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pickups for students from P.S. 78 and
possibly for students from P.S. 384.
Additionally, Art Strong will offer
classes and programs for children as
young as 18 months starting in September,
since having the studio provides
a safe and consistent learning
environment for such young kids.
Before opening the studio, Art Strong
was creative in the way it held events
and programs, holding classes in Long
Island City’s Plaxall Gallery and having
Art in the Park programs. Last year,
however, the organization had to cancel
its Art in the Park program due to
the coronavirus pandemic.
The new studio provides Art Strong
with a stationary place to host its programming
that isn’t contingent upon
weather or other external circumstances.
“Now that we have a space, we
can really set up activities in a really
safe and welcoming environment
for a much wider variety of ages,”
Cavadas said. “We also just have the
ability to run a full schedule of programming.
So, we can have two or three classes
a day, a full after-school program, …
birthday parties on the weekends
and also we can have events around
holidays and other free community
events.”
What Cavadas and Lokken are most
excited about is providing a space for
people to be together and create.
“I think that it’s been an opportunity
for people to make more art in the
community, but already being able
to have this space … I feel like we’re
able to reach so many more people