'PEACE Forward' Conference Planned In Patchogue To Bring Together Community, Businesses, And Artists

PATCHOGUE, NY — A two-day conference is planned for April in Patchogue to bring together educators, artists, policymakers, cultural organizations, and community members to explore how arts partnerships drive educational success, strengthen communities, and expand opportunity for students.

The Patchogue Arts Council will host "PEACE Forward: Arts in Education + Partnerships = Possibility" from April 27 to 28 at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts.

This year’s conference features a keynote address by internationally-acclaimed artist Edel Rodríguez, whose powerful visual work explores migration, identity, and social justice and has shaped global conversations across art, media, and public life, according to a news release.

The keynote will invite attendees to reflect on the role of creative expression in education and contemporary society.

PEACE Forward is grounded in the PAC's PEACE project, providing professional development for middle and high school educators, teaching artists, and cultural partners across Long Island. It will convene the people-building impactful arts-in-education models that are connecting classroom practice with policy, partnership, and long-term sustainability, according to a news release.

It will highlight partnerships that deepen student engagement, expand access to creative learning, and build lasting connections between schools and communities, the release stated.

Through PAC’s partnership with Eastern-Suffolk BOCES Arts in Education, the program supports effective use of the arts in alignment with College, Career, and Civic Readiness and Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education practices, while advancing more diverse, inclusive, and equitable learning environments, officials said.

“This partnership has transformed schools across Long Island and delivered lasting impact on students’ 21st-century skills, college, career, and civic knowledge, and culturally responsive learning. By bringing educators, artists, and cultural partners together through professional learning opportunities, we have been able to move forward with a sustainable program that aligns with NY Inspires and the attributes within the Portrait of a Graduate.”

Loretta Corbisiero-Drakos, program administrator of Arts in Education at Eastern Suffolk BOCES, said the conference "will reflect what we have learned through the PEACE Project: when educators, teaching artists, and cultural partners build real partnerships, students gain more than creative skills—they gain confidence, voice, and tools for their futures."

"This conference is designed to bring practice and policy into the same room so we can strengthen arts-in-education work across Long Island and beyond," said Beth Giacummo, executive director, of the PAC.

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