When it comes to getting in touch with your creative side, it may be difficult at first to figure out what direction you may wish to take or what medium you may want to dabble in; ideally, a school that offers a plethora of different programs – and a plethora of different schedules – would be the way to go, and One River School of Woodbury offers exactly that for budding artists of any age.
One River School, located at 150 Woodbury Road, is an art and design school for all ages and levels, and offers a great starting point for beginners and a place for more experienced artists to hone their craft, according to Cassandra Basile, the school’s director.
“No matter what classes you’ve taken in the past – or haven’t taken – there’s certainly a class and a place for you here,” she said. “We offer drawing classes, graphic design, photography, painting, and much more. And what’s cool about the program is that you can start at any time and stop at any time, which makes it really flexible, especially for families, to get started.”
For children, One River School offers after-school and weekend programs, whereas for adults there is a very robust program that offers classes all throughout the day and evening, making it easy for just about anyone to jump in and get started with the program of their choice.
Part of a national chain of schools, Basile first opened the Woodbury One River School in March of 2019, just prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, like many schools, she switched over to a virtual learning mode – which proved to be very effective – while waiting out the mandated lockdowns.
“Like a lot of businesses, we were forced to close our doors, but thankfully we were able to reopen them virtually, which was a great benefit,” she said. “We were able to retain a lot of our students and engage them from home, so while this was a very devastating time for a lot of people, we tried to offer a bit of a creative outlet so people, especially young kids, could still have fun and get plugged into their own creative processes.”
Despite the fact that we’re now in the waning days of the pandemic and just about all lockdown restrictions have been lifted, One River School still offers virtual learning options for those who wish to partake; otherwise, in-person learning is back and at full capacity.
Class sizes are kept purposely small and manageable, both to help implement social distancing measures as a continuing health precaution, in addition to allowing more one-on-one instruction between teachers and students, Basile said.
“Our largest studio can accommodate 15 students, which gives parents peace of mind because it’s not a class of 30, 40, or 50 kids,” she said. “We’re able to have adequate distancing in those rooms, and at any given time we’ll have at least four classrooms up and running which can accommodate anywhere from 8 to 15 students.”
When it comes to what sets One River School apart from the other art schools on Long Island, Basile referred to the school’s aforementioned flexibility, but also said that their extremely diverse array of courses – ranging from traditional to digital – has something that appeals to everyone.
“Our curriculum really sets us apart…we’re modeled after the idea that you can teach art through the lens of a contemporary curriculum. Meaning, students are able to learn about a variety of different artists that are considered ‘very here and now,’” she said. “We can connect students to artists who are making work that’s relevant to them. I was really excited by that, and it’s really working. The discussions that we have on a daily basis with students about the artwork we’re showing them, they’re really powerful and I think it’s needed now more than ever.”
One River School has four studios and all; three dedicated to studio art and one for digital, In addition to a spacious gallery with natural lighting.
The school also offers summer camp programs for students who wish to immerse themselves in art while they’re enjoying their summer breaks, Basile said.
“This will be our fourth summer offering camps, and it’s really exciting because we have at least 40 new camps this year compared to last year,” she said. “Our camp program has a similar vibe to our regular classes in that it’s very flexible…kids can sign up for one week of camp, 10 weeks of camp, or anywhere in between.”
“And our camps are exciting because we offer programs such as learning to use Adobe PhotoShop, street art – which is our most popular program – as well as learning how to draw realistically, such as portraits,” Basile continued. “It’s a really lively atmosphere where students are making friends and really enjoying themselves while learning about art.”
Introducing someone to the power and creativity of art can open up whole new worlds for just about anyone of any age, and Basile said that she is proud to be able to offer this experience to the students of One River School; she encourages anyone who is interested in getting in touch with their creative side to come on down and try out one of their many different classes.
“I grew up making art. I studied art in college and I still make it to this very day, but when I was a student I had nothing even close to what One River School offers,” she said. “Being able to give students of any age the ability to learn, grow, and thrive in a really cool, compelling, and progressive atmosphere fills me with so much joy. I feel like I’m in my dream job.”
To find out more about one river school, please call this phone number or visit their website at https://woodbury.oneriverschool.com.
