Rockaway Art Room (pilot program)
Rockaway Art Room offers free art classes for our community while paying local artists fairly.
Rockaway Art Room (pilot program)
Rockaway Art Room offers free art classes for our community while paying local artists fairly.
Upcoming Classes:
Upcoming Classes:
Support the Art Room
Rockaway Art Room is funded by neighbors who believe access to the arts should be available to everyone.
If you'd like to help keep classes free, you can support the program:
Weekly Drawing Meet-up
Join us each Wednesday from 6-7:30pm to casually sketch together! Locations will rotate so we can experience as much of the Rockaways as we can.
June 3:
Panino Bozza
Shore Front Pkwy &, Beach 96th St
Free! All materials included or bring your own.
All ages welcome.
Oil Painting Series
Tuesdays, June 30-July 21
A 4-week class to explore color, texture, and technique while creating your own oil painting in a relaxed, creative space. Taught by professional artist Natalie Garber Martin.
valé ecolab
141 B. 56th St. Arverne, NY
Free! All materials included.
Geared toward adults, but feel free to bring your kids if you can supervise!
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Support the Art Room
Rockaway Art Room is funded by neighbors who believe access to the arts should be available to everyone.
If you'd like to help keep classes free, you can support the program:
Weekly Drawing Meet-up
Join us each Wednesday from 6-7:30pm to casually sketch together! Locations will rotate so we can experience as much of the Rockaways as we can.
June 3:
Panino Bozza
Shore Front Pkwy &, Beach 96th St
Free! All materials included or bring your own.
All ages welcome.
Oil Painting Series
Tuesdays, June 30-July 21
A 4-week class to explore color, texture, and technique while creating your own oil painting in a relaxed, creative space. Taught by professional artist Natalie Garber Martin.
valé ecolab
141 B. 56th St. Arverne, NY
Free! All materials included or bring your own.
Geared toward adults, but feel free to bring your kids if you can supervise!
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Past Classes
Some highlights from our Weaving & Watercolor class with Bekka Palmer! (March 26, 2026)
@Jupiter Club, Arverne, NY
Some shots from our Beginner Painting class with Shaymon Thomas-Simmons! (March 31, 2026)
@ The B.R.I.D.G.E., Arverne, NY
Photos from the Found Object Mandalas class with Camila A. Morales (April 15, 2026).
@ Jupiter Club, Arverne, NY
Photos from the first weekly drawing meetup (May 13, 2026).
@ 97th Street Concessions, Rockaway Park, NY
The mission
Rockaway Art Room exists to make art accessible, joyful, and public. By offering free classes taught by paid artists, we strengthen both the creative lives of our community and the livelihoods of the people who make art.
Rockaway Art Room: Community Art Classes
Rockaway Art Room is a pilot program offering free, in-person art classes for all ages in the Rockaways section of Queens, NY. Classes will be open to the public and taught by paid teaching artists.
The goal of the initiative is to provide accessible, neighborhood-based arts programming in an area with limited free cultural offerings while fairly compensating artists for their work.
What the Pilot Includes
Free art classes for everyone
Multiple age groups and skill levels
Teaching artists paid per class
A limited pilot run to test demand and logistics
Current Status
This program has begun! 3 class have been executed, and two more have been planned. We are applying to grants to make sure they can happen!
About the Organizer
Jamie Soltis is an artist and arts administrator based in Queens with experience in community programming, teaching-artist coordination, and nonprofit arts work.
Contact
For questions, partnerships, or funding inquiries, please email me here.
This pilot is contingent on funding and partnerships.
BUDGET
The total estimated budget for this 3-month program is $19,300. Every contribution helps make free, community art classes possible in the Rockaways.
Ways to support:
$5 → Helps fund free art classes through collective support
$50 → Helps cover materials for one class
$200 → Sponsors one teaching artist session
$2,400 → Sponsors a full 12-class series led by one teaching artist
$ANY → I mean it when I say: every dollar helps bring this project to life!
Thank you for supporting arts in the Rockaways!
BUDGET:
The total estimated budget for this 3-month program is $19,300. Every contribution helps make free, community art classes possible in the Rockaways.
Ways to support:
$5 → Helps fund free art classes through collective support
$50 → Helps cover materials for one class
$200 → Sponsors one teaching artist session
$2,400 → Sponsors a full 12-class series led by one teaching artist
$ANY → I mean it when I say: every dollar helps bring this project to life!
Thank you for supporting arts in the Rockaways!
Our Collaborators
Our Collaborators
