MARNEY SCHORR (She/Her) – Founder/ Executive Director
Marney Schorr is an Art Therapist, Author, Teaching Artist and Founding Director of Arts in Recovery for Youth (AIRY). She designed the program with both her professional background in art therapy and her lived experience as a suicide attempt survivor. AIRY has received four awards including the 2018 MA Statehouse Award and Citations from Sen. Hinds and State Rep Tricia Farley Bouvier.
Marney is the author of the first book on art therapy and youth suicide prevention, DBT and Art for Youth Suicide Prevention: When Art Saves Lives (2022) with Jessica Kingsley Publishers. She has taught art therapy at Springfield College, Annamaria College, Berkshire Community College, Empire State College and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She is an art therapy internship supervisor for MCLA and Springfield College.
Marney earned her Master’s in Clinical Art Therapy from LI University and and her Bachelor’s in Visual Art from Empire State College. She has received extensive training in art therapy, adolescent development, social and emotional learning, suicide prevention, dialectical behavior therapy, internal and family systems therapy, addictions and motivational interviewing, best trauma-informed practices, somatic experiencing, poetry therapy and fine arts including drawing, painting and sculpture, as well as self care practices for secondary traumatic stress. She presents locally and nationally for others in the field and for parents and educators. She presently runs individual, family and group art therapy at an artists cooperative in downtown Pittsfield known as NUarts Studios & Gallery. Marney is also an abstract and surrealist artist. For more info visit her webpages at http://www.marneyschorr.com and http://www.nuartsgallery.com.
JACK KELLY (Any pronouns) – Program Manager & Community Engagement Coordinator
After graduating the AIRY program, Jack Kelly returned to become a skills counselor, studio assistant and event coordinator. In 2022, he was promoted to AIRY Program Manager and Community Engagement Coordinator. He runs the day to day asks of AIRY in collaboration with the Director and serves as a community liaison, in developing community partnerships and coordinating events, as well as meeting with funders and collaborating organizations, including our AIRY Partner Organizations, OH and CBHC. Jack has an extensive knowledge of the foundation and practices of AIRY as well as AIRY’s work in the community. Jack is an artist and avid writer. He has regularly presented his poetry at local arts venues like the Whitney Center for the Arts. He has also worked as an art dealer organizing art shows and sales for local artists.
In 2018, Jack presented at the MA State Suicide Prevention Conference. In 2019, he shared his experience on screen and was the director´s assistant in the filming of AIRY’s documentary, Messages of Hope . Jack has a passion for performing arts and is a graduate of the Playwright Mentoring Program at Barrington Stage Company. He has performed in multiple plays at Barrington Stage Company and Pittsfield H.S. Jack studied Human Service Methods at Berkshire Community College.
From 2019-2022, Jack has been a Presenter & Coordinator for AIRY´s annual ¨Love Yourself¨ at the Colonial Theatre. Jack has received education and training in program management, fine and performing arts, creative writing, art therapy theories and interventions, creative arts modalities, counseling techniques, youth mentorship, peer support practices, best practices for suicide prevention, safe talk, dialectical behavior therapy skills training, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed practices, managing work-related secondary traumatic stress and self care practices and ethics and communication.
RACHAEL BENTZ (She/They) – Program Manager, Skills Counselor & Digital Art Instructor
Rachael Bentz has been with the AIRY program since 2017. She works as a Program Manager, Skills counselor and Digital Art Instructor. Rachael is presently training for future work in leading AIRY as a Director. She is also the technology expert of the AIRY program, organizing our newsletter and our donor and social media campaigns. Racahel is the designer of the AIRY short film (animatic) The Story of Indigo Phoenix (see our videos). Rachael studied Animation at Academy of Art University.
She has received education and training in animation, character design, digital art, fine arts, musical and acting performance, art therapy theories and interventions, creative arts modalities, counseling techniques, youth mentorship, peer support practices, fine and performing arts, best practices for suicide prevention, safe talk, dialectical behavior therapy skills training, trauma-informed practices, motivational interviewing, managing work-related secondary traumatic stress and self care practices, and ethics and communication.
Rachael has achieved so much in her time at AIRY. She was given the opportunity to talk on a Youth Panel at the 2024 Berkshire County Annual Suicide Prevention Conference, where she shared her experience of being suicidal as a youth and what has helped her recover. She was then invited to speak on a similar panel at the 2025 24th Annual Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Conference in Norwood, Massachusetts. She has also won the 2025 Samya Rose Stuma Youth Leadership Award at the 8th Annual Berkshire Nonprofit Awards for her outstanding work and dedication to AIRY’s mission.
Rachael is a masterful digital artist who designs original characters, storyboards, comic pages, illustrations, and short digital films. She also crochets, sews, and plays ukulele and guitar. Her artwork have been featured in multiple art shows. Rachael takes orders on commission. Contact her at rbentzart@gmail.com or visit https://linktr.ee/Pierce_the_fork
Rebecca Thomasson (She/Her) – Skills Counselor
Rebecca joined the AIRY team in 2023 as a skills counselor. She earned her Associate’s degree in 2017 from BCC, then went on to MCLA to complete her Bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in art during 2019. During her studies she completed several courses including developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, and the psychology of gender. While at MCLA she was trained in studio art, classical painting, and cartooning.
She has worked with children, teens, and young adults with autism, and developmental disabilities in a residential care setting utilizing various art modalities. She served as a teaching assistant where the main focus on campus was safety. She brings her prior education and work experience, as well as her lived wisdom with depression and recovery. Rebecca is a masterful print maker and is a talented ceramist. In addition to her art and psychology degree,
Rebecca received training in art therapy theories and interventions, creative arts modalities, counseling techniques, youth mentorship, peer support practices, best practices for suicide prevention, safe talk, dialectical behavior therapy skills training, trauma-informed practices, motivational interviewing, managing work-related secondary traumatic stress and self care practices, and ethics and communication
Liza Pagliari (She/Her) – Art Therapist & Educator
Liza is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and emerging art therapist who co-facilitates AIRY Groups as well as offering individual and family art therapy sessions in the AIRY Program. She is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in Art Therapy and Counseling at Springfield College, building on her background in the visual arts and education. Liza holds an MFA in Printmaking and an MA in Art and Design Education from the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as a BFA in Printmaking from Syracuse University, with international study experiences in Florence and Rome that continue to shape her creative and professional outlook. Her art background spans printmaking, arts education, mental health, and cross-cultural engagement.
Liza’s teaching philosophy emphasizes experiential learning, community connection, and therapeutic expression. She has served in a range of instructional roles from professor of record to teaching artist and staff member at an all-girls summer camp, where she led counselor training and mentored youth in creative skill-building for nearly a decade. She has also worked as a visiting artist and studio technician in Italy, teaching printmaking techniques like aquatint, drypoint, chine collé, and monotype.
Her clinical interests include trauma-informed care, DBT, and the use of art as a vehicle for identity exploration, emotional regulation, and community resilience. Her interdisciplinary skills include analog and digital photography, a wide array of printmaking processes, sculpture, textile arts, and jewelry-making. She is passionate about integrating art, education, and healing in ways that empower individuals and strengthen communities.
Angeli Faggioni (She/Her) – AIRY Intern
Angeli has been a part of the AIRY Program since January of 2023, where she has made great strides towards supporting her mental health and taking steps to achieve meaningful goals in her life. She is a talented artist, receiving excellence awards in Ceramics, Drawing, and Painting courses. She is passionate about the arts and shows great strength in creative youth leadership. Angeli is also an artist, with specialties in origami, jewelry and painting.
Because of her dedication to the arts, the program, and helping others, Angeli was accepted for an internship through AIRY in 2024, where she helped facilitators run groups and tabled events. From 2024-2025, she was the Facilitator and Coordinator, for AIRY’s Alumni Group: a peer support drop-in group for AIRY graduates.
Angeli has achieved a lot in her time at AIRY. She was given the opportunity to talk on a Youth Panel at the 2024 Berkshire County Annual Suicide Prevention Conference, where she shared her experience of being suicidal as a youth and what has helped her recover. She was then invited to speak on a similar panel at the 2025 24th Annual Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Conference in Norwood, Massachusetts.
Angeli is committed to achievement in all aspects of her life. During high school, she maintained a 4.0 GPA while being a member of the National Honors Society, the Simon Rock swim team, and having a part-time job at the Richmond Library. She also volunteered at Noble Horizons Rehabilitation Center and ran children’s art programs at Conny Rigg Campground. Angeli is currently studying Business at BCC.
Kayden Boone – (He/Him) AIRY Intern
Kayden is a returning alumni member who has been with the AIRY program for over 3 years. A graduate of Adlib, Kayden earned an intensive art track with art classes in figurative and landscape drawing and painting, amd use of multi media materials. Kayden has been making art for the last 12 years, and is a prolific painter who also does digital art and crochet, as well as character drawings and painting. He describes his style as ¨uncanny and eccentric¨ leaning toward surrealism. Kayden worked as a peer mentor for teens as well as a childcare assistant for children ages 4 and up at Girls Inc. Kayden plans to pursue art therapy at Westfield State University starting in 2026. He has received AIRY training in art therapy, best practices of suicide prevention, peer support and dialectical behavior skills. We are excited to have Kayden as our Intern.
Arts in Recovery for Youth 