On several recent sunny afternoons outside the Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck students learned the art of graffiti in workshops with guest street artist Zimad; how to paint Picasso-inspired selfie portraits; and the painting techniques required to create Georgia O’Keeffe-inspired flowers.
As the weather has gotten warmer, Pop-Up outdoor workshops such as these have become just one new way for the non-profit arts organization to offer unique experiences for artists of all ages.
“While students have been enjoying our interactive virtual programming throughout the past year, our new outdoor workshops offer students an experience like no other as the weather gets warmer. Families and friends can come together for workshops in Ceramics, Cartooning, Yoga and more!” explained Kim Pogorelis, associate school director. These outdoor workshops are taking place all spring and summer long outside the Arts Center’s facility on Middle Neck Road and in area parks, as part of Arts in the Park, an exciting new partnership with the Great Neck Parks District.
While one-day workshops are a great way for students to get a taste of the arts, hundreds of students have been working diligently over the past year, both virtually and in-person, in Gold Coast’s art, music and dance departments.
Gold Coast is proud to celebrate these students at their annual Festival of the Arts, a series of events showcasing the students’ hard work. Events include a Student Art Show featuring paintings, drawings and ceramics by students ages 4 – 17, which can be viewed in the Gold Coast Arts gallery by appointment; and a series of music and dance recitals, which instead of being performed in front of packed auditoriums, will be videotaped live this year at Gold Coast Arts so that family and friends can enjoy the performances from home.
Megan Clancy, a dance instructor at Gold Coast School for the Arts since 2010, is particularly proud of the dedication of Gold Coast’s successful Competition Dance division, which is excited to be competing in its first national competition this July after years of stellar competition performances regionally. “Our competition dancers have demonstrated an impressive level of talent and commitment throughout the pandemic that is necessary to perform at this high level, and their performances are thrilling to watch.”
What’s next at Gold Coast Arts? This summer’s calendar is filled with a wide array of camps, classes and workshops designed for students of all ages. To see all the exciting programs offered please visit www.goldcoastarts.org or call 516.829.2570 for more information. And for a small taste of the great work created over the past year, check out the Arts Center’s newly designed store-front window at 113 Middle Neck Road.
