The Academy - MOCA Westport
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The Academy

Play Space and Garden Project

We need YOU! Our goal is to raise $10,000 by April 28th to create a unique and interactive outdoor play space that will serve as an extension of our Academy programming. Our plans include a fenced-in area featuring a cedar play set and two raised garden beds to grow both vegetables and flowers.

To learn more about naming opportunities for donations over $2,500, please contact Cynthia Dempster at cynthia@mocawestport.org.

Thank you for your support!

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academy-garden

The Academy Offerings

Register Now

Register for our art & wellness classes, after school programs, summer camp, and private parties now

Art & Wellness Classes

Our Spring Course Catalog, beginning April 5, features a diverse range of classes for all ages; from toddlers to adults, in both in-person and virtual settings. Each course is offered as a four or eight week session, designed to build new skills and to allow for comprehensive projects over the duration of the session.

Register for Art Classes
Register for Wellness Classes

After School Program & Mini MoCA Learning Labs

Each after school session for K-5 includes homework help, art exploration, small group tutoring, snack break time, and time to get outside.  Our Mini MoCA pre-school program is available in both morning and afternoon sessions, and features immersive art experiences paired with early childhood literacy/ mathematics foundations. 

Register for After School Program
Register for Mini MoCA Learning Lab

Summer Camp: Camp MoCA (Ages 3-13)

Join us this summer! Each week of Camp MoCA will feature projects and activities such as: Recycled/Upcycling Art, Nature in Art, Engineering and Art, Chemistry and Art, Movement and Art, and more. Camp will run from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. daily, and will be led by certified educators, art instructors and CPR-certified camp counselors. Campers will be grouped into age ranges and will participate in a range of both indoor and outdoor activities.

Register for Camp MoCA

Private Art Parties + Lessons

Private birthday parties and painting parties can be tailored to your needs. We also offer private lessons with our talented and accredited art instructors, either virtually or in-person. Contact Kristen Young to learn more and schedule.

Plan Your Private Party
Register to Book Your Private Art Instruction

Our Instructors

Anne Greenberg

Director Of Education

As a mother of two teenage girls, former classroom teacher, and elementary school assistant principal in New York City, Anne Greenberg brings extensive knowledge and experience to support students and teaching staff at MoCA in her role as Director of Education.

Kristen Young

Academy and Music Associate

Our Academy and Music Program Associate, Kristen Young brings extensive experience as an arts administrator and musician to MoCA. She is also a violinist and dog lover.

Erika Brunwasser

Erika is an adolescent and parenting coach. With more than 10 years of experience as a counselor in NYC and Connecticut, Erika has helped students in areas such as goal-setting, social skills, self-esteem, emotion-management, and beyond. Erika has worked in some of New York City’s largest and most diverse schools. She has also been a mentor for the New Canaan based non-profit, LiveGirl, where she ran groups based on leadership skills for girls. Erika also led a teen community service group in Greenwich. Currently Erika works as a social and emotional coach for the Greenwich based Educational Advising firm “Keating Quigley”. Erika holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from The Ohio State University and a Master’s of Education in school counseling from Fordham University. She currently lives in Westport with her husband and two young daughters. Her favorite things are sushi, the beach, and spending time with her family.

Sasha Bush

Sasha Bush is a New York City-based visual artist and teacher who works with photographs and video. Bush received his MFA from ICP-Bard and BA from Hampshire College. His practice centers on temporal site-specific activities that encourage participants in their ability to play dual roles as students and teachers as a means to examine the process of learning. Currently, Bush teaches at Oakwood Friends School and has taught at the International Center of Photography, Poughkeepsie Day School, Vassar College’s Lifelong Learning Institute, and SUNY New Paltz’s Lifetime Learning Institute. His work has been exhibited at The Camera Club of New York, ICP and Barrett Art Center, among others and his work is held in the collections of the ICP Library in NYC and the Clara M. Eagle Gallery at Murray State University in Kentucky.

Amy Chaple

Amy is a seasoned teacher with international experience.  She taught in both Poland and Turkey before moving to Westport 13 years ago. She holds a BA from Babson College, and an MA in International Education from Framingham State University.  She is passionate about art and has worked with artists, galleries and public and private collections.  Working at MoCA Westport gives her the opportunity to blend both of her passions, teaching and art.

Vincent Fraser, LMT

Vincent is a Certified Alexander Technique Teacher, Craniosacral and Somatic Therapist and Reiki Master. He has worked with a wide range of people including musicians, athletes, bodyworkers, people recovering from chronic pain and injuries, as well as those wanting to enhance awareness and performance in everyday life. He has taught in hospitals, music studios, colleges, chiropractic and wellness centers.

Edel Keane

Edel is the owner and founder of Jarosa Studio and is a 500HR RYT. Her mission is not only to nourish the body, but the mind and spirit. Edel combines her wide array of trainings in different modalities to build yoga programs that develop strength, flexibility and balance through stability. She believes in creating a space to discover the truth in transition and a sense of lightness that many seek in their practice.

Grayson Kennedy

Grayson is from New Canaan, CT. She received a B.A. in Art History and a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship from Bucknell She also works as a freelance artist and is the sole proprietor of Grayson Kennedy Design. 

Carolin Kuhmann

Carolin is a certified Heal Your Life® and Meditation Teacher. After working in IT for 13 years, a change in her career has allowed her to follow her dreams to work as a soulful life coach and dedicated meditation teacher.

Sooo-z Mastropietro

Sooo-z is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology and holds a BFA in Fashion Design and Textile Design. Her inauguration as an Art Director in Interiors cultivated her conception, “Mastropiece”, a silk painting business to create and sell her own wearable and decorative designs that infused art with a purpose. Other endeavors include community sculptural projects, curating, judging art shows, artist in residences, teaching, and classical bass playing.

Erika McGhee

Erika is an artist and DIY enthusiast who loves art as it relates to many forms. She has taught Pre-K children for fifteen years, and has taught art history for three years along with other enrichments such as chess and yoga. Holding bachelor degrees in Jewelry and Metals, and another in Early Childhood Education, Erika is currently pursuing her Master’s in Illustration.

Megan Rajbanshi

Megan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Expressive Arts practitioner based in Connecticut. Her background combines over 15 years of experience creating arts-based and experimental programming for children, teens, and adults.

Lisa Stretton

Lisa has over 18 years of experience teaching and supporting students in several public schools throughout Connecticut. She has a BA in Communications from Boston College, MS in Special Education from LIU and a Professional Certification in Interior Design from Fairfield University. Lisa is also the founder of Real Art Real Artists, an online artist directory that establishes connections between artists and their local communities.

Colleen Thomas

Colleen is an educator who advocates for elevating partnerships between arts organizations and their communities. She has worked as a teacher in traditional classrooms as well as several museums where her dedication for developing impactful lessons continues to grow. She is thrilled to partner with her colleagues at MoCA to build dynamic and inclusive programs that enrich the lives of our students.

Agata Tria

Agata is an accomplished and award-winning artist, exhibiting her soft pastels in the United States as well as Europe. Her style is mostly minimalistic nature portraits emphasizing color and composition. She creates in a diversity of mediums including acrylic/oils, pastels, glass, resins and wood. She currently resides in Weston, CT and earned her Master’s degree from the European Academy of Arts in Warsaw, Poland.

Nell Waters

Nell is a Westport & Brooklyn-based painter and art educator with over 20 years of experience. Nell was also a leader of the ArtSmarts program for many years in the Westport Schools. She taught and helped lead two programs at Westport Arts Center: SmilowArts, bringing healing art workshops to patients at Yale-New Haven Smilow Cancer Center, and the SpecialArts, providing art classes for children with special needs.

The Academy at MoCA Westport: What makes us unique?

The Academy at MoCA Westport is designed to inspire creativity, build new skills, and foster an appreciation of the arts. 

As an active contemporary art museum, students will have the opportunity to directly explore and engage with our timely exhibitions.

All Academy programs are led by accredited teachers and art instructors with extensive experience in both the academic and art world.

Our classrooms are equipped with state of the art technology, plenty of space, and are appropriate for all ages. All safety and health protocols are explicitly followed.

We have extensive, well-manicured outdoor spaces for a diversity of arts-related outdoor experiences.

REFUND POLICY: To ensure the optimal experience, we schedule our teachers and purchase our materials in advance. As a non-profit organization, cancellations make it challenging for us to manage our enrollments and plan for programs. Refunds made by request are available up until 5 business days prior to the start of the program. 

There are no make-up days available for missed days due to illness, family obligations, etc.  

Once a program is underway, if a class day or full program is canceled due to concerns of staff or participant exposure to COVID-19, no refunds will be issued. There will be no refunds for days canceled due to weather concerns however, where possible, credits will be offered.

Classes are transferable to another participant with 48 hours notice. Contact Kristen Young at kristen@mocawestport.org with any questions or to change a class participant.