RCC Arts Students Enhance Career Ambitions Through Mentor Program

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Students looking to build careers in the arts world can get a helping hand at Rockland Community College through a partnership with the Arts Council of Rockland County.

Students picked for the program work with an experienced local artist as a mentor.

The ACOR Mentorship Program, launched in 2022, is designed to provide support through mentorship, workforce training, project development, and an arts incubator.

This year, two RCC students were selected: Michelle Garza and Christopher Raetz, an animator who is a 2023 graduate.

Raetz was paired with Kris Campbell, an artist who creates large-scale needlework tapestries and is who is currently exhibiting at ACOR’s Hidden Treasure Gallery in the Palisades Center.

“The ACOR mentorship program has connected me with local artists who are dedicated to their crafts. Through the program, I have had the opportunity to visit galleries and exhibits, and have gotten advice on showcasing my artwork, accessing grants, and more,” Raetz said. “I have been able to begin post-production on a short, animated, AI-generated film, which has been a passion project of mine, and has propelled my skills as an animator.”

The program, sponsored by Orange and Rockland county utilities, runs for six months, from March to August, with a wide-ranging curriculum including one-on-one studio time with mentors, professional development workshops, gallery and studio visits, and three separate exhibition opportunities.

“So many artists leave college and have no idea how to be an artist when they get out of school. They know how to draw or create a sculpture, but they have no idea how to navigate the business side of it or get themselves known,” said Barbara Galazzo, an ACOR Mentor who is Exhibitions and Events Director at Rockland Center for the Arts.

She said artists like her join the ACOR Mentor Program because they are eager to give back and help shape the next generation of emerging artists.

“Through a program like the ACOR Mentorship Program, mentees learn information that may take a decade or more to navigate, and they become part of a community of young, like-minded individuals they can grow with,” she said. “The ACOR Mentorship Program is a valuable resource to young, emerging Rockland County artists."

ACOR also recently hosted its 2023 ACOR Arts Awards Celebration at RCC’s Ellipse Room on campus.

The program included awards for artists in the fields of acting, dance, music, and visual arts as well as categories such as Arts Educator and Arts Leader.