Meet The Team
Max (Mher)
Art Teacher & Director of Cre8sArt
Cre8sArt School was founded by Mher (Max) Khachatryan and Syuzanna Arutyunyan in 2012. Mher is a professional artist who started his path in Yerevan, Armenia. Mher earned his BFA in drawing and painting at the Art college of Panos Terlemezyan, and MFA at the Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan, Armenia. Mher has won many awards, and he is an honored member of Artist’s Union of Armenia. He moved to the USA in 2006.
“Our potential student is any child who ever picks up a pencil and tries to create something. Our potential student is any adult who wants to leave behind a stressful day and soak in relaxing art world, and finally, our potential student is any elderly person who wants to stay active by constantly using their mind and imagination”
Syuzanna
General Manager & Co-Owner
Syuzanna Arutyunyan is an Armenian-born Marketing Specialist who studied International Relations in Russia, and majored in Business Administration at Baruch College, NY. Syuzanna moved to the USA in 2008. She used to work in Fashion before opening Cre8sArt School. The decision to open an art school came with a demand. Syuzanna and Mher wanted to open a place where students could express themselves and explore their creative mind. There are many art schools where people can learn how to paint, but Cre8sArt School is a place where people learn by creating.
Acia
Administrative Assistant & Accreditation Coordinator
Acia Karasev is our Administrative Assistant and Accreditation Coordinator. She is currently studying Marketing and Data Analytics at Stevens Institute of Technology with a minor in Management and has a background in art and engineering. A former art teacher, she combines creativity, organization, and analytical thinking in supporting our operations. Originally from New Jersey, she enjoys oil painting and brings a strong eye for detail to every project.
Kelsey
Front desk and event cordinator
Kelsey is a Mexican-American illustrator pursuing a B.F.A. in Illustration at Montclair State University. She’s been drawing since she could first hold a pencil and hasn’t stopped since. Growing up, she was deeply inspired by cartoons, which sparked her imagination and love for storytelling. Over time, she developed a passion for digital art, especially character design and bringing original stories to life through her illustrations.
Irene Cohen
Curriculum Creator & Supervisor
As the Curriculum Supervisor at Cre8sArt School, I oversee the development, structure, and quality of our instructional programs to ensure they meet high academic and artistic standards. With over thirty years of teaching experience across multiple grade levels, I specialize in designing clear, accessible, and developmentally appropriate curricula that support students of all ages and learning styles.
My work includes creating step-by-step lesson progressions, training instructors on effective teaching methods, and ensuring that all classes—from foundational drawing to advanced painting and digital art—follow a consistent sequence of skills and measurable learning outcomes. I integrate hands-on, visual, and project-based approaches that allow students to grow creatively while building strong technical abilities.
At Cre8sArt School, I focus on aligning our curriculum with best practices in art education, maintaining detailed assessments, and continuously refining our programs to support student success. My background in curriculum design, interdisciplinary instruction, and student-centered teaching helps ensure that every learner receives engaging, structured, and high-quality instruction in a safe and supportive environment.
supporting our operations. Originally from New Jersey, she enjoys oil painting and brings a strong eye for detail to every project.
Sydney
head teacher in Glen Rock & Event Coordinator
Sydney Mangaroo was born in Manhattan, NY and raised in Glen Rock, NJ. She conducted a research study in the food decisions laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University before earning her B.F.A in painting from The Savannah College of Art and Design. She’s taught drawing, painting, comics, and pottery classes across Atlanta and New Jersey while illustrating for book publications, exhibiting artwork, and curating art events in her community.
“I find the most peace balancing on the line between reality and make believe in my art. Kids are my biggest inspiration because they naturally view the world through a creative lens.”
Talar
Head Art Teacher (Manager)
Moved to the USA in 2000. She graduated with a BA in Education from University of Marmara in Istanbul and a MBA in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey.
Talar studied drawing and oil painting with an Armenian Master Rudik Petrosyan in his studio.
She combined her patience of teaching with her love of drawing and painting in our school. Stating, “I truly believe that I am at the right place at the right time of my life where I am fulfilled with trust, love, friendship, respect, peace within the environment I work…
I know that “I won’t die with the music still in me” as Wayne Dyer once said and walking toward my path on leaving a legacy for my children.
Raabe
Lead Art Instructor & Curriculum Developer
Raabe Alves was born in Brazil and raised in Fairview, NJ. She specializes in drawing and oil painting. She is a self-taught artist who continues to learn new techniques for all forms of media. She was a student at Cre8sArt for almost 2 years, and is now a teacher at Cre8sArt School. Raabe started taking online classes in May of 2020 with Mher Khachatryan. Teacher Raabe stated “The students bring so much joy and tranquility into my life. I feel very blessed that I get a chance to be part of their journey into becoming an artist”.
Jonezci
Head Teacher
Was born in Queens, NY, and raised in Bergenfield, NJ. He fell in love with art at an early age. Jonzi graduated from Montclair State University with a BA in Fine Arts. He loves Printmaking, Charcoal Drawings.
Jozcel
Head Teacher
Was born in Queens, NY, and raised in Bergenfield, NJ. He graduated with a BA in Fine Arts at Felician University with The Excellence Award in Fine Arts. Jozcel studied drawing and oil painting with NY Artist Ard Berge. He loves painting portraits and learning techniques used by the old Masters.
Murell
Head Art Teacher
Murell is an NYC-based artist and a graduate of Tulane University’s BFA program, where she concentrated in Oil Painting. She has always been passionate about teaching and is dedicated to supporting the next generation of young artists. At Cre8sArt, she brings strong technical training, a professional fine-arts background, and a supportive, student-centered approach to every class she teaches. Her lessons focus on building foundational drawing and painting skills while encouraging creativity, confidence, and steady artistic growth.
Sevil
Art Teacher
Sevil Karakas Naghshbandi, was born on January 20, 1960 to Armenian
parents in Diyarbakir, an ancient city overlooking the Tigris river where she
lived until she was 5 years old. This gave her the privilege to be exposed to the diversity of the most colorful cultures of Armenians, Assyrians, and Turkish.
The later years that she spent in Istanbul added more to this. She enjoyed
both written and visual arts in her early years as her hobbies. However, it was not until she met well known artist Baron Rudik Petrossian that she started to practice under his mentorship.
“Everyone in this world has something to contribute to. I have always enjoyed helping children find their gifts. In conclusion, with this in mind, I hope my being at cre8art serves this very purpose”.
Hoorieh
Art Teacher
My name is Hoorieh Vakili. I grew up in Iran and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Painting from Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. After graduating, I continued painting for a few years. Then I shifted to working professionally as a makeup artist for several years. Since immigrating to the U.S. about a year ago, I’ve returned to the arts, and I currently work as one of the teachers at Cre8sArt School while also painting on my own.
Layla
Art Teacher
Layla has been a devoted instructor at Cre8sArt for many years, specializing in working with our youngest students. Her patience, warmth, and genuine passion for the arts make her classes an inviting and nurturing environment for early learners. Layla excels at introducing foundational drawing and painting skills in a way that is age-appropriate, engaging, and confidence-building. Her long-term commitment to Cre8sArt and her love for teaching young children have made her a trusted and highly valued member of our team.
Sam T
Teacher’s Assistant
Sam T was born and raised in New Jersey and specializes in self portraits. What she loves about art is that art gives you the freedom to express yourself, stating, “It gives me a feeling of relaxation”. Her favorite part about working at Cre8sArt is helping students and getting to learn more from them in the process.
Nadia
Fort Lee Art Teacher's Assistant
Nadia was born in Florida and grew up in New Jersey. She is currently studying in Fashion Institute of Technology for Illustration. She loves art and enjoys teaching because it helps her grow as an artist. She believes that even the student can enlighten the teacher with something new about art and there is always things to explore. She enjoys the creative freedom art can give to many.
Kyle
Fort Lee Art Teacher's Assistant
Kyle was born and raised in New Jersey. He loves art because he loves the freedom and the ability to express himself. His medium of choice is graphite on paper, stating, “It’s very simple yet can go a long way”. His favorite part about working with Cre8sart is seeing all of the talented students every week and not only teaching them, but also learning with them.
Ji
Fashion Illustration Teacher
Our Fashion Illustration teacher. She specializes in 9 Heads Figure Drawing/ Fashion CAD/ Fashion Portfolio from beginners to advanced students. She graduated from the University of the State of New York with a Licensed private School Teacher Certificate in 2023.
Jinju
Pottery & Art Mix Teacher
Jinju received her BFA from SMFA at Tufts University, specializing in painting, ceramics, and fiber art. She has a lifelong passion for art which she pursues through both making and teaching. She is interested in how materiality can affect the meaning of an artwork, and often experiments with different mixed media processes. She enjoys working at Cre8sart because she is able to work with a range of different students, each focusing on their unique goals.
Hannah
Digital & Art Mix Teacher
Hannah Cayaban is a Filipino American artist who started classes at Cre8sArt a short time after graduating in 2020. Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of that year, the school became a valuable creative refuge for rekindling her love of art and honing her skills. She’s found inspiration
When the opportunity arose to work at the school as a teacher’s assistant one summer, she discovered immense fulfillment and a sheer joy for working with children of all ages and personalities. She continues to pursue her studies; as well as the best ways to support each child she works with focusing on their unique goals.
Sam A
Digital Art Teacher
Sam was born and raised in Glen Rock, NJ. She studied at Champlain College, with a Bachelors in Game Art and Animation. Her favorite part about art is the lack of rules and limits, knowing she can create anything she can think of. Her favorite part about
Cre8sArt is meeting all the students and learning what their specific art interests are.