A view across the social media presence of the Rio Grande Valley Arts Studio reaffirms its founder’s assertion of having everything “all under one roof.”

There’s a “beach dance camp” to go with galleries of colors featuring the artwork of children. There are photos of teenage girls immersed in a sewing workshop in preparing for a fashion show. Little ballerinas in another image are in poses they just took during a practice session. It all goes to highlight the wide diversity of activities and programs the 10,000-square-foot-plus RGV Arts Studio in Harlingen houses.

The comprehensive arts enterprise is the brainchild of Lori Rodgers. She grew up in Harlingen, active in dance and dreaming of being an instructor in her art. She has done all that and more since returning to her hometown in the mid-1990s after completing college at Lamar University in Beaumont. It wasn’t long after when she got her arts studio going in what was once an automotive and storage building.

Rodgers has long since transformed the space into an arts mecca. Here, children and adults are taking classes to sing, dance and draw. There are piano and guitar lessons for newcomers and the more advanced. Martial arts programs have long been offered at the arts studio. 

“There’s not another one like it in the Valley,” Rodgers said of her studio.

Hometown Connection

“This is my community,” Rodgers said of Harlingen. “It’s my home.”

It has been a summer of investment in her hometown. The RGV Arts Studio building on the western end of Jackson Street, just up a few blocks from downtown, was in need of major roof repair. Rodgers spent $100,000 for the project and received a $10,000 grant from the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation to help pay for the roof improvement expenses. 

In a show of hometown pride, Rodgers prominently displayed a photo of her standing by Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda on the art studio’s Facebook page. The mayor and other city leaders visited the arts studio recently to issue a reimbursement check via a picture of big smiles and a symbolic outsized check being presented to Rodgers. 

“To have the city reach out to us is such a blessing,” she said of the EDC’s efforts to assist small businesses in Harlingen. 

The city’s support adds to the energy and enthusiasm Rodgers already exudes after nearly 30 years in business. She sees her studio’s mix of programs having a long and positive reach into the lives of young students. 

“We’re teaching things that they may be missing at home and in schools,” she said. “We help to take up the slack.”

Many of the instructors at the studio have been with Rodgers for years. In many cases, working at the studio is a second job for the instructors, be they art teachers from area school districts or a police officer teaching karate. The instructors make their own schedules, Rodgers said, with the studio managing those schedules and overseeing registration and the paying of tuition costs.

Making Adjustments

Rodgers and her teaching staff have made adjustments over the years to deal with the change of generations.

At this point, Rodgers and her instructors are teaching the children of parents that the studio taught when they were youngsters themselves. Today’s youth usually have shorter attention spans and are more apt to grow impatient after frequent use of cellular phones and electronic tablets. The capabilities of the devices to quickly swipe from one subject to another shapes the lives of today’s students.  

Contrast that stream-of-consciousness thinking to the time, discipline and persistence required by art and dance. Improvements in the arts take time and require patience. Consequently, the teaching staff at RGV Arts Studio have made adjustments toward projects that can be completed in less time and include fun events like paint parties.

“We’ve had to let some imperfections go,” Rodgers said. “There’s that balance of keeping the integrity of our classes while finding new ways to make it fun.”

There’s plenty of that to be had under the reinforced roof of the arts studio on Jackson in Harlingen. Rodgers looks forward to what lays ahead after nearly three decades in business.

“It’s a passion,” she said. “It’s more than a way to make a living. We’re paying it forward and hopefully passing on traditions and discipline.”