See what people
are saying about Ali!

I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Ali Roland as a guest art educator in my classroom this school year. Her calm, organized, and thoughtful presence and her ability to connect with students on their level is remarkable. They eagerly anticipated her visits and the creative projects she introduced.

Ali is an excellent communicator and collaborator. Ali brought a phenomenal muralist to work with our students. The resulting beautiful mural was a meaningful reflection of the students’ voices and creativity. Throughout the workshop, Ali seamlessly shifted between supporting and leading, always stepping into the role that was needed with grace and confidence.

Beyond her professional strengths, Ali is simply a joy to work with—kind, encouraging, and full of positive energy.

–Kristin Larson, Red Hook High School Art and Media Teacher

“Our participants in Ali’s therapeutic art classes are fully engaged and continually exploring new methods of creating and expressing themselves. Ali is patient and so very tuned-in to each individual and works to guide them at their own pace. If you are looking for a creative art therapy facilitator whose approach is warm, playful, and imaginative, while treating each client as a unique and beautiful human being, look no further than Ali!”

–Amy Recchia, Music Therapist Program Coordinator, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health

“Ali Roland is a highly regarded arts educator and consummate creative arts facilitator, whose deeply empathic presence is both affirming and inspiring. Attuning, adapting, and assessing the needs of both individual clients and groups, Ali skillfully bridges the educational and healing dimensions of the expressive arts, and in so doing, is the quintessence of the adage: all art is therapeutic!”

–Lucy Barbera, PhD, LCAT, Director, Trauma-Informed Creative Art Therapy Certificate Programs

"Ali is a fun and effective educator with an uncanny ability to engage learners of all ages and levels through therapeutic arts expression. Through her impressive expertise with materials and techniques, as well as her playful and resourceful disposition, Ali can facilitate profound, positive, and transformative arts experiences for anyone regardless of ability or experience level. I feel lucky to have a teaching artist of her caliber involved in The Art Effect's Arts for Healing program."

-Mary Ellen Iatropoulos, Arts for Healing at The Art Effect, Poughkeepsie, NY

“Ali's approach to the students was invariably authentic, honest, kind, and inspiring. Every child felt seen, heard, and valued. They loved working with her from the first day and their pride in the gorgeous mural they created is palpable.”

–Caitlin Appleby, School Culture Coordinator. Brighter Choice Charter School

As I watched Ali work with my students to create a mural, I saw her expertise as an educator and as a compassionate human—fully engaged, showing them she’s there to fully support them as people and artists.

—Julie Shultis, Art Chair, Red Hook High School

As a parent and educator, I have been impressed with Ali's talents as an art educator—her years of experience, her creativity, and her willingness to meet students where they are. She has exposed my daughter to a wide range of artists and their perspectives. She is open-minded and kind. My daughter loved going to Ali's studio and making art!  

–Christine K, parent

Ali taught me about art I didn't even know existed. I got to explore new art mediums for the first time. Ali is kind and caring. She is always there to talk to and she is really fun to do art with!

–Daphne K, former student

Ali Roland was the reason our daughter fell in love with art, a passion that continues to this day and that Ms. Roland continues to foster. Our son and daughter take classes with her and we love and value her investment in them and their experience in the Ali Roland Studio. Her willingness to work with each of them individually in accordance with their vastly difference leanings, passions, and skills shows her commitment to each of them as individual artists. 

–Sheila and Asher Baer, parents 

I love making art with Ms. Roland! We listen to music and can make a big mess and she has the best art supplies! 

–Eden M, student age 8

Ms. Roland’s art class is so much fun. I love how she allows me to use so many cool objects on my art projects and how she gets excited about my choices. I also like listening to music with her and reading stories about people from all over the world. 
–Mason L, student age 8 

When I walked into the art studio there was always a smile on my face. Ms. Roland is the best art teacher. She makes every class interesting. I love listening to stories about other cultures and using all her amazing materials to make my art come alive. 
–Mia L, student age 10 

As colleagues—science teacher and art teacher—working together for 21 years, Ali and I continuously collaborated on projects. For example, she supported my AIDS/HIV health curriculum unit by creating a series of mixed media handmade quilts with her art students for the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Her work was passionate, intelligent, and inspiring, culminating in six artistic and beautifully constructed quilts that were presented at the New York State World AIDS Day event and registered to the permanent collection of the National AIDS Memorial in Washington, DC. The art community needs more educators like Ali Roland to empower children to make a difference. Ali teaches children that they are art activists and change-makers while developing skills in art.

–Diane Duffus, former colleague 

Despite having experienced art camps for six summers as well as strong art instructors at her prior school, our daughter insists that Ali was the best art teacher she had ever encountered. Ali has an unparalleled ability to stretch the skill and imagination of her students with kindness and patience. 

–Huda Scheidelman, parent

When Ali taught our children, she gave a project to our daughter and it turned into a multi-week passion project that involved our daughter, Ali, and a friend and incorporated clothing design and duct tape. It was fun, inspiring and certainly memorable and it was that passion for art that Ali gave our daughter that helped make a wacky idea a reality. Every time we talk, her artistic passion and belief in a fair and just society give me inspiration that there are people and educators out there who can positively help youth and adults get in touch with their talents and humanity. 

–Neville Smythe, parent and former Dutchess Day School trustee 

Ali deeply impacted our daughters and equipped them with artistic tools and eyes that present themselves every day, from room decor/color balance and opposition, to finding flowers/twigs/leaves and creating 3D masterpieces, to looking at the fur of our tricolored puppies and finding negative/positive patterns and shapes, to remembering artists’ birthdays, to enjoying each and every day and finding something beautiful to smile about. Plus endless skills, strengths and confidence. You can't ask more from a teacher. Ali over delivers and brings the best out in ALL OF US. 

–Danielle & George Banta, parents 

Ali shows great passion for art—she is well-versed in history, artistic movements, and a comprehensive range of artists and loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm. Ali is very creative in her use of materials. In her hands, almost anything is fodder for art making. 

–Elizabeth Hargrave, parent 

Ali Roland is an amazing and passionate teacher. Her respect for the child as a capable learner truly draws children to feel confident that they can create art and find joy in doing so. 

She generously shares her passion and her open heart inspires children to grow as artists and be curious. My son always looked forward to her classes. One of his sayings was, "Never miss a class with Ms.Roland" 

–Bintou Hinds, parent 

We got to do these amazing projects and they were so fun to make. Yayoi Kusama’s art was beautiful and I enjoyed learning about her.

–Jeremy H, third grade student 

I served as Alison’s direct supervisor during her years at Chapin and I would rank her among the top five art department colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of working with in over 40 years of art teaching experience and supervision. She brought tremendous imagination, enthusiasm, and warmth to everything she did in the classroom and beyond. Her bright smile and upbeat personality filled the room with creative energy and was evident in how she interacted with her students and coworkers. She takes particular pleasure in solving problems and inventing challenging and engaging ways for her students to explore their own creative ideas. Alison’s acute awareness of diversity issues contributed to an inclusive atmosphere making all her students feel welcome and capable. Likewise, she is an outstanding collaborator which made her fun and interesting to work with. 

–Duane Neil, Art Department Chair, Chapin School, NYC 

Ms. Roland has a real gift for bringing complex concepts, creativity, and history together in a unique way to engage kids in the world of art. When Ali was our daughter's elementary school art teacher for four years, we watched her inspire kids to get messy and take chances while learning both detailed artistic techniques and about the ways that art is experienced and used in the world. Under Ms. Roland's guidance, our daughter created significant art pieces over the course of a semester, including found-object robots to Van Gogh recreations and Egyptian ceremonial jars. 

–Shannon LaDeau, parent 

I know Alison Roland not only as an accomplished art educator, but also as a woman who is compassionate, caring, sensitive and will use her gifts to help others to become empowered and grow. We met in 2008 when a 15 year old student at our local school, Alexandra Rae Gravino, died, devastating our small community. I met Alison when a group formed Action for Alex Committee.  

We created a yearly Catch a Rae 5K run/walk in memory of Alex and every year we put the proceeds of the event into the Alexandra Rae Gravino Arts and Athletics Scholarship. To-date our scholarship has given back $70,000 to graduating artists and athletes. Ali has been most instrumental in the success of the Catch a Rae.  

For 14 years, Ali has used her expertise in graphics and design to support the work. Ali worked exclusively with the production of t-shirts, posters, flyers, awards, and advertising for the event, as well as promotion of the scholarship. She also helped to establish the Red Hook High School Memory garden. It is the person she is that made our Catch a Rae such a success. Ali is passionate about art, but is also passionate about life. She is a giver and has a genuine care and concern for what she believes is right and good. She is the real deal. 

–Red Hook CSD Middle School Physical Education teacher, Action for Alex committee member

Ali is an experienced, open-minded, passionate artist. Students looked forward to going to her class because she allowed them to grow as artists in their own unique ways. Rather than giving them the solution to the problems they encountered, she would scaffold them through the process of coming up with their own ideas to overcome their challenge. 

–Jessica Steward, former colleague  

Ali was one of the reasons my husband and I chose to send our children to the school. The art projects our four children came home with were always so detailed and impressive. For example, a clay mask that was painted, glazed, and put in a kiln; a self-portrait; an African ritual head-piece three times the size of their head; a painting of a famous artist like Frida Kahlo; a tower made of all sorts of recyclable materials and boxes painted to look like a building. I was fortunate enough to help out with a few Ali’s classes. She took the time to explain the project at hand so the kids understood it and encouraged them to really think about the vision they wanted for their project. If they got stuck, she taught them to talk through it out loud to solve challenges. All our children have a passion for art thanks to Ali. 

 –Jason and Mary Elizabeth Page, parents 

Ali Roland is an amazing art teacher whose knowledge and enthusiasm draw children in and make them want more. Even in bigger groups she manages to connect with and inspire every child. My son’s highlight every week were the lessons with Ali. I’m in awe of the projects that have come out of these lessons.  

–Stefanie S., Parent

During her tenure at Dutchess Day School, Ali invited me to the studio to guest teach as a watercolor painter. Watching her in action blew me away. Ali is fun and sparkly, and kids love her!  

–Betsy Jacaruso, Betsy Jacaruso Studio 

Ali Roland was, honestly, the best teacher I’ve ever had. Every day I had art in my schedule I would look forward to her class. Her freeform teaching style works amazingly and helps students explore media they are interested in. In class, she would give us a topic and allow us to discover different ways of interpreting the concept, connecting it often to experiences in her life that inspired us. This bred much of my creative thinking and love for art. I am so glad she was always a supportive figure in my life, always there to listen and teach. She truly changed my life. I am a better artist and person now thanks to her. 

–Stell Del Mazza Rocha, former student 

Ali Roland's approach to art education is grounded in social justice, growth, and compassion. She is a dedicated activist and is committed to helping others envision a better, more beautiful world. Her connections with students are authentic, professional, and prompt—thoughtful engagement with challenging material.

–FB, LGBTQIA+ Activist

When Ali was our daughter's elementary school art teacher, we watched her inspire kids to get messy and take chances while learning both detailed artistic techniques and about the ways that art is experienced and used in the world.

–Shannon LaDeau, parent

In all of my years teaching in both public and independent schools, I have never encountered an art teacher who is as passionate and versatile as Ali Roland. Ali teaches her students about diverse techniques and styles, but she also brings the world of an artist to life for her students, especially their influences and social impacts. It's a joy to hear students talking about Frida Kahlo, Johannes Vermeer, and Chuck Close (with authority!) when they leave the studio. Ali has a gift for igniting a passion for visual arts in students and a knack for helping students who do not yet feel like artists produce work they feel proud of. 

–Natasha P, parent and former colleague