Midge Caparosa has nostalgic memories of her childhood summers in Brighton Beach, where building sandcastles was a cherished activity.

Though she grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, she and her family enjoyed many beach outings with pails, shovels, and sketchbooks in tow, which sparked her love of art.

She eventually decided to channel her creativity into a career. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in illustration, she pursued an entrepreneurial path and opened her own 3D greeting card company – Alter Imidges.

The cards were a hit. Her creations were available in 1,200 stores nationwide and she had a team of 50 sales reps. But greeting card giant Hallmark also became a fan of her designs and after six years, she could no longer compete. After shutting down her company, Midge became a full-time freelance artist, painting illustrations for clients like the Daily News and MTV.

In addition to her freelance career, she took a part-time job teaching art to elementary school students across New York Public Library sites. She taught students all her tips and tricks for creating 3D greeting cards. That gig led to another at the Children’s Aid East Harlem Center as an art teacher in 1988.

Midge’s expertise came in handy when she noticed that a group of teens at the center were already making greeting cards after school. She was asked to take over the program and with her help, they sold $12,000 worth of cards – funding that went toward scholarships for the students.

As a Keystone Club advisor at the East Harlem Center, she not only taught the foundations of art, but also inspired students to become advocates in their communities and beyond. Her students made scarves for people impacted by Hurricane Sandy, and convinced elected officials to put up a traffic light in a dangerous stretch of Third Avenue. She built strong relationships with the young people in her programs and now, some of their children attend the center.

“There are so many kids that came through the East Harlem Center,” she said. “Meeting them in kindergarten, and then having them in my classes all the way up through their high school years just made it very special for me to know them and fall in love with them and the community.”

In 2018, Midge began advising art programs at our other sites including I.S. 61, Whitney Young Jr Campus, Dunlevy Milbank Community Center, the Goodhue Community Center, and the Frederick Douglass Community Center. In her new role, she wrote curricula and lesson plans, mentored teaching artists, and worked to ensure our art programs were the best they could be.

Now the director of arts initiatives at Children’s Aid, her arts and activism projects allow students to talk through complex issues. In 2021, middle school students enrolled in her program made tribute portraits of people who were victims of racially motivated murders. In addition to the portraits, students met with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent agency that investigates complaints against police misconduct in New York City. They were taught how to file a complaint, about the Right to Know Act, and best practices for de-escalation.

This year, her students focused their attention on victims of gun violence in East Harlem. They attended The Summit for America’s Youth in Washington D.C., which was hosted by the Boys and Girls Club. During the summit, they met with elected officials to discuss how to change the culture of gun violence in their communities.

In all of her classrooms, Midge strives to create a nonjudgmental atmosphere where all kids are encouraged to be creative no matter their skill level.

“I think when a lot of kids hit adolescence, there are three words they often say – ‘I can’t draw.’ I try, and I’ve always tried, to challenge them to be creative and not to worry about perfection – to express themselves using shapes, lines, textures – to just have fun and learn as you go,” she said.

Midge credits her parents for inspiring how she approaches her work.

“My parents were very involved in civil rights in the 60s and 70s,” she said. “They started a creative arts council and were always out volunteering. Just by observation, I learned to do the right thing even if it doesn’t always feel like the most comfortable thing for you.”

After working at Children’s Aid for more than 30 years, Midge has a long rolodex of past students she keeps in touch with. On Mother’s Day, she usually wakes up to many texts from those she taught.

“It’s been such a gift to me,” she said. “I’ve spent my whole working life with young people at Children’s Aid. It's been a beautiful thing to be a part of their journey through childhood, then watch them spread their wings and fly.”