Today we’d like to introduce you to Victor Ngo-Smith.
New Cottage Arts has been the ultimate dream for owner and director, Victor Ngo-Smith for the better part of ten years. A lifelong piano player, music lover, multi-instrumentalist, and graduate of the Juilliard School, Victor began thinking of a music and arts school with late-night, excited talks with his husband about how he could shake things up in the arts education and arts venue worlds. He wanted to build a space where arts education wasn’t thought of as extra, or a luxury – a space that would above all else promotes inclusion, accessibility, and diversity in arts education, which brought us to our mission: a music and art school for all. New Cottage Arts aims to provide the highest quality, fun, and rewarding class and lesson programming to our community, inspire a collaborative relationship between the musical and visual arts and offer a fun and delightful gallery space for all to enjoy.
It only makes sense that after having planted that seed about four years ago, with ideas slowly developing and becoming more rooted, he saw our current space, signed the lease, began and finished construction, and started instruction at the school between June 14 and August 2 of 2019. Although the process was very quick to come to fruition, the ideas and development have been in the works all through my training in piano performance at Northwestern University, Juilliard, and subsequent time teaching in Chicago, New York City, and Denver.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Some challenges along the way can be best described in the story of our public art project, funded in part by a Denver Arts & Venues P.S. You Are Here grant:
Imagined to celebrate Year of the Rat, Lunar New Year 2020, the project features festive, shimmering gold coin and red envelope ornaments placed in a large tree along S Federal Blvd, right in the heart of Little Saigon Business District, as well as three whimsical, large rat sculptures playing instruments and in festive gestures, beautifully and intricately painted with traditional Asian iconography mixed with modern symbols and colors of cultural connectedness.
Due to the unprecedented pandemic, our project construction and installation were delayed, as our team, not to mention entire city and nation, were suddenly thrust into a new reality. We were uncertain of proceeding with the project, with so much tragedy surrounding the pandemic, and now more presently, deep and powerful community unrest to create lasting change regarding racial injustice. Moreover, our project mission was to celebrate culture, community fortune, prosperity, and collaboration, but the reality was so many livelihoods along S Federal Blvd, including our school, had to completely shut down in March, pivoting in the end of May to protests demanding racial justice and an end to police brutality.
Now as the city and our communities slowly start to reopen, we want to recognize the fortitude and resiliency of our local and entire community by honoring the immense efforts of every single Denver citizen working together towards a “renewed” vision of life, health and prosperity for everyone. We want to be proud and showcase the immense efforts of our diverse community of volunteers, artists and youth from Westwood, Montbello, Boy & Girls Club, and the Little Saigon Business District. We want our public art project to advocate for all communities “banding” together, working together, and moving forward together towards a just and equitable future for all.
Please tell us about New Cottage Arts.
New Cottage Arts has one mission: to bring music and art to everyone. We offer innovative, exciting and fun group and one-on-one music and art in-person and virtual programming. Through our classes, lessons, and camps, we foster limitless creativity and joy in every step of the learning process, the nurturing of each individual student’s artistic spirit, and the development of lifelong music and art lovers that will promote long-lasting positive effects in their communities and beyond. We are so proud to be minority- and queer-owned, and our stellar line-up of professional teachers are at the absolute top of their fields, and champion diversity and inclusion in all forms. Some of our awesome programming include:
Group Mural Design and Painting: Creating community & meaning
Rock Band/Ensemble: Jammin’ with friends!
Mosaic-making that reflects individual culture
Songwriting for & to Heal the Soul
Puppet Theater: Romeo & Juliet “Your screen is your stage!”
Group Piano, Guitar, Ukulele, Musical Theater and more!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Pick a larger school location!
Contact Info:
- Address: 655 S Federal Blvd, Unit A
Denver, CO 80219 - Website: www.newcottagearts.org
- Phone: (720) 335-5345
- Email: info@newcottagearts.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newcottagearts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newcottagearts
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