Lehman College’s Art Gallery Welcomes All With Free Family Programs

By Danielle Rodriguez

On Feb. 8, 2026, the Lehman Art Gallery’s latest Family Art Program launched as part of an inclusive series of hands on workshops and private exhibit tours available for free to the public. The program continues the gallery’s commitment to accessibility by ensuring that creativity is not limited to those with time, money or previous experience in the arts, holding space where Bronx residents can see themselves not just as visitors, but as participants in the city’s culture through hands-on workshops, free public access and open exhibitions.

Assistant art director and curator of education Deborah Yasinsky, who has led the Family Art Program for the past eight years, said, “The [Lehman] art gallery has been an inclusive space for community engagement since 1984.” She also explained that both the Family Art Program and art shows are free and designed to welcome regulars and first-time visitors alike. For many families, the workshops offer a creative space that allows them to connect with the art community and create their own works with unique materials.

Voices Carry by Lee Quiñones
Photo by: Monserrate Godine

Photo taken by Danielle Rodriguez, MIRS Keep a Place for Me, 2017

Beloved Karen, a mother, author and Bronx resident, said, “I love expressing myself through crafts. I am always looking for new ways to be creative, and I want to pass that on to my baby.” Karen’s appreciation for the program extends beyond being able to express herself; as a new mother, the workshop also allowed her to get out of the house and participate in an activity with her child.

Lehman College’s art gallery hosts about eight Family Art Programs a year, often coinciding with the rotating exhibitions. February’s session followed The Painted Word, which featured a number of works that used the written word as a medium for art. While the Family Art Program offered a private tour and guided interaction with the exhibition, The Painted Word debuted to the public on Feb. 11, 2026.

When asked about the Family Art Program, a surprising number of attendees were unaware that the gallery offered such a service to the community. When informed of the program, Lehman faculty member Jaye Jones became a steadfast supporter, as she believes that everyone should take time to engage in the arts. “Anything that encourages people to pause in their busy lives and find beauty and joy in the world is something that everyone should [be able to] invest in,” she said.

Others, like Tom Caton, a teacher at the Bronx Urban Community Magnet School, saw great potential in the program to promote togetherness in the community. “It sounds incredible,” he said. “It can get seniors outside of their homes and give kids exposure to the arts.” Their reactions highlight how essential these kinds of programs can be, not just as educational tools, but as generational spaces where Bronx residents can gather, create and feel connected with one another and the culture of the arts.

Both the Family Art Program and The Painted Word exhibition were put together through labors of love. Maribelle Ceballos, a student intern who helped research and plan The Painted Word exhibition, is grateful to both the art gallery and the community for coming together and appreciating the art the gallery and the exhibition’s artists had put together. “People don’t think of the Bronx when they think of art,” she said. “And that’s a shame. There’s so much beauty and talent here.”

Together, the Family Art Program and The Painted Word exhibition reflect the gallery’s broader mission: to make art a living, participatory, community-centered part of Bronx life.