Nicole Vicente (Drawing and Painting) *Nicole is one of the art students who appears on the Studio Borgo website.

Having studied drawing and painting with Professor Ruggio, I know him to be an exceptional artist and teacher. He encourages your own unique style while expertly guiding you through any medium. (I now love pastels!) Working with him as a beginner, he taught me how to “see” differently and approach my pieces correctly. He is a master of his craft and his guidance has been invaluable to my learning. I would recommend his classes to artists of every level.

Adam Turner (Drawing and Painting)

Studying with Tom Ruggio has been an experience I will never forget. He is by far one of the best professors I have ever had. He knows exactly what he is talking about and is very insightful to listen to. From the time I started learning from him until now, I have advanced so much in my artwork that it is like day and night. He helped me to break my old work habits and helped me to develop new, correct ones. This has allowed me to progress in the art field more than I ever thought. For any students who are interested in learning with Tom Ruggio, jump right into it. You will not regret it.

Staci Ferrara (Art History)

Taking this class was not only a positive educational experience, but an enjoyable one as well. As mentioned so many times already, it was the attitude and excitement of Professor Ruggio that can be credited for both. It is always much more enriching when an instructor is passionate about the subject and this was definitely the case with Art History. Thanks classmates and thank you Professor Ruggio, for a great class!

Steven Moore (Art History)

Professor Ruggio, I wanted to let you know that I couldn't have learned all that I did from this class without your help. You pushed us to think and to be better students in order to understand art history and, you made art history interesting. I know I will remember what I learned from this class for a long time. Thanks for all of your insight and help in understanding the meaning of art.

Rosa Ventura (Drawing and Painting) *Rosa is one of the art students who appears on the Studio Borgo website.

I have studied with Tom Ruggio for about four years now. Already having some knowledge and skills in art prior to meeting him, he has helped me refine those skills and become a better artist. Since working with him, I have learned to fix the errors in my process and take my time working on a piece. He breaks it down into phases that make creating a piece of art, not only simpler, but also more technically correct. He has the ability to bring out the best in his students, giving them confidence in their work, and allowing them to be artists in their own right The lessons that Tom gave us were very beneficial to me and I would encourage others to go and study with him.

Debbie Decillis (Painting)

I was fortunate to study painting under Professor Thomas Ruggio for 2 years at Briarcliffe College. He is passionate about art and enthusiastic about helping his students improve their skills and find their own creative path. Throughout the time I worked with Tom, he encouraged and inspired me to go further with my artwork.

Thomas Ruggio has an engaging personality and teaching style. Under his tutelage, my technical skills as well as my technique advanced tremendously. His demonstrations were enlightening and very helpful in communicating art theories and concepts. I loved his insightful critiques, which helped me to understand how to improve my artwork. Whenever I thought I was done, he would push me to the next level. I was amazed and excited at what I was able to produce with his guidance!

If you have the chance to work with Thomas Ruggio, I would highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity.

John Lantz (Drawing and Art History) *John is one of the art students who appears on the Studio Borgo website.

Professor Ruggio can see your potential as an artist and he encourages you to achieve that potential. I had Professor Ruggio for two classes while studying for my BFA in Graphic Design and I was immediately impressed with his knowledge of art history and drawing. Besides teaching me new techniques, Professor Ruggio was able to instill the confidence in me to excel in my classes and to be a better artist, thus becoming an even more effective graphic designer.