Arts & Entertainment

Ten Self-Portraits By Nyack Youngsters

Children from the YMCA Teen Program will soon display their self-portraits, summer-long endeavors created with the help of professional artists and the Hopper House.

How do Nyack's budding artists view themselves? Residents will soon have a chance to see for themselves.

At the start of the summer, the Hopper House coupled 10 youths with 10 professional artists in an art program titled "Express Yourself."

The goal? Create a self-portrait, and explore personal expression through art in the process.

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The children, selected from the YMCA Summer Teen Club program, met with their artist mentors on a weekly basis. The mentors, many of whom are local, have expertise in painting, photography, illustrating and more.

The final products will be displayed this Friday, 8 p.m., at Paulette Ross's Boutique (89 Main Street).

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"The self-portraits are very touching and the kids have some amazing and personal stories to tell," said Rachael Solomon, the program coordinator at the Hopper House Art Center.

The idea came about in an accidental fashion—Joeffrey Gardner, who works with the Rockland YMCA, organized a tour of the Hopper House for his students.

"He wanted them to connect with the community more," Solomon explained. "Through our discussion we realized that the kids were lacking a real art component in their program, so I thought it would be a great idea if we volunteered to offer them some workshops." 

"I knew I wanted to give them a different, meaningful art experience, but didn't exactly know how best to execute this," she added.

Before long, Solomon and Gardner were in touch with Melanie Rodgriguez, a local artist who is frequently involved with the Hopper House.

"[Rodgriguez] had the brilliant idea that at this critical age, what these 12-15 year old kids would really benefit from is having mentors," Solomon said. "[She] decided that they should work on self-portraits, one-on-one with professional artists."

This summer's "Express Yourself"—the vanguard of what may be many more—was sponsored through private donations.

"The ultimate goal is to receive ongoing support so that we can continue this program and make it a permanent fixture," Solomon said.

After Friday's reception, the art will continue to be displayed during store hours; the boutique is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from  12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The store is closed Mondays.

Check back soon for more photos and coverage of Friday's event.


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