It’s no secret that 2022 is a big year for us at Portsmouth Music and Arts Center: our 20th anniversary year! 20 years ago last month, the Seacoast’s hub for music and art education was born. Over the past 20 years, we have seen countless students of all ages creating, performing, and bringing the arts to life both in our building and out in the community. Our early youth students have now grown up, and many have moved out of the seacoast. Some have continued their art form into their early careers, while others have moved onto change the world in other ways.
Julia McCarthy
Julia McCarthy is currently a senior at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City studying fashion design with a minor in art history. She began her art studies at PMAC when she was thirteen. “I did quite a few different things at PMAC – private art lessons, voice lessons, and while in high school I interned in the Little Artists program for preschoolers and for three summers of art camp, learning how to teach art from the PMAC faculty.” Julia explains, “PMAC really helped me find my voice as an artist. My PMAC art teacher, Aris Moore, was the best – we’re still in touch! We did a lot of painting as well as drawing with graphite and colored pencils, which are skills I continue to use in my college art courses. Aris was an amazing mentor and provided a lot of support and comfort when I was developing my portfolio and began applying to art schools.” She goes on to say, “I think PMAC is wonderful in the way it can help people to express themselves through various mediums – whether musical or artistic – allowing a high level of focus on your creativity.”
