Meet the JPAC Commissioners
John McCarthy
John McCarthy, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION CHAIR |
U of L Lecturer, JCPS Artist in Residence and Art Consultant
John McCarthy is an appointed member and chairman of the Jeffersonville Public Art Commission. His sculptural pieces are hand-built and highly manipulated to create organic shapes with an emphasis on texture and subtle, naturally glazed surfaces. McCarthy has used stoneware firings to produce one-of-a-kind compositions that are striking and durable, whether used indoors or as exterior garden sculpture.McCarthy is a member of Pyro Gallery and has exhibited in numerous regional exhibitions. Architectural installations include: Bubblescape, an aluminum and ceramic mural at the new Kosair Children’s Medical Center, and Evolving Toward Peace, installed at JADAC, the Jefferson Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center, both in Louisville, Kentucky. He, presently, is an art education consultant and teaches for the University of Louisville, The Kentucky Center and JCPS. He is married and has two grown daughters and four grandchildren, including Abby Hicks, a Walden fifth grader. A native of New York, McCarthy currently makes his home in Southern Indiana.
Rosy Callahan
Rosy Callahan, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER | Retired Teacher, Storyteller at the Brilliant Bumble Bee Toy Store
Rose Ann Callahan, known to most people as Rosy, is a retired elementary teacher from the East Washington School Corporation in Pekin. She taught gifted and talented education for most of her 30 year at Pekin. Rosy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University Southeast and a Master’s Degree in Education from IUS, as well. She is hoping to use her background in education to further the participation of local children in the arts program. Rosy continues to use her education background as the Storyteller at the Brilliant Bumble Bee Toy Store in downtown Jeffersonville, where she is also the Events Manager. Rosy also serves as secretary for the Downtown Merchants Association and is on the Event Committee for Jeff Main Street. Rosy is married to Mike Callahan, retired hydrometeorologist from the National Weather Service in Louisville. Rosy and Mike have a daughter, Heather Steinbock, who is married and lives in Louisville. Originally from Borden, Rosy and Mike, who has lived in Jeffersonville since 5th grade, have collectively called Jeffersonville home for the past 35 years. While most of her experience with the arts is singing and acting, Rosy is very passionate about the future of Jeffersonville and is looking forward to the challenge of learning about the local art scene.
Kofi Darku
Kofi Darku, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER
Kofi received a B.A., majoring in Fine Art (focused on painting), from Wabash College and studied overseas at the Slade School of Art at University College London, UK. Active in several disciplines of the visual and performing arts, Kofi gets to extend his training and experience throughout Indiana and the Greater Louisville are. A lot of this experience was absorbed working at Gallery 37, a jobs training program in Chicago for youth in the arts, and at Chicago Commons Child Development program, a program that uses an arts-based curriculum, the Reggio Emilia approach. Beyond being a tremendous fan of the arts, Kofi is delighted to be a part of facilitating and contributing to the decision-making for the art flourishing in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Denise Freville
Denise Freville, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER | Graphic Designer & Business Owner
Denise Freville is an appointed member of the Jeffersonville Public Art Commission. Denise Freville graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Graphic Design. Between high school and college I would spend my summers painting murals on the sides of railroad box cars. I also spent a year designing and welding the lady statue called the “Winds of Change” that is still standing on Dutch Lane in Jeffersonville. A couple of years after graduation I started a graphic design company called Creative Concepts that eventually became Insty-Prints. I have been in business for over 28 years and have seen a lot of changes in the print and design world. My husband, Don and I stay very busy with our three teenagers and are also active in our parish at St. Anthony’s Church.
Bill Burns
Bill Burns, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER | Jeffersonville City Councilman
With his roots well established in Southern Indiana, Bill Burns has always called Jeffersonville home. In 4th grade, he started his first job by selling golf balls on the Jeffersonville Elks golf course. Now, he is the owner of Southern Indiana’s largest RE/MAX office. Bill has been a REALTOR® since 2001, and Broker/Owner of RE/MAX FIRST since 2006.
Bill takes pride in calling Jeffersonville home. Bill serves with many organizations because he recognizes how much this community has given to him personally. Giving back is one of his core values, especially to his hometown. Bill gets the most satisfaction from giving back to the community through various organizations, such as Greater Clark County Schools Educational Foundation, The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Center for Lay Ministries, and The Federal Reserve Bank-St. Louis Branch.
Most recently, Bill was elected as District 2 Councillor for the City of Jeffersonville. He has a heart for District 2 because he was raised here, and his children were as well. It is the District where he lives, works, and plays.
Bill has been married to his wife, Angie, since 1993. They have two children, Sophia (24, married to Abraham) and Leo (18, Senior at Jeff High). Bill and his family are active members of Southeast Christian Church - Indiana campus. On the weekends, you might find Burns and his family enjoying downtown Jeffersonville at The RiverStage or a local restaurant
Teah Williams-Hampton
Teah Williams-Hampton, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER
Teah is an appointed member of the Jeffersonville Public Arts Commission. She is Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Southern Indiana. A lifelong Jeffersonville resident, and graduate of Jeffersonville High School Class of 1994, Teah has served the Southern Indiana community for 15 years as a mental health caseworker and therapist in both non-profit and private sectors.
She is a current Board Member of the Howard Steamboat Museum and past Advisory Board Member of Impact 100 Southern Indiana. Teah also services as Vice President of the Jeffersonville NAACP Adult Branch and is a Co-Advisor of the Jeffersonville NAACP Youth Council. She has been sought after to speak and facilitate community discussions on a variety of topics including Mental Health in the Workplace, and Women’s Empowerment. and Diversity and Inclusion. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and earned an MSSW from the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work.
Teah is strong believer in the healing power of artistic expression and representation, and encourages creativity often in her volunteer and clinical work with adults and adolescents. Teah is honored to be apart the JPAC as Jeffersonville continues to grow into a city bursting with culture and flavor.
Leslie Lewis-Sheets
LESLIE LEWIS-SHEETS, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER | BUSINESS OWNER - LL&A Interior Design
Founder and owner of award-winning LL&A Interior Design, Leslie prides herself on giving back to the community that has been so good to her and is honored to serve on this commission. Leslie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior/ Environmental Design from Ball State University...Since graduation and for the past 33 years, Leslie has worked in the field Interior design, and is as passionate today as she was when she began. Leslie has her NCIDQ credentials, is a certified and registered interior designer, and is a member of her professions organization’s ASID and IIDA.
Leslie is married to Tommy Sheets, owner of Tommy Sheets Show Horses, and together have one son Murphy who lives and works in Jacksonville ,FL... Leslie loves living and working in downtown Jeffersonville and enjoys running and biking along the riverfront. She currently serves on the boards of Leadership Southern Indiana, the Floyd County Parks & Recreation, the Speed Art Museum’s Board of Governor’s, and was the 2017 recipient of One Southern Indiana’s Community Leader Award.
Dustin White
DUSTIN WHITE, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER
Susan Harrison
SUSAN HARRISON, PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION MEMBER | Educator, Artist and Gallery Owner
Susan Harrison is an appointed member of the Jeffersonville Public Art Commission. Susan Harrison is a firm believer in the power of the arts to change lives. With that conviction in mind she has worked with elementary, secondary and collegiate-level students in urban, suburban and rural programs in Forth Worth, TX, Knoxville, TN, Chicago, IL, Washington, DC area as well as here in Kentuckiana. She currently teaches art for JCPS, and the Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts and is the founder of Brick Street Art Studios in New Albany, IN. She is a former administrative director and member of PYRO Gallery in Louisville. Her own mixed-media art is focused on questions concerning personal well-being and the illusive nature of security. She earned her M.F.A. from the University of Tennessee, B.F.A. from the Corcoran College of Art & Design, and B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.