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.

  • Michael Morales

    Michael is a native New Yorker who picked up playing percussion as a toddler and began studying the Drum Set by the age of eight. As a student at the City College of New York he refined his pallet to include Jazz and world music as well a historical context to his instrument; one of the first instruments, the drums. The drums have a deep history as they were crucial in the developement of Jazz music and all modern musical genres to come. By blending genres and even instruments from all the cultures who were part of America’s history; both voluntarily and forcefully, the drum-set is and drumming is perfectly geared towards teaching the history of this country and the rich history still carried on within the rhythms still performed today. As a teacher he embraces all styles of learning by encouraging a team / collective environment to assist participants to become most confident musicians and individuals that they can be. Through fun and engaging somatic rhythm exercises he teaches students to learn to feel rhythm in their bodies, unlocking their inner drummer.

  • Leah Moriarity

    Leah Moriarty is a Brooklyn-based dance artist and educator. Her studies mostly focus on African diasporic work both traditional and contemporary. She currently dances with Harambee Dance Company and just completed a dance contemporary dance study program in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso with choreographer, Solo Badolo. She is an on-site coordinator for This World Music’s Dance and Drum Study Abroad intensive program. Leah has been a Marquis Studios teaching artist since 2014.

     

  • Aurelio del Muro

    Aurelio del Muro is a visual artist, amateur cello player, and an educator. He began his art studies with sculptor Tom Doyle in 1983 in Queens College, CUNY. Soon after, he continued his art studies at the Art Students League of New York. For many years he was a studio assistant to New York sculptor Philip Pavia. In 2004, he was awarded The McDowell Travel Grant for Sculpture. He’s had solo shows in 1994 at the Mexican Consulate, The White Box Gallery in Philadelphia (now in New York) in 1998 and most recently in November 2006, at the Art Students League. He has taught sculpture and stone carving at the Educational Alliance since 1998 and also teaches drawing to a home schooling group. Being an amateur Cello player, he also incorporates music and poetry into his teaching. In the past he has also worked as a counselor and a social worker. Aurelio has been a Marquis Studios teaching artist since 2007.