Our Team
Founder & Instructor: Creative Technology
Aarthi Muthukrishnan
I live in Hastings-on-Hudson with my husband, two talented daughters, and a pair of playful cats.
I'm an avid collector of DIY/maker type hobbies - from baking bread, canning sauces and fruit preserves, knitting or crocheting creations for my family to spending time outdoors gardening.
I'm a computer scientist by training but a maker at heart, aiming to channel my "jack of all trades" qualities to create a community united by the passion to make.
I envision the Maker Hive as a place where creativity and technology intersect harmoniously.
I'm also passionate about increasing women in STEM fields and I hope the Maker Hive will help shape a future generation of female STEM leaders.
Instructor: Bookbinding & Paper Marbling
Hayley Ferber
Hayley Ferber is an artist, educator, and curator living in Brooklyn, New York. As Operations Director at The Clemente Center, she supports a creative community of multidisciplinary artists. In her personal artistic practice, she explores nautical and maritime themes through artist books and printmaking. She has exhibited her work at the Kalamazoo Book Art Center, Equity Gallery, Chashama, the Pelham Art Center, Wickford Art Association, San Francisco Center for the Book, 92NY and Aqua Art Miami. With over 15 years of teaching experience, Hayley loves sharing her artistic passions and practices with her students and has taught workshops for the Swiss Institute, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Brooklyn Public Library, Pelham Art Center and Gallery North. She was a resident artist at ChaNorth in 2021 and received her MAT in Art & Design Education from RISD and BS in Studio Art from NYU. www.hayleyferber.com
Instructor: Knitting & Fiber Arts for Kids
Stephanie Lieberman Paley
Stephanie has been teaching children and adults all about knitting and fiber arts for over 15 years. Recently, she taught at a local day camp, introducing weaving, felting, yarn dyeing and knitting to campers. In addition to teaching group classes and workshops, Stephanie volunteers at local libraries. Knitting and fiber arts are a great way to relax and take a break from screens. www.stephaniesknitlab.com
Instructor: Watercolor
Catrin Perih
Catrin Perih is a painter and art educator based in Hastings on Hudson, NY. She was
born and raised in Wales and has lived in New York since the late 1980s. Her paintings
are greatly influenced by her childhood and explore the concept of memory and the
passage and transience of time. Catrin works with oil and water based media and also
works digitally, a method that allows her to transform physical paintings and explore
the idea of memory in multi layered form. She has exhibited her work in Westchester
and Brooklyn, NY and in virtual exhibitions. Her work has been featured in publications
including the book Lleisiau Voices, Words to Welsh Art. Catrin has a degree in Art
Education from the University of Wales. She has worked professionally in the field of
museum education including as Director of Education at the South Street Seaport
Museum. She currently teaches art to all ages.
www.catrinperih.com
Instructor: Cardboard Engineering
Emily Erwin-McGuire
Emily Erwin-McGuire is a teacher who wears many hats. At the Hive she teaches classes that bring out students inner creativity and ability to problem solve. A lifelong resident of Hastings, Emily brings a wealth of experience as a former public school educator and art teacher. With a passion for nurturing young talent, Emily is so excited to be teaching crafting classes and cardboard engineering this Fall at the Hive!
Instructor: Crochet
Linnea Grimm
Linnea Grimm has been crocheting for 4 years after learning through online tutorials during COVID. She has since crocheted nearly every single day, specializing in wearable garments and tapestry color work. Linnea owns a pop-up vintage shop called Cursed Objects Vintage and is one of the organizers of the Hastings Flea Market (second Sundays of the month through November) where you can find her vintage booth. Linnea’s fashion background has given her a deep knowledge of the ethics and sustainability of the fashion industry which in turn informs her practice as a fiber artist.
Instructor: Bargello
Bonnie Natko
Bonnie Natko was surrounded by fiber arts and textiles from a young age, but oddly didn’t start her stitching journey until three years ago, when everything just clicked. Since then, she has developed an ever-evolving stitching practice that includes embroidery, bargello, needlepoint, and weaving. In her work, Bonnie likes to infuse high-tech concepts with hand-crafted work, and is a true proponent of experiential learning. In 2022, she created Data Stitching, which is a way to learn data visualization through bargello needlepoint and has presented at the Hudson Valley Maker Faire and will also be presenting at the Coney Island Maker Faire this October.
Instructor: Printmaking & Admin Assistant
Kaili Woop
Kaili Woop is a multimedia artist and designer based in Astoria, Queens. In 2023, she graduated from SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Fine Arts and five minors in Art History, Sociology, Latin American Studies, Spanish and Italian. She was a 2023 recipient of the Robert Blackburn Printmaking award and the SUNY Chancellor award. She was the President for the club "Urban Studio" at FIT. Her artwork has been displayed at US+U gallery in Yonkers, The SUNY Chancellor’s Gallery, The Alpha Workshops Gallery, AHA Fine Art Gallery, The Museum at FIT, the Brooklyn Art Cave and the Plaxall Gallery at the the Long Island City Culture Club.​ She has been teaching workshops for over a year with US+U. Kaili is currently passionate about developing her own wearable art and design brand using traditional printmaking techniques for clothing and accessories.