(Sandra Sabene-Fioramonti): “Yeah, I like this. That’s the fun part. All right, good decision.”
(Reporter: Maria Wainscott):
Here in Liverpool, inside a studio that feels more like a sanctuary, creativity is more than a hobby. It’s a lifeline. At the Liverpool Art Center, the focus is on mental wellness, and for nearly two decades, Sandra Sabine has opened her doors and her heart to anyone looking for something more.
(Sabene): I opened it just because I’d always been involved in the arts, and my husband had just passed, and I was looking to really immerse myself into my passion.
(Wainscott): What began as a small studio has grown into a creative refuge where art meets emotional care and healing happens one brushstroke at a time.
(Sabene): “Grief is unfortunately a common thread from my early years. I’ve actually lost my son in 2020, and I’m a survivor trauma, so I know pain very, very well, and so art has always been my my place of healing and self discovery, but also a safe place to land. So when I don’t have the words to say how I’m feeling, I just go to the canvas.”
(Wainscott): That sense of safety keeps people like Megan Scott coming back for over a decade. Being like around her feels like a warm hug. So you’re just, you just walk in and you’re just like, Oh, I’m being hugged. This is great. If she wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be painting.
(Art class participant: Meghan Scott): “I probably would have stopped along a long, long time ago.”
(Wainscott): And that level of commitment showed up in a big way during the pandemic. Students continued to pay their class fees, even when they couldn’t meet in person, just to keep the center alive. A testament to what Sabine has built, it’s my life purpose.
(Sabene): “I feel like that’s why I’m on this planet. Build community through creative outlets, whether I’m drumming or teaching an art class or a birthday party, even somebody’s feeling better having been in the space that we created for this.”
(Wainscott): That space is about to expand with her first book, creating with spirit, hitting shelves this summer, and that’s really putting together the idea of community and using creativity as a healing outlet.
(Sabene): “I’ve been doing this for a long time, but the book just kind of brings it all together in one place. But I really want to get it out there to say this is the place to come if you want to feel a little bit better, using creativity.”
(Wainscott): Here, creativity is more than expression. It’s connection, it’s healing, and it’s painting the bigger picture of what it means to feel whole again.
(Scott): It lets you get away from the world. I’m gonna enjoy these next two and a half hours and just relax, talk with some people, create some crazy things, and then the world will be waiting when I’m done.
(Wainscott): The mission at Liverpool Arts Center inspire people to carry on the sense of community learned here and with that same sense of community, the struggles of life are just a little bit easier to brush off.
(Sabene): “So you got to be ready to just let it go.”
(Wainscott): Reporting in Liverpool, for NCC News, I’m Maria Wainscott.
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (NCC News) — Inside a quiet studio tucked in the village of Liverpool, creativity is more than a pastime — it’s a lifeline.
At the Liverpool Art Center, founder Sandra Fioramonti-Sabene has created a space where mindfulness, healing, and art intersect. For nearly 20 years, she’s welcomed people of all ages and skill levels to reconnect with themselves — and each other — through creative expression.
Sandra Sabene directs artists of all ages and skill levels at LAC. © Maria Wainscott 2025
“I opened it just because I’d always been involved in the arts, and my husband had just passed,” Sabene said. “I was looking to really immerse myself into my passion.”
What began as a small gallery called Artistic Innovations has grown into a full community wellness hub, offering classes, workshops, and specialized art programs. Sabene, a multidisciplinary artist, musician, writer, and motivational speaker, built the studio’s identity on a core belief: art can be a tool for emotional recovery and connection.
“Grief is unfortunately a common thread from my early years. I actually lost my son in 2020, and I’m a survivor of trauma,” she said. “Art has always been my place of healing and self-discovery — a safe place to land. When I don’t have the words to say how I’m feeling, I just go to the canvas.”
Participants at the Liverpool Art Center are encouraged to choose their own subject, style, and medium. © Maria Wainscott 2025
That emphasis on safe self-expression keeps longtime students like Meghan Scott coming back — year after year.
“Being around her feels like a warm hug. You just walk in and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m being hugged. This is great,’” Scott said. “If she wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be painting. I probably would’ve stopped a long, long time ago.”
That connection was tested during the COVID-19 pandemic — and the community responded. Even when classes were canceled, students continued paying their fees to keep the center going.
“It’s my life purpose,” Sabene said. “I feel like that’s why I’m on this planet — to build community through creative outlets. Whether I’m drumming or teaching an art class or a birthday party, someone’s feeling better having been in the space we created.”
The center now offers programs for everyone — from new hobbyists to those managing stress, grief, or trauma. One of its signature offerings is Meditative Painting, a guided practice that encourages intuitive, emotion-based creation. Sabene presented the concept in a TEDx Talk in 2018 titled “The Art of Letting Go.”
The Liverpool Art Center has operated out of its current space since 2004. © Maria Wainscott 2025
Now, she’s sharing that message beyond the walls of the studio. Sabene’s first book, Creating with Spirit, is due out this summer.
“It’s really putting together the idea of community and using creativity as a healing outlet,” she said. “I just want to get it out there and say: this is the place to come if you want to feel a little bit better using creativity.”
Programs at the center continue to evolve, with initiatives like Creative Rhythms — a blend of expressive art, rhythm wellness, and meditation — and partnerships with mental health organizations, hospitals, and local schools. Since 2015, the studio has offered outreach services across the East Coast, including virtual programs and art-based recovery support for people affected by substance use disorder.
Still, Sabene says her focus remains on making people feel welcome — especially those who are new to art.
“Most new students are a bit nervous when they begin,” she writes in a welcome note on her website. “It’s a little intimidating to try something new, especially if you don’t know anyone in the class. But no matter why you’re interested in coming to LAC, we can offer you individual attention and plenty of encouragement.”
Scott says the real magic happens when people step away from their routines and just allow themselves to create.
“You can put everything away and just relax, talk with some people, create some crazy things — and then the world will be waiting when you’re done.”