ABOUT US

Marquis Studios is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing arts-­in­‐education services to 150 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 460,000 students, 26,000 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 classrooms containing 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.

OUR TEACHING ARTISTS

Marquis Studios employs 83 professional teaching artists whom specialize in a variety of disciplines. If you are interested in becoming a Teaching Artist visit our careers page.

  • Laine Barton

    Laine Barton, a theater, puppetry and circus artist, joyfully weaves theater, puppetry, movement and/or circus with a focus on literacy, social studies, and social justice into her residencies. Her programs, Last Night I dreamed the Circus, Mime Matters, The Science of Circus, Convince Me and The Brooklyn Bridge, among others, combine these elements into fun-filled, structured curricular experiences centered on the needs of students from early childhood into middle school. Laine’s theatrical and circus performances include the Kimtom Festival in Shanghai, China, summer fairs in the Western States, and locally for Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Metropolitan Opera, TV’s All My Children, and the Big Apple Circus CCU (was on staff for 14 years). Her shows “Why Read..” and “Grandpa’s Unicorn” can be seen at theaters, libraries and schools throughout the N.Y and N.J. area. Laine has been a Marquis Studios teaching artist since 2014.

  • Kimberly Becoat

    Kimberly M. Becoat is a contemporary mixed media artist whose work is a stylistic abstraction and investigation of materials. Kimberly has also been featured in a number of exhibits including her solo exhibition, New Abstractions at Essie Green Galleries, MoCADA Museum (The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts), as well as the Deutsche Bank in New York City. Kimberly’s work has been exhibited in other art institutions such as: Scope (New York , NY), Respond at Smack Mellon Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Pattern Recognition, MoCADA Museum, and I KAN DO THAT: Contemporary Abstract Art, at Rush Arts Gallery. She has been a Marquis Studios teaching artist since 2014.

  • Chris Bell

    Chris Bell is originally from San Antonio, Texas. He attended Case Western Reserve University with the help of a fully funded graduate fellowship, earning a MFA in Contemporary Dance. He completed his undergraduate work at Texas Christian University and Lamar University earning degrees in Dance and Geology. He is currently choreographic and directorial assistant to Mark Dendy as well as a member of Mark Dendy Projects, serves as Rehearsal Director and Guest Artist for Gaspard&Dancers and performs with Eryc Taylor Dance. He was the resident choreographer for the American Theater of Harlem, has created pieces for the Collegiate Churches of New York and The Mather Dance Collective which brought people aged 8-80 of various skill level and socioeconomic status together to create and perform new dances. In addition to performing and choreographing he has taught for Pascal Rioult Dance NY, DanceNow/NYC, and TADA! Youth Theaters.