Our 2026 Community Juneteenth Celebration will take place on Saturday, June 27. Our day will begin with a Peace Walk from Sto-Rox High School to the Green Space next to the Roxian Theater on Chartiers Avenue.
Please check back soon for more details!
Since opening in 2008, Focus on Renewal’s Father Ryan Arts Center has offered residents of the Sto-Rox community cultural and artistic opportunities to learn and grow. Classes, workshops, art exhibits, and special events are held in fully functioning studios and makerspaces and include an array of visual and graphic arts, ceramics, music, dance, and culinary arts.
The Father Ryan Arts Center is also home to the African American Celebration of the Arts (AACOA), a committee comprised of artists and community members dedicated to recognizing, inspiring, creating, and celebrating African-American art in the Sto-Rox Community and beyond.
Spring 2026 Arts and Culture Classes
All classes are free! To sign-up, simply show up!
Ready to create, grow, and earn? Join us at Focus On Renewal for hands-on classes with an entrepreneurial focus! Spots are limited. Want to sign up? Simply show up to a class an you are IN!
FOR ARTS in the News!
Our Winter Arts Classes wrapped up with a special VIP showcase on April 11, and it was truly a celebration of digital literacy in the arts! Our students authors premiered their newly published books, podcasters had lively discussions, student DJs were spinning tunes, and our ceramics students proudly displayed their works.
African American Celebration of the Arts (AACOA)
The AACOA was founded nearly a decade ago in an effort to recognize, inspire, create, and celebrate African-American art in the Sto-Rox Community and beyond.
The AACOA offers special events, exhibits, and community celebrations that not only serve as a creative outlet for artists, but also as a way for all members of our community to find common ground, gain understanding, and unite to work together toward a better future.
Juneteenth Community Celebration
BE A PART OF the AACOA!
PAST EVENTS
Kwanzaa Celebration
Our 2024 Kwanzaa Celebration was held on Saturday, December 28 at Focus On Renewal’s Sto-Rox Public Library. Community members came together to celebrate the principles of Kwanzaa with activities, music, food, and entertainment.
Check out our event photo gallery by HERE!
Community Juneteenth Celebration 2024
Our Community Juneteenth Celebration was held on Saturday, June 22. Those who attended were treated to live entertainment from local artists LHAGIC, Harlin, and Melissa Edmunds. vendors with all types of goods, music from DJ Schizo, and a FREE CHILDREN’S AREA with games and activities, hotdogs, snow cones, popcorn, and a foam machine!
Check out our event photo gallery by HERE!