The Academy

The Academy at MoCA Westport supports the community by providing learning opportunities for all ages. The Academy is committed to programming that fosters a growth mindset in its participants, while blending visual arts, music, wellness and academic themes throughout its wide array of course offerings. Our goal is to help our students perceive art, music, themselves and the world around them more clearly, and to enhance sensory awareness that connects us to the world around us.

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The Academy

Teaching Staff

Sue Donato

Sue is an artist and professional educator specializing in early childhood education and art awareness. Trained in graphic design and the decorative arts, Sue brings a multi-disciplinary approach to her classroom including math and literacy, painting, collage, art history and the theater arts.

Lewis Derogene

Lewis Derogene [Loo-weez Dare-o-jean] is a Haitian-born multidisciplinary artist who is artistically known as PhenomenaLewis. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in 2019. The passion that Lewis has for art developed at a young age being surrounded by a family full of artists, and it is one of her dreams to be able to share that passion with others through her art and through teaching.

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.

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.

Jessie Paulson

Jessie Paulson is a teaching artist who has taught in many different communities and cities along the East coast. She received a BFA from Boston University and a Masters in Painting from Maryland Institute, College of Art. She has developed classes, created art work and installed large shows with young children of all ages within schools, museums and art centers. She taught at Moore College of Art and was the Artist-in-Residence at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for many years.

The Academy at MoCA Westport supports the community by providing learning opportunities for all ages. The Academy is committed to programming that fosters a growth mindset in its participants, while blending visual arts, music, wellness and academic themes throughout its wide array of course offerings. Our goal is to help our students perceive art, music, themselves and the world around them more clearly, and to enhance sensory awareness that connects us to the world around us.

Academy at MoCA Westport Late Pick Up Policy

In the event that a parent/guardian/caregiver is running late to pick up their child from a class or camp at MoCA Westport, please call the front desk at MoCA Westport (203) 222-7070 to communicate with our team. If you have an emergency and cannot reach MoCA Westport on time, please try to notify us immediately. We allow for a 5 minute cushion for traffic and unexpected things of that nature. After the initial 5 minutes past your scheduled pick up time, the below fee will be billed to you. If you are late, you will be responsible for late pick-up charges ($10 per participant for each additional 5 minutes); all outstanding charges must be reconciled for the participant to register for or attend subsequent programming at MoCA Westport. Please have someone else available to pick up your student if you will be late and notify us by email (in writing) that you are giving permission for us to release the participant to them.

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. Tuition refunds made by request are available up until five business days prior to the start of the course (this differs from Camp MoCA Refund Policy See Below), any registration fees incurred shall be the responsibility of the registrant upon cancellation.

Pending availability, a make-up class may be granted upon request for the fee of a single class.

Refunds are not available for missed classes due to illness or exposure to an illness – including but not limited to Covid-19.

If a class is canceled by MoCA Westport, we will offer participants an opportunity to reschedule and/ or a credit. There will be no refunds for days canceled due to inclement weather however, where possible, credits will be offered. Tuition is refundable up to 48 hours after registration, 50% refundable through May 31st, then becomes non-refundable on June 1st. Camp tuition may be converted into a tax-deductible donation if the participant does not attend camp. Camp registration may be transferred to another eligible participant within 48 hours notice to campmoca@mocawestport.org.

2023 Academy Sponsors

Dale & Laura Kutnick Foundation