COCA Executive Director Addresses NEA

On Friday, October 31, 2014, COCA Executive Director, Kelly Pollock traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak to the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at the invitation of Jane Chu, Chairman of the NEA.

Pollock discussed COCA's innovative programs, including COCAbiz, COCA's business training division, and its Interchange S.T.E.A.M. arts integration residencies run in partnership with Boeing, as well as COCA's successful Pre- Professional Division, which the NEA has funded for many years.

Chris Page, COCA alumnus and professional dancer with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, joined Pollock, along with current Pre-Professional student, Brooke Terry, a 14-year-old freshman at Clayton High School.

To watch a webcast of the meeting, go to: http://arts.gov/video/national-council-arts-meeting-october-31-2014.

About COCA - COCA-Center of Creative Arts is a non-profit community arts center with a mission to enrich lives and build community through the arts. COCA connects our community to the arts through programs that emphasize social and artistic diversity, economic and cultural accessibility, hands-on experience of the artistic process, and the highest quality in our faculty. Founded in 1986, COCA is a national leader in innovative community arts education. COCA annually serves more than 50,000 area residents of all ages through multidisciplinary, multi-cultural arts programs that include educational classes, camps and workshops, both on-site and in community venues; COCAbiz; COCAedu; COCA Presents; and exhibitions of contemporary art in the Millstone Gallery.

Pictured: Christopher Page, COCA alumnus; Kelly Pollock, COCA Executive Director; Jane Chu, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts; Brooke Terry, COCA student; and Ayanna Hudson, Arts Education Director, Literature & Arts Education Division, National Endowment for the Arts, following the National Council on the Arts public meeting on Friday, October 31, 2014.