07/30/2025
Carrying Forward a Legacy: The CAPAS Story
From a humble living room in the Bronx to standing ovations in Manhattan’s East Village—this is the story of CAPAS, a testament to the transformative power of arts education and the enduring impact of one extraordinary woman’s vision.
In 1978, as an 8yr-old child, I walked into Lola Louis’ 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 Lola’s nurturing guidance, those piano lessons blossomed into dance, acting, and a deep appreciation for the creative arts that would span decades.
CAPAS—Lola Louis’ Creative and Performing Arts, Inc.—grew from that very living room into a thriving 501(c)(3) community outreach program. Lola’s 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 Lola’s teaching assistant, then joined the Board of Directors. I witnessed firsthand how Lola’s 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 Lola’s original work, “The Children’s Legacy,” at The Wild Project theater in the East Village. As the curtain rose, I felt Lola’s presence in every scene, every movement, every moment of creative expression on that stage. The rave reviews and overwhelmingly positive audience feedback weren’t just validation of our performance—they were proof that Lola’s 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 York—preferably returning to our Bronx roots—where 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 Lola’s original vision while serving today’s 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 funding—it’s the foundation upon which we will rebuild CAPAS for the next generation. It’s 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, it’s the key to ensuring that Lola’s living room philosophy finds new life in a permanent home where it can continue to touch lives for generations to come.
From an 8yr-old’s first piano lesson to a theater full of moved audiences, CAPAS has always been about more than performance—it’s 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.
