Art as Therapy & Creative Connections
New Art currently offers four small, supportive cohorts in expressive art as therapy and creative connection for children and teens. Led by registered art therapist Erin Palazzolo-Loparo, MS-ATR alongside an art assistant, sessions provide a safe, confidential space for young people to connect, create and share through a range of art modalities.
Designed for students navigating challenges such as anxiety, depression, and other social-emotional stressors, the program integrates mindfulness and strengths-based ego-building art experiences that help participants access, express, and transform feelings into meaningful creative work. Groups are intentionally small to foster trust and community, and new participants of all abilities may join at the start of each school-year term (fall, winter, and spring). Serving grades 4-12 from across the greater Newton area, New Art collaborates with local school counselors and therapists for referrals whenever possible. Scholarship funds are available to ensure no student is turned away for lack of funds.
This program is generously funded by the Rebecca Pomroy Foundation & Valor Together
Expressive Arts for Those Impacted by Domestic Violence
The New Art Center has been running a weekly expressive arts group since 2014 for people who have been impacted by domestic violence. Participants learn about art history and techniques, but primarily this group serves as a place to connect with others who have had similar experiences in a mutually supportive atmosphere. The group meets for 2 hours weekly during the Fall and Spring terms. Annually, New Art provides more than 68 hours of art group therapy, led by an experienced art instructor and LMHC, for dozens of survivors of domestic abuse.
This program is generously funded by the Rebecca Pomroy Foundation & Valor Together