Glen Cove’s Downtown Business Improvement District (B.I.D.)’s police booth has a new look for the winter months thanks to the 2023 Teen Idol contestant and B.I.D. volunteer Stasia Kulpa.
“I believe community is crucial for building connections with others,” said Kulpa. “I recognize how everyone’s unique abilities build [a community], and I hope that by offering my art, performances, and time I can work to further develop them.”
Elena DeAngelis, Kulpa’s close friend, had been a volunteer with the B.I.D. for a few years. Once Kulpa discovered she would be performing in the Downtown Sounds Teen Idol Contest, she decided to “make a day out of it, coming to the square in the afternoons to set up for the concerts and singing in them in the evenings.” She continued to volunteer throughout the year at other B.I.D. events like the Halloween Parade and Festival.
Aside from her work in the Glen Cove community Kulpa, a senior at Our Lady of Mercy Academy, also volunteers at school events. “My relationship with community involvement is largely centered around the question of what can I best offer a community to help others see how beautiful it is.” Kulpa said, “I have found that my artwork and performance work is truly my best vessel to accomplish this goal.”
Kulpa has “always” been doing art. She has her own business “by.stasia” and is the president of her school’s National Art Society. Kulpa had the idea to begin a business after painting a pair of shoes for a relative; she then began taking commissions from family and classmates. These commissions, which can be found on her Instagram @made.by.stasia, make up the bulk of her work. Last year Kulpa expanded and began doing advertising work and volunteering her talents for school clubs and activities.
Inspired by artists like Edward Hopper and Vincent Van Gogh, Kulpa likes to “focus on creating works that may act as a time capsule in the future, works that reflect [her] own personal experiences as well as the experiences of [her] generation.” She is currently working on a series of pieces inspired by famous paintings modified to represent the experience of girlhood. Kulpa’s works have been displayed in art galleries on Long Island, currently her piece “Sorrowing Young Girl’” is on display in the Art League of Long Island’s Go APE student art competition collection until March 9.
“I would love to continue expanding my work and offer commission-based advertising services to all different kinds of businesses across Long Island while continuing my sneaker commissions,” said Kulpa. “Right now, I think my dream would be to design and paint a mural for a local business to be enjoyed by a community!”
