Community Programs

Exploring Art Together: Family Heritage Workshops presented by RoCA and Rockland 21C
Sponsored by First Niagara Bank Foundation

Thanks to generous sponsorship from First Niagara Bank Foundation, RoCA is partnering with Rockland 21C to present a series of FREE art workshops to ten Family Resource Centers in Rockland. These hands-on workshops invite families to make art together while creatively documenting their family histories and memories. The Family Art Workshop titles will be: Fantastic Family Photographs, Handmade Photo Albums, Creating Your Family Tree, Mosaic Memory Boxes, and Capturing What Grandmother Taught Us (or My Family Story): In Words or Pictures. Following the workshop, each family will receive a booklet of creative and skill building project ideas to extend their art making experiences.

The program will serve six Rockland County school districts: Clarkstown, East Ramapo, Nanuet, North Rockland, Nyack and Ramapo Central. Each workshop will serve between 35-55 people. The program will culminate with two exhibitions of participants' work: “Family Photographs” at Rockland YouthFest (attended by over 5,000 people annually) and at RoCA's Annual Student Exhibit in April-May, 2013.

Rockland 21C is a pioneering countrywide partnership with children as the priority. Their mission is to ensure the best possible future for every child by building a comprehensive support system that links family, school and community.

RoCA’s programs extend deep into the community bringing a wide variety of quality art experiences to anyone with a desire for creative expression. We strive to provide equitable access to the arts for individuals, community groups and populations with special needs through custom-designed programs

Over 500 children annually in underserved school districts, participate in ROCA tours/workshops programs, many offered free of charge.

RoCA Educational Partnerships
Rockland 21C: Collaborative for Children & Youth works together with RoCA to bring free art workshops to families countywide with an emphasis on programs for English Language Learners. RoCA partners with other local non-profit organizations such as Jawonio, ARC of Rockland and BOCES to provide customized art programs to teens and adults with serious disabilities.

Mentoring Youth Programs
RoCA has mentorship programs for high school students in partnership with both Rockland BOCES and the WISE program.

Staff Development
Rockland BOCES collaborates with RoCA annually to present the Visual Art Educators Conference for local art teachers. RoCA custom designs teacher training workshops for educators interested in developing new skills and learning innovative methods of art education.

Scholarships / Work Exchange
Scholarships are available to low-income children for both classes and camp.
For application and deadline information, call (845) 358-0877.

Kids Art Expo, sponsored by TD Bank
Thanks to a generous grant from TD Bank, RoCA will present the Kids Art Expo, a studio art and creative writing field trip program in conjunction with our fall exhibition Tell Me a Story, Now! on view October 14 through December 16, 2012. The program will serve ELL (English Language Learners) from Haverstraw, New York at no cost to the students, their families, or their schools.

Kids Art Expo will stimulate creativity, learning and language skills. It begins with an interactive tour of RoCA exhibitions exemplifying narrative art across diverse media: from traditional book illustrations to site-specific installations and short films. Students will respond to contemporary art through writing, discussions and art activities. Inspired by the art on view, students will create original, visual stories in RoCA's studios, integrating word and image. A Spanish speaking program assistant will translate and aid ELL students in their writing. The program will culminate with exhibitions of student artwork at local TD Bank branches.

To learn more about these services or to discuss a customized outreach program for your school or organization,
contact the School Director at (845) 358-0877 ext.17.