07/30/2025
Carrying Forward a Legacy: The CAPAS Story
From a humble living room in the Bronx to standing ovations in Manhattanâs East Villageâthis is the story of CAPAS, a testament to the transformative power of arts education and the enduring impact of one extraordinary womanâs vision.
In 1978, as an 8yr-old child, I walked into Lola Louisâ living room for what I thought would be simple piano lessons. I had no idea I was entering a world that would shape my entire life. Under Lolaâs nurturing guidance, those piano lessons blossomed into dance, acting, and a deep appreciation for the creative arts that would span decades.
CAPASâLola Louisâ Creative and Performing Arts, Inc.âgrew from that very living room into a thriving 501(c)(3) community outreach program. Lolaâs philosophy was revolutionary in its simplicity: use the creative arts process to develop not just talent, but the minds, bodies, and spirits of every person who walked through her doors. From four-year-olds taking their first tentative steps in creative expression to adults rediscovering their artistic voices, CAPAS became a sanctuary where creativity flourished without judgment.
After college, I returned to this transformative space, first as Lolaâs teaching assistant, then joined the Board of Directors. I witnessed firsthand how Lolaâs vision touched countless lives, providing not just artistic training but a supportive environment where ideas could flow freely and dreams could take shape.
In October 2023, we lost our Founder and Creative Director when Lola passed away. In that moment of profound grief, her family entrusted me with something precious: the responsibility to keep her legacy alive. It was both an honor and a challenge that I accepted with deep reverence for everything Lola had built.
The true test of our resilience came this past July. On the 25th and 26th, we produced a revival of Act 2 from Lolaâs original work, âThe Childrenâs Legacy,â at The Wild Project theater in the East Village. As the curtain rose, I felt Lolaâs presence in every scene, every movement, every moment of creative expression on that stage. The rave reviews and overwhelmingly positive audience feedback werenât just validation of our performanceâthey were proof that Lolaâs vision continues to inspire and transform lives.
Today, CAPAS stands at a pivotal moment of rebirth. While we currently operate without a permanent studio space, our recent production was the first crucial step in increasing visibility and garnering the support needed to rebuild. We are not just preserving a legacy; we are reimagining it for a new generation.
Our vision is clear: to secure a permanent space in New Yorkâpreferably returning to our Bronx rootsâwhere we can once again offer comprehensive classes in musical instruments (piano, violin, guitar, and more), voice, acting, and dance. We envision a space that embodies Lolaâs original vision while serving todayâs community needs, maintaining the core values she instilled: creative fun, freedom of artistic expression, and the belief that every person has an artist within them waiting to emerge.
This grant represents more than fundingâitâs the foundation upon which we will rebuild CAPAS for the next generation. Itâs an investment in proven community transformation through the arts and support for a program that has weathered profound loss yet emerged with renewed purpose. Most importantly, itâs the key to ensuring that Lolaâs living room philosophy finds new life in a permanent home where it can continue to touch lives for generations to come.
From an 8yr-oldâs first piano lesson to a theater full of moved audiences, CAPAS has always been about more than performanceâitâs about possibility. With this grant, we will continue to create spaces where minds expand, spirits soar, and the transformative power of the arts changes lives, one student at a time.
