Rockland Center for the Arts (RoCA)

Overview

Rockland Center for the Arts (RoCA) is a multidisciplinary community arts center located at 27 South Greenbush Road in West Nyack, New York, serving Rockland County and the broader Hudson Valley region. Founded as a nonprofit arts organization, RoCA attracts over 25,000 visitors and students annually. The center includes the Emerson Gallery, Gallery One, Gallery Two, two Media Project Spaces, and the Catherine Konner Sculpture Park. RoCA's School for the Arts enrolls more than 1,800 students annually across ceramics, fine arts, glass and jewelry, and media arts programs.

RoCA is not a dedicated film residency program. It is a community arts center that offers filmmakers in the Hudson Valley region exhibition opportunities through its Media Project Spaces, screening partnerships, and professional development workshops. Filmmakers seeking a formal residency with stipends, housing, and dedicated production time should look to programs like the Woodstock Film Festival Filmmakers Residency or Bethany Arts Community's Multidisciplinary Residency instead.

RoCA's programs are made possible in part with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and from the County of Rockland.

What RoCA Offers Filmmakers

Media Project Spaces

RoCA maintains two Media Project Spaces that are available for film and media art exhibitions. These spaces have been used to screen work by Rockland County filmmakers, including short films, documentaries, and experimental work. Past exhibitions in the Media Project Spaces have featured filmmakers such as Lindsey Buckley (She Always Comes Back), Edward Caban (Friends and Strangers), Charles Caster-Dudzick (Horchata), and Cherie Raglin (Outside In).

The Media Project Spaces operate during regular gallery hours: Monday through Friday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, closed on holidays. Filmmakers interested in exhibiting should contact RoCA directly at 845-358-0877.

Rockland Filmmakers Screening Series

RoCA partners with Rivertown Film to present the "Rockland Filmmakers" screening series at the Media Project Spaces. This program brings together filmmakers from Rockland County for curated screenings, providing a local exhibition platform for independent work. The series is not a continuous program - it runs for limited periods (for example, February 26 through April 15 in a past season) and filmmakers should check the RoCA and Rivertown Film websites for current schedules.

Editing Workshops

RoCA hosts intermittent filmmaking workshops taught by working professionals. Past workshops include an Intermediate/Advanced Editing Workshop taught by Jamin Bricker, an Emmy-nominated editor based in the New York area who has edited several documentaries and feature films and works on the television show Damages. The workshop cost was $50 and covered importing and exporting, bins, labeling, structure and organization, problem-solving strategies, and pushing through to the end of a project. Filmmakers brought their own laptops and work-in-progress films.

Workshop availability varies by season. Filmmakers should check the RoCA website or call 845-358-0877 for current offerings.

Media Arts Classes

RoCA's School for the Arts includes a media arts program developed by instructor Kanitra Perrault, who studied film/animation at Cooper Union and Pratt Institute. The program includes video/animation and claymation production for students of all ages. These classes are oriented toward beginners and young people rather than professional filmmakers, but they provide an entry point for community members interested in media production.

Exhibition Submissions

RoCA accepts submissions for exhibitions through its Submissions page. Filmmakers and media artists with completed work that could be exhibited in a gallery context (video art, short films, experimental media) can submit for consideration. The submission process and review timeline vary.

Hudson Valley as a Creative Environment

Rockland County sits within the broader Hudson Valley creative corridor, which has attracted artists and creative practitioners for generations. The region's combination of accessible natural landscapes, proximity to New York City (approximately 30 miles north of Manhattan), and lower cost of living relative to Manhattan and Brooklyn makes it a practical location for filmmakers who want urban connectivity without city-level costs.

For documentary filmmakers, the Hudson Valley offers access to rural New York subjects, environmental landscapes, and diverse small-city communities including Spring Valley, Nyack, and New City. The region has a growing film production ecosystem supported by New York State's film tax credit program.

Nearby filmmaker-focused residency programs in the Hudson Valley region include:

• Woodstock Film Festival Filmmakers Residency / Incubator: A month-long residency in Woodstock, NY (approximately 50 miles north of RoCA) presented in collaboration with White Feather Farm, supporting four filmmakers developing full-length narrative and documentary projects centered on environmental and sustainability themes. The 2026 residency runs May 4 through June 1. Selected filmmakers are guests at the 2026 Woodstock Film Festival in the fall.
• Bethany Arts Community Fall Multidisciplinary Residency: Located in Ossining, NY (approximately 20 miles south of RoCA). The 2026 Fall residency runs September 22 through October 6, hosting 12 artists across all disciplines including filmmakers. Artists receive room and board, a private studio, 3 meals per day, and a $225 weekly stipend. Application deadline: May 6, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST. Applicants must be 21 or older.

Eligibility

RoCA's programs are open to the public. Workshop registration is available online at the RoCA website or by phone at 845-358-0877. Exhibition submissions are reviewed by RoCA's curatorial team. There are no published restrictions on who can submit work for exhibition consideration, though priority may be given to Rockland County residents or artists whose work engages with Hudson Valley or New York subjects.

The Rockland Filmmakers screening series is specifically for filmmakers based in Rockland County. Filmmakers from outside the county should contact Rivertown Film to inquire about submission possibilities.

Limitations for Filmmakers

Filmmakers considering RoCA should understand what it is and what it is not:

What RoCA is: A community arts center with gallery spaces, classes, workshops, and screening partnerships that can provide local exhibition opportunities and professional development for filmmakers in the Hudson Valley.

What RoCA is not: A formal artist residency program. RoCA does not offer stipends, dedicated studio space for film production, housing, or structured residency periods for filmmakers. The original listing of this organization as a "residency" was inaccurate. Filmmakers needing dedicated residency support should explore the Woodstock Film Festival Filmmakers Residency, Bethany Arts Community, or other formal residency programs.

Who Should Use RoCA

Filmmakers based in Rockland County or the broader Hudson Valley region who want local exhibition opportunities for completed short films, documentaries, or experimental media work. Filmmakers seeking professional development through intermittent editing workshops taught by working professionals. Media artists with gallery-appropriate work (video art, installation) who want to submit for exhibition consideration at a community arts center with Media Project Spaces.

Filmmakers seeking a formal residency with stipends, housing, and dedicated production time should not apply to RoCA. Instead, explore the Woodstock Film Festival Filmmakers Residency (for environmental/sustainability-themed projects) or Bethany Arts Community's Multidisciplinary Residency (for all disciplines including film).

See Also

For the Woodstock Film Festival Filmmakers Residency, visit the WFF Filmmakers Residency page. For Bethany Arts Community's Fall 2026 Multidisciplinary Residency, visit the BAC residency page. For planning a development-to-production timeline, use the Production Schedule Calculator.