Compass Arts was founded by educator, musician and theatrical performer Gina Samardge in 2013 and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2020. Our early focus was on toddler and elementary music classes. We have expanded our offerings to include theater, art, dance, writing, making and other programming for students of all ages.

We offer arts education in the form of ongoing classes, workshops, events, and community collaborations. As a “creativity project,” we are able to adapt our programming to meet the needs of our community and incorporate elements like STEM and leadership training. While a majority of our programs serve young people (ages 0-16), we are steadily expanding into more programming for adults.

Our low-cost and free offerings have included music and art classes for Astor Place Head Start; senior dance classes at the Forrestal Friendship House; multi-disciplinary activities in Beacon city parks; film making classes in collaboration with the Foundation for Beacon City Schools; and our community arts activity tables at the Beacon and Newburgh Farmers Markets. These programs are made possible through fundraising, and grants.

While we require class fees to support our bottom line, we do offer sliding-scale pricing for all of our programs, with no proof of income necessary.