Our Team
The Craft Salon is a multi-disciplinary arts and crafts studio in Kensington, Brooklyn. We offer a robust after school program, school holiday camps, summer camp, adult workshops, and more. We pride ourselves on elevated craft projects that we take special care in planning. All of our teachers are also artists, each has their own unique creative flair to share. We explore every type of art and craft available - fiber arts, paper, clay, jewelry, machine and hand sewing, and last year we even threw cooking and gardening into the mix! There is nothing we won’t try!
We support our kids and our families and our schools! We think of The Craft Salon as a community center. If you have any ideas about programs to offer or if you need a space for a community event please get in touch!
Dari Litchman is the owner and operator of The Craft Salon. She also goes by her alias "The Craft Whisperer". Dari has taught arts + crafts to people of all ages for 20+ years starting way back in summer camp. She went on to receive a degree in Art Therapy and a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Dari has led workshops with CRAFTCATION, BUST MAGAZINE, BROOKLYN BRAINERY, FROST VALLEY YMCA, CRAFTJAM, and has been featured in SWEET PAUL MAGAZINE.
Dari loves making things and can often be seen sewing, knitting, decoupage-ing, decorating, embellishing, cutting, and gluing. She is partial to rainbows and glitter. Lots of glitter.
Dari lives with her husband Jonathan, 16-year-old daughter Love, and a rescue dog named “Mister P”.
The Craft Salon Studio was born out of years of dreaming and is a place for all people to gather and express themselves in all creative forms
Senior Manager
Austin Tabor studied fine art at DuCret School of Art in NJ and Parsons in NYC. His personal artworks consist mostly of illustrations and paintings with a focus on portraiture and figure drawing. Since 2017, Austin has been teaching art to elementary and middle school students for after-school/summer camp enrichment programs. In his free time, Austin enjoys going to Broadway shows, playing with dogs, and singing along to Beyoncé!
Ceramics Studio Manager
Katie Malnati is a ceramicist and teacher inspired by the nature of clay, how it creates connection in oneself & connection with others. When she travels to a new city she visits the library, the flea market, the cemetery, and wherever there's water. She likes telling stories with her artwork and playing with color. She's a big fan of all the simple pleasures & leans into an ethic of Love.
Jenny
Jenny Rafalson is an artist with an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her own work is rooted in photography and plants, and she loves telling stories through her art, finding the small, quiet narratives hiding in leaves, light, and living things. When she's not at the studio, you can find her eating pizza somewhere in the city.
Loren Fink is a 2D animator and illustrator. They graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2022 and occasionally do work for the animation industry. They love spending their free time playing video games with their friends, listening to Vocaloid, and cuddling with their cat, Cecil. They love crafts that involve drawing.
Allison
Allison Garber is a Brooklyn-born artist and designer who studied Graphic Design at FIT and spent many years creating digital experiences for kids and parents at Nickelodeon, including Noggin and Nick Jr. When she’s not crafting, Allison enjoys long walks, street photography, and spotting pigeons around NYC.
Ceramics Lead Teacher
Thalia Hare is an multidisciplinary artist from Philadelphia. They studied Illustration and Ceramics from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. They have been working with clay for over a decade and love sharing this passion with others, especially kids! Thalia has a fondness for children's books with strange, adventurous, and comforting illustrations. When they aren't working on a creative project, Thalia can be found climbing trees in Prospect Park, making soup, or watching movies with their cat, Hippo.
Michelle Alvia graduated with a BFA in Animation from SVA in 2022, specializing in storyboarding and 2D animation. Before joining The Craft Salon, she spent several years as a karate instructor. Outside of work, Michelle juggles numerous creative projects while enjoying quality time with her beloved dog, Niles.
Nani
Noelani “Nani” Fishman is a teaching artist, illustrator, and creative technologist. They hold a BFA in Communications Design from Pratt Institute and a MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design. In their free time, Nani can be found boogie boarding at the beach, hanging out with Dolly Pawton, or obsessing over their latest project. Nani’s current interests include snails, mazes, and the infrastructure of stairways.
Zharia
Zharia Miller is a multidisciplinary artist originally from Syracuse, New York. She recently relocated to Brooklyn to pursue a career exhibiting her ceramics and expand her artistic practice. In May 2025, she graduated from Purchase College with a Bachelor of Science in Visual Arts and minors in Arts Management and Art History.
Zharia loves community gatherings and spending time outdoors with music, friends, and good food. You can usually find her at an art event celebrating culture and heritage.
Refund Policy
Cancelation of any classes, workshops, or camps must be made 4 weeks ahead of start date for a refund. This includes any school pickup and extended day hours.
If you need to switch your child to a different day, we can accommodate this if spaces are still available on your desired day. We do not offer credit or refunds for missed classes.
Make Up Classes
Due to space and time restraints we are not able to offer any make up classes.
Get in Touch
dari@thecraftsalonstudio.com
917-324-8290