, challenge and replace  thoughts that don’t work in your benefit.  We replace these thoughts with healthier, more realistic ones which help improve overall quality of life, and a greater sense of joy.I love to use metaphor, storytelling and art to help in this process.

I have worked as a licensed therapist in various settings for over 20 years helping people with various mental and emotional difficulties.

We are so much stronger than our fears and negative thoughts.  We all have goals, which are important..but the HOW TO attain them is the important part..and that’s where I come in.  We all get stuck, but that’s only temporary, we can all become unstuck and grow.

Annual Membership Meeting 2026

Annual Membership Meeting 2026

2026 Annual Membership Meeting

Annual Membership Meeting

Date: Thursday, April 16th
Time: 7 – 8:30pm
Location: The Port Washington Public Library

 

The agenda for this meeting will include:

  • Presentation of Financial Report
  • Election of Proposed Directors as indicated below
  • Summary of the past year’s accomplishments
  • Discussion of the future
  • HOW ART THOU? A presentation by an inspiring panel of speakers

This is an important meeting, as the issues to be discussed will affect the direction in which we move over the course of the next year. We kindly ask all of our members to please attend the Annual Meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, please complete the attached below Proxy prior to the meeting so your vote is counted.

 

Membership expired? Renew today!

PROPOSED DIRECTORS

 

Term 2024-2027: Diane Bares, Mary Behling, Angela Classi, Nancy Lyon, Lauren Brady-Russell*, Carol Schepp, Ilene Silberstein 

Term 2025-2028: John D’Olimpio*, Hon. Dina DeGiorgio, Safia Fatimi, Deb Josephs*, Annette Kasle, Mark Mancher

Term 2026-2029: Francine Furtado*, Shelley Holtzman*, Marceil Kazickas*, Diane Luger*, Talia Senders*, Dave Wollin*

*Proposed director for election at members’ meeting. Other directors have previously been elected and are continuing their terms through the date indicated.

President  Shelley Holtzman

Co-Vice President – Annette Kasle

Co-Vice President – Diane Luger

Treasurer Talia Senders

Secretary – Mary Behling

 

HOW ART THOU

Following The Art Guild’s Annual Meeting on

Thursday, April 16th 2026

Art does more than inspire – it heals, connects, and strengthens communities. This panel brings together artists, healthcare professionals, art educators and advocates to explore the transformative role of art in promoting physical, emotional and mental well-being. From hospitals and clinics to community spaces, panelists will share how art reduces stress, supports recovery and enhances quality of life. Join us for a dynamic conversation on how creativity can be a powerful force in our lives.

Mary Kate Carroll

The Nicholas Center, Creative Arts Coordinator

Dr. Safia Fatimi

Living Water for Women, Art Instructor

Antonia Isnardi, MA, LCAT, ATR-BC

Helen Keller National Center, Art Therapist

Randy Hight, LCSW

Nancy Marx Cancer Wellness Center, Director

Stephanie Zim, LMSW, OSW-C

The Cancer Institute St. Francis Hospital, Oncology Social Worker

2026 Nassau County High School Scholarship

2026 Nassau County High School Scholarship

2026 NCHS Scholarship

2026 Nassau County High School Scholarship

Generously sponsored by the Kazickas Family Foundation

 

THE ART GUILD is pleased to sponsor scholarships for graduating seniors who attend high school in Nassau County. Scholarships will be awarded to students who will pursue the visual arts following their high school graduation, and who have demonstrated their commitment to any of the visual arts. This includes, but is not limited to: drawing, painting, sculpture, fashion design, set design, photography and architecture. If you are in theater/set design, you must have had a major part in the design and creation of the described sets/props etc. Award recipients will be selected by The Art Guild. All decisions are final.

DEADLINE: April 14th, 2026

AWARDS CEREMONY: Members Showcase Friday, June 5, 6-8pm

 

Criteria
  • Students who apply MUST be graduating seniors

  • Applicants must attend high school in Nassau County

  • We welcome drawing, painting, sculpture, fashion design, set design, and photography. If you are in theater/set design, you must have had a major part in the design and creation of the described sets/props etc.

  • You must submit a jpg of each of the five artworks in your portfolio and describe your creative process

Congratulations to the past 2025 NCHS winners

Andrew Mo, Carolina Villadiego, and Kseniya Khodjakhanova

NCHS2025 winners
FOTO Thursdays

FOTO Thursdays

FOTO THURSDAYS!

Adult & kids workshops in painting, urban sketch, watercolor, acrylic pour, printmaking, yarn, photography, oils, iphone

FOTO Thursdays Group Critiques!

Are you a photographer interested in participating in group critiques?

Seats are limited to 15 people. FOTO Thursdays are ONLY open to members and is at NO CHARGE!

BECOME A MEMBER to take part in these special member’s only events as well as receive get additional benefits! Senior membership starts at $35 for the year!

FOTO THURSDAYS SCHEDULE

(subject to change)

September 18, 7:30

October 16, 7:30

November 20, 7:30

December 18, 7:30