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Central New York Art Classes Help During The Pandemic Central New York Art Classes

The CNY Community Arts Center brings people of different backgrounds together.

By Michael Cortez

MICHAEL CORTEZ: When walking into the CNY Community Arts Center you may see vibrant paintings on the walls. But in reality, the most vibrant parts of the center are the people themselves.

LOGAN CLEVERLY: Well I enjoy the fact that I get to express my creativity in the art form in this vibrant space.

CORTEZ: 12-Year-Old Logan Cleverly has been taking art classes at the center for three years. But the classes help with skills other than art.

LOGAN: I get to meet new people.

CORTEZ: Logan is on the autism spectrum and the classes helps him with his anxiety.

CHERYL GREEN: He does have problems with social skills when he is drawing he blooms, anxiety being with other people and stuff he warms up.

CORTEZ: Logan is not the only student benefiting from In-Person art classes.

JESSIE DOBRZYNSKI: Earlier today i was like I had a really rough day I’m ready to see you guys and I’m ready for some laughs tonight cause thats a big stress relief.

CORTEZ: A lot of students live alone so these classes give people more interaction and less isolation during the pandemic. Painting and drawing in these class allow people an escape from the difficulties they encounter everyday.

GREEN: Yes they just it gives them two hours to just free there mind not worry about what is going on at home, whats going on at work, whats going on in school they can just concentrate here and be therapeutic.

CORTEZ: Everyone in this class comes from different backgrounds and live different lives. These classes give students an opportunity to do something new.

GRACE TREPASSO: For example In my job I’m a bartender and a legal secretary so Im forced to deal with a multitude of different things that are often beyond my control and I just have to make the best of it doing something like water colors working with water something that i can completely control allows me to be a lot more flexible in other parts of my life It also pushes me to be more creative.

CORTEZ: Grace Trepasso and her mom started going to these classes during the pandemic. While Covid-19 has closed many things this art class has opened people up to new beginnings.

TREPASSO: I’d like to say I take this class because we put the fun in dysfunctional and (Laughs) My Class Mates are laughing at me right now but Its Kind of Become a litle Community here.

CORTEZ: This is much more than an Art class It’s a family Michael Cortez NCC News.

FULTON, N.Y. (NCC News) – The CNY Community Arts Center has brought people together in a time when social distancing has become normal. The Arts Center has been holding in-person classes for a couple of months and has multiple art classes, which include water painting and drawing.

However, at the beginning of the pandemic, they had to teach all of their art classes virtually on Zoom. Teaching classes virtually had been difficult, and there are lots of benefits for people taking in-person art classes, said Cheryl Green, president of the CNY Community Arts Center.

“Well, number one, it gets them out of the house,” Green said. “It is also a lot of therapy; they come here and relax and learn how to draw and to learn how to do a skill.”

A majority of the students had never drawn before, and this class was their first experience with things such as watercolor and drawing. Learning an art skill is one of the reasons people sign up for classes here, but the other motivation is the community they have built there. 

Logan Cleverly, 12, has been going to this art center for three years. Logan is on the autism spectrum, and this class helps him deal with anxiety.

“Well, I enjoy the fact that I get express my creativity in the art form in this vibrant space,” Logan said. “I also get to meet new people.”

Green said that when he is drawing, his social anxiety goes away. This allows him to blossom.

Logan’s mother, Lindsay Cleverly, started going to the art studio back in the fall.

“Yeah, I think more people should try painting and drawings. I think it is very therapeutic,” Lindsay said. “It is also a way to maybe to de-stress during the pandemic.”

Students are not the only ones using it as a way to relax. Jessie Daborzynski works at the center as a volunteer, and when she is not working or volunteering, she attends classes.

“Early today, I was like I had a really rough day, and I’m ready to see you guys, ” Daborzynski said. “I’m ready for some laughs tonight cause that’s a big stress relief.”

People of all occupations flock to this center for classes. One nurse even traveled  90 minutes to the center because the hard work helps her to unwind.

Grace Treppaso, a legal secretary, started going to classes in Sept. as a way to support Green’s art class. Trepasso soon realized that this art class provided her with support.

“I’m forced to deal with a multitude of different things that are often beyond my control,” Treppaso said. “Doing something with water, something I can’t completely control, allows me to be a lot more flexible in other parts of my life.”

While the pandemic has closed many doors to many different things in this world, a small art class in Fulton found out firsthand how art has opened them to a new beginning and a new hobby which has become a family.

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