Ms. Rohrbach (center) with her students (left to right) Dylan, Natalia, Delaney, and Malinali
At KIPP Raíces Academy (KRA), art is a way for students to process their experiences, express their emotions, and make sense of the world around them.
KRA’s art teacher, Ms. Rohrbach, believes art plays a powerful role in student development. In her classroom, students are encouraged to reflect on meaningful moments in their lives and bring those experiences to life through their artwork.
“Art education is important because it's the first form of self-expression. It helps with creativity, thinking outside the box, and thinking of alternative ways to solve problems,” she shared. “It helps you express feelings when you don't have the words to express them.”
That self-expression shows up in how she motivates her students to explore ideas, take creative risks, and share parts of themselves that might otherwise go unspoken. Those ideas take shape through each piece her students create — and this year, her students’ work will be featured at the 20th Annual Museum of KIPP Art (MOKA) on May 29.
Through MOKA, she hopes her students have fun, build confidence in talking about their art, feel proud of what they’ve created, and recognize that art is part of a larger community — one where every artist brings their own perspective and voice.
We recently connected with four of her MOKA artists—Delaney, Dylan, Malinali, and Natalia—to get a sneak preview of their MOKA masterpieces, each inspired by a meaningful moment in their lives.
Delaney’s piece, “Being a big sister,” reflects the first time she held her baby sister — a moment that brought both excitement and fear. She shares that many kids feel worried about being left out when a new sibling arrives, but that isn’t the case. Creating art helps her feel calm, especially when she’s feeling sad, mad, or stressed. She hopes others can relate to her story and understand that parents can love their children equally.
Dylan’s artwork, “When I Learned How To Ride A Bike,” was inspired by a summer school experience where he watched a group perform bike tricks on campus. That moment encouraged him to learn how to ride a bike himself. Creating art makes him feel calm and happy, especially when he’s feeling upset. He hopes his artwork encourages others to keep going, even when they feel scared.
Malinali’s piece, “One More Sunset,” is inspired by summer evenings spent at the beach with her family, watching the sunset together. She says creating art makes her feel good and proud, and she hopes people feel happy when they see her work.
Natalia’s artwork, “A Moment of Friendship,” captures the joy of spending time with friends. She hopes her piece inspires others and reminds them that they have people in their lives they can trust. Creating art makes her feel excited and proud, and she sees it as something she wants to continue pursuing in the future.
Delaney, Dylan, Malinali, and Natalia will be joining more than 80 student artists from 17 KIPP SoCal schools at the 20th Annual MOKA on May 29, a milestone celebration of two decades of creativity, expression, and student voice.
We hope you’ll join us for this special evening as we celebrate the impact of MOKA and the KIPPsters who continue to bring their stories to life through art.