Arts Educator, Administrator, and Artist

Welcome! I’m Chelsea Herzig, an arts educator, administrator, and ceramic artist based in the Hudson Valley. My work centers youth empowerment through arts education, program leadership, and community engagement. I bring experience in strategic planning, creative program design, and hands-on teaching to connect people with meaningful artistic experiences.

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Children working together on an art project, arranging leaves and natural materials on a large sheet of paper.

About Me

I’m Chelsea Herzig, an arts educator, administrator, and ceramic artist based in New York’s Hudson Valley. My work lives at the intersection of creativity, education, and community engagement, where I strive to empower young people and make the arts more accessible to all.

I earned dual undergraduate degrees from SUNY New Paltz: a B.S. in Visual Arts Education (Pre-K–12) with a concentration in ceramics, and a B.F.A. in Ceramics. My studio training in functional and sculptural ceramics continues to shape the way I approach art as both a personal practice and a tool for community connection. I am currently pursuing an M.S. in Arts Administration and Museum Leadership at Drexel University (expected 2026), deepening my knowledge of nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, and cultural policy.

Professionally, I have served as the Director of Summer Arts Programming at The Art Effect, where I led multi-site youth arts camps, overseeing staff, programming, and culminating exhibitions. I also worked as Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, designing STEAM-based programming and managing school and community partnerships.

In addition to my administrative work, I’ve taught visual arts across grade levels, from elementary through high school, and continue to explore the role of art in education and community building. Whether teaching a classroom of young artists, developing a large-scale program, or curating a youth-led exhibition, I see my work as part of a larger commitment to equity, creativity, and social change.

My work
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student achievements
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Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with wavy hair, wearing large round glasses, a septum piercing, and a patterned shirt, standing in front of a brick wall.

Residual Bodies

This work serves as a memorial to the physical spaces and belongings left in the wake of the inevitable losses we face during life. As children, we cling to physical objects for comfort to ease the anxieties of separation. As adults, these objects may change form but often remain present in our spaces long after the person has left. I am recreating these objects by hand, shown out of context and weathered by simulated age. This project questions how we deal with grief in ways that are deeply personal and unique. Memorializing objects left behind in this way can help us accept losses that are not only physical or literal, but also the intangible aspects of life we grieve, such as relationships, innocence, spaces, and our sense of self. We often lack the appropriate time to grieve completely, and transitional objects can help us hold space for this process, even if for a short moment in our day or lives.

Samuel L. Dorsky Museum of Art
2022

Ceramic sculpture of a table with a plate of pasta and a spoon hanging above, displayed in a gallery. People are standing in the background.
Exhibition display of large white clam shells on wooden stands in a gallery with framed photographs on the walls.
Close-up of a small, club-shaped object resembling a bone or fossil, suspended with thin transparent strings in an art exhibition, with other similar objects and artworks blurred in the background.
Art installation in a gallery featuring a rectangular frame made of white material with vertical pillars. Hanging from the ceiling are various suspended objects, some resembling jars or vases. The background includes a series of photographs or paintings on the wall and a large, semi-transparent hanging fabric with colorful, abstract designs.
Art installation of a miniature fenced area with hanging and lying fabric sculptures resembling abstract organic forms, suspended bones, and small framed structures, displayed on a gray platform in an indoor gallery with polished dark floors.
White ceramic or plaster sculpture resembling two abstract, curled shapes facing each other, set against a beige background.

Ceramic Work

Updates Coming Soon…

2D Work

Updates Coming Soon…

Student Achievements 

A limited selection of student achievements under my instruction and administration, including individual works and gallery shows.

Children gathered on stage during the Dutchess Arts Camp, a group of kids sitting and standing on a wooden stage with a pink and yellow banner reading 'Dutchess Arts Camp' and a red sign with 'MIA' at the front.
Colorful paper cutouts of five children's drawings hanging on a wall in a school hallway.
Bright abstract art with vibrant colors, geometric shapes, and layered patterns on a dark background.
People viewing artwork in an art gallery, with hanging decorations and a sign pointing to digital music productions.
Collection of children's watercolor paintings on display, featuring animals such as a fox, panda, horse, giraffe, zebra, lion, unicorn, and a dog, along with objects like a mushroom, a jar with a dolphin, a necklace, and a tent.
Child's artwork with a colorful background of painted tree branches and leaves, and a cutout of a clownfish with orange, white, and blue colors glued on top.
Yellow wall with an explanation of a women's studio workshop, including details about student artwork, classes, and instructors.
An art exhibit with hanging crafts from the ceiling, artwork on display on walls and boards, and visitors walking around and observing the art pieces.
Three black and white drawings on a white wall, one of a doll and a skull, one of a portrait of a woman, the third of a tree with a ladder and a shoe hanging from it.
A person with short, spiky, multi-colored hair, wide blue eyes, and a serious expression. The drawing is on brown paper with a white border, and the background is a plain white wall.
Colorful children's artwork of musical instruments, including guitars and a drum set, displayed on a black bulletin board.
Three boys sitting in front of a wall display featuring a cloud, an umbrella, and raindrops with the phrase 'You can't have a rainbow without a little rain'.

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Ceramic sculpture of a face with various sculpting tools and a can on a spiral-bound work surface.
A person wearing glasses, a face mask, black shirt, and black pants is bending over, lifting the lid of a kiln in a ceramic or pottery studio. The studio has shelves with labeled containers of materials and tools, and a work surface with various supplies.
Three large clay planters or urns on turntables in a pottery studio, with sketches and art supplies on shelves and a wall calendar in the background.
Collection of unfinished ceramic cups and small bowls with handles on a wooden worktable in a pottery studio, surrounded by pottery tools and supplies.