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The Academy

Summer Camp: Camp MoCA (Ages 3-11)

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
Download Camper Handbook
Buy a Camp MoCA T-Shirt

Summer Course Catalog

Join us this summer for a range of classes for toddlers – adults, including returning favorites like Skateboard Design and new offerings like The World of Digital Art Animation and Summer Sunset Painting Series. More to come soon, including Robotics and Introduction to Coding, so check back frequently! 

Register Now For Summer

Check out our full range of classes and camps, including Private Events, and register today!

Register Now

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.

Mercedes Arensberg

A graduate of Columbia University’s Visual Arts program, Mercedes is an artist focusing on paintings, sculptures and installations of different types—video and sculptural. With an MA in Art History as well, Mercedes has taught art and art theory to students from Greenwich Public Schools to homeless shelters, ages 3 through 95. She is fluent in several languages, including Spanish, French and Italian.

Kvon Behpour

Kvon specializes in photographing people for corporate communications, fashion, editorial and other commercial purposes, on location and in his studios in New York and Connecticut. Kvon’s fine art photography has been featured in publications in his native Iran, and is on display in the permanent art collection titled EL Espiritu de la Tierra, US Embassy chancellery building, La Paz, Bolivia.

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.

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.

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.

Saxon Thaler

Saxon is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, earning his BFA in 3D Animation and minor in Storyboarding. He also works as a freelance graphic designer and motion media artist. His hobbies include drawing, tennis and karate. 

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.