ABOUT US
Marquis Studios is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing arts-in‐education services to 130 New York City public schools annually. We strive to develop a strong partnership between artists and teachers by providing arts programs to supplement traditional classroom teaching techniques. Each residency or workshop focuses on a specific visual or performing arts discipline selected by school staff and administration.
Founded in 1977, Marquis Studios has served over 380,000 students, 24,500 teachers and 15,000 parents at schools throughout New York City. Working with a diverse population, 80% of programs serve students living at or below the poverty line with over 50% of all grant-funded programming serving children with disabilities.
Marquis Studios Offers:
- Core curriculum programming consisting of ten-week arts residencies taught by our staff of trained Teaching Artists.
- A full spectrum of arts residencies that encourage student exploration of visual arts, theatre, music, dance architecture, circus arts and puppetry.
- Custom designed programs to meet the educational goals set by the school through collaboration with Marquis Studios and classroom teachers.
- Programs that address New York State Learning Standards, both in the arts and academic areas.
- Professional development for classroom teachers to provide arts education techniques and concepts that can be brought back to the classroom.
- Parent/Child Workshops that help parents understand the connection between arts and academics while providing a fun, hands‐on experience parents and children can share.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Marquis Studios administrative staff is comprised of twelve employees with occasional help from interns and volunteers.
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David Marquis
Executive Director
David Marquis is the founder of Marquis Studios and has been its Executive Director since the company’s inception in 1977. He brings to his work as an educator his considerable experience as a theater artist of many capacities. David began his artistic career in London, where he studied and taught acting for five years. From 1985-1989, he sat on the Board of Directors for the Puppetry Guild of New York. From 1988-1990 he was a site reporter for the National Endowment for the Arts theater program. From 1992-2000 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the New York City Arts in Education Round table. He is a founding member of the Association of Teaching Artists and sat on the Board of Trustees of Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute from 2005-2014 as well as the Board of Directors of the Delaware College of Art and Design 2010-2014. His work as a puppeteer has toured the United States and has been placed prominently in many international festivals. As a Teaching Artist for the last 38 years, David has taught numerous classroom and professional development workshops. Subjects include puppetry, architecture, theater arts, writing, video editing, literacy, and mask-making. In the late 1970s, his work with video and computer‐generated images of his own design was the first integration of this technology into Puppet Theater in the United States.
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Barbara Pollard
Director of Special Projects
Barbara Pollard has extensive experience in the Arts in Education field. As Director of Special Projects for Marquis Studios, she is excited to bring the arts to NYC pubic schools. Most recently, she was the Manager of Special Projects at Town Hall in Manhattan where she brought dance, theater, visual arts and music residencies into NYC schools. At the New York State Council on the Arts, she was the interim Director of the Arts in Education division. In addition, Barbara has developed and implemented education programs, strategic planning and fundraising at Lincoln Center Institute, The National Academy of Design, The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Neuberger Museum at SUNY Purchase and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Barbara received an MA in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU, an MA in Educational Administration and Organizational Leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University and a BA from Washington University in St. Louis.
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Chris Forte
Education Liaison
Chris’ role is to work directly with each school’s staff to determine the optimal support that Marquis Studios can provide the school’s Art Education program. He had a successful business career over 32 years with Hallmark Cards 8 as the Regional Manager for the Eastern US. He led a field organization of over 1,000 people in a variety of roles and worked with senior management of major retailer such as Walgreens, CVS and Walmart Stores. He is a native New Yorker, born and raised in the Yankee Stadium neighborhood of the Bronx. He comes from an education‐based family with his Dad being a NYC Teacher/Guidance Counselor for 50 years and Mom an Art Teacher. As a rabid Baseball fan, he often dreams of roaming the outfield of Yankee Stadium with his hero Mickey Mantle. He and his wife Miyoko currently live in Bayside, Queens.