Our Team
The team at Allens Lane Art Center helps to provide quality and innovative art and cultural programming for the Greater Philadelphia Region.
Vita Litvak
Executive Director
Vita is a resident of Germantown and is an arts administrator, educator, and visual artist. Vita received a BA in Fine Arts from Haverford College and an MFA in Photography and Film from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been an art educator for nearly two decades. Vita began her teaching career as the Photography Teacher at Germantown Friends School, taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Haverford College, and was an Adjunct Professor at numerous academic institutions including Moore College of Art and Design, Monmouth University, Arcadia University, and Stockton University. Most recently, Vita was the Director of Education at Fleisher Art Memorial, a community school of the visual arts, where she oversaw the design and implementation of adult and youth programs serving more than 5,000 students each year. At Fleisher, she also developed and led a creative aging initiative to serve Latinx older adults in South Philadelphia with funding from the National Guild for Community Arts Education and the PA Council for the Arts. Vita believes that art is a human right and creativity is an innate force anyone can tap into. She has been moved and inspired by the transformative and healing power of art education that she sees making a difference in the lives of students of all ages. In her free time, Vita tends to Pastorius Community Gardens, partnering with Germantown Men Who Care, Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust, local artists, and community members to develop a shared green space on a vacant lot in Germantown. On Sunday mornings, you can find her at the Wissahickon Park, taking long hikes with her dogs, Buddha and Bella.
Mechele Abraham
Program Director
Mechele is a Brooklyn native and moved to Philadelphia to attend The Art Institute of Philadelphia. After completing her MA at The University of the Arts, she spent a decade living in Mt. Airy, raising her family here. In her time in Mt. Airy, Mechele took part in co-founding The Community Art Collective, which was responsible for the Farmers Market once positioned at Pleasant Playground, in partnership with Food Trust. She also collaborated with East Mount Airy Neighbors and Mt. Airy CDC (Mt. Airy USA in 2014) on several projects and events, including The Night Market, Final-ly Fridays, and other initiatives such as the Mt. Airy Schools Coalition.
Mechele is a former arts educator and school culture leader, having served Philadelphia and Oakland youth for nearly a decade. Her vision as the Director of Education at ALAC is to provide engaging and inclusive experiences through the power of human-centered programming. “I am tremendously honored to be an active participant in upholding Allens Lane Art Center’s historical measures of art advocacy and legacy to the Mt. Airy community. Our movement is to expand, evolve, and continue to provide creative spaces for emerging artists to comfortably explore and build with other practicing artists, so they may strengthen their own visual voices and stories. We believe art is best shared together, and ALAC is the creative hub to serve this purpose.”
Tara Harrison Turner
Operations Manager
Tara Harrison Turner was born and raised in the West Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. She has worked in the Healthcare industry for the last 15 years, gaining experience in Operations, Customer Service, and Provider Relations. As a seasoned Director of Operations, she is passionate about identifying and providing efficient solutions and communicating the most up-to-date information. Outside of work Tara, who is a current Glenside, PA resident, is also involved in the Springfield Township School District community as a member of the multicultural parents association. Tara has been married to her husband, Thomas, for 21 years and has a 17-year-old son. In her spare time, Tara enjoys time with family, hiking Valley Green, and Podcasting. Tara holds a BS from Chestnut Hill College and an MS from Saint Joseph’s University.
Autumn Blalock
Performing Arts Coordinator
Born in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Autumn Blalock is a Villanova University graduate with an MA in Theater and a Certificate in Non-Profit Administration. For almost five years, she has held positions as a Philadelphia arts administrator, educator, and dramaturg.
Autumn is an arts administrator and Theater for Health researcher. An acclaimed scholar with a focus on Afro-American phenomenology, Blalock focuses her artistry around embracing the wholeness of humanity. She is a published researcher, poet, and essayist. Autumn is currently the Resident Dramaturg of Azuka Theatre and the Managing Director of Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival. Some of her other credits include working in dramaturgy and stage management with Inis Nua, PlayPenn, Eagle Theatre, and Philadelphia Artists Collective.
Autumn loves to see the latest shows around the city and visit new restaurants. Have a favorite food spot? She is always accepting recommendations!
Leah Gelb
Development Director
Through her years of experience in the nonprofit field, Leah has developed a passion for advancing the work of cultural organizations and in providing sustainable support for equitable arts and community programming. A native Philadelphian, she believes strongly in the impact of community and mission-driven organizations, and in the transformative power of art. Most recently, she worked in fundraising at the American Friends Service Committee and Fleisher Art Memorial, where she served for over a decade. Leah just moved to Mt. Airy within the past year with her husband and twin 4-year olds, and is loving its strong sense of community as well as its amazing outdoor spaces.
Chloe Theodosiou
Art Studios Manager
Originally from New York, Chloe is a graduate of Alfred University with experience as a teaching, assisting, and exhibiting artist in NYC. Chloe has extensive knowledge of ceramics, fibers and theater. She has been living in Pennsylvania since 2020, working with local art spaces and non-profits to provide affordable, high-quality art education. She is motivated by community and humanity in the arts with an intense passion for all things clay with her practice focusing on where material experiments meet emotional articulation.
Jana Shea
Marketing and Communications Associate
Jana is a Philly-area native whose background as a freelance writer and photographer includes assisting corporate and nonprofit marketing campaigns and several years as a multimedia reporter, during which she covered both regional and hyperlocal news in Philadelphia and New Jersey for public media.
After returning to Philadelphia from the Netherlands 13 years ago, Jana settled in Mt. Airy, where she’s been ever since. She is a firm believer in the transformative power of art and collaboration is her guiding philosophy.
In her free time, Jana enjoys co-creating visual art and music projects with her spouse and son, intuitive gardening and impromptu dance parties.
Board of Directors
2024-2025
Susan Matyas, President
Larry Liss, Vice President
Sigrid Lundby, Treasurer
Mary Kurtz, Secretary
Lynne Andersson
Baiyina Brown
ReVae Boyd
Cynthia Chatman
W. Roderick Gagné
Thomas Gartside
Debbie Lerman
Lindsey Norward
Marzena Quinn
Susan Richards
Melissa Torpie
Trudi Williams
