"Art of Jazz" Mural at PAL Harlem Center

PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2015

“ART OF JAZZ” PAL HARLEM CENTER

PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2015 “ART OF JAZZ” by “The Paint Warriors” Unveiling Celebration Tuesday, August 11th, 11:00 AM PAL Harlem Center 441 Manhattan Avenue New York, NY 10026 Gera Lozano, Teaching Artist Becky Hutt, Teaching Artist Assistant

About the the Mural

This summer, CAW partnered with PAL to provide creative youth development to clients of the New York City Administration for Children Services (ACS). The new mural on the north-facing wall of the PAL Center Harlem is a celebration of jazz, “Harlem’s gift to the world.”

FROM BRIAN RICKLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO

Once a work of public art is completed, it very quickly becomes a part of its environment. It becomes hard to remember a time when the art didn’t exist.

But before there can be the finished work of art, there has to be a process of art-making. Usually, it’s a long process that involves a lot of people.

If you look at any Creative Art Works murals, you will see the names of the Teaching Artists, Teaching Artist Assistants and, crucially, the names of every Youth Apprentice that took part in the creation of that work. Likewise, you will see the names of all the participants in our multimedia projects when the credits roll. It’s very easy to overlook those names. And there's the irony, because, as far as I'm concerned, those names are there to remind us what the art is really about -- it’s about the participants who created it.

Notice that the word "youth" is in the middle of the phrase, Public Art Youth Employment Program. That is no accident. The art always serves the kids and never the other way around. After the paintbrushes are washed, the drop cloths rolled up and the AV equipment is locked away in the tech cabinet, the public art ceases to evolve; however, the young artists will continue to grow. Each and every one of them will take away something from the process that will serve them for the rest of his or her life. Maybe it’s the ability to be punctual or look people in the eye. Maybe it’s a trait such as self-confidence, tenacity, or maturity. But all of our Youth Apprentices will have grown, and they will all have stories to tell.

I would like to thank all of our young people for participating in the summer 2015 Public Art Youth Employment Program. I would also like to thank our Teaching Artists, Teaching Artist Assistants, our staff, our partners and our generous supporters for making this the best summer yet.

Join the Conversation!

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Amadou Traore Tashawn Nuñez

Damizha Ellis

Becky Hutt, Teching Artist Assistant Elmo Williams

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Tywuan Lee

Jhoan Castellanos

E’niyah Pazmino Gera Lozano, Teaching Artist

Aly Keita

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Amadou Traore

Aly Keita

My name is Amadou Traore and I’m 14 yrs old. The high school I attend is Martha Valle and I’m going into the 10th grade when I come back. What I really like to do is work with kids.

When I grow up, I want to play basketball.

My name is Aly Keita. I am 15 years old and I am in high school. This is my first time working for CAW. I love working for CAW because I like to paint.

When I grow up I want to be a cop.

Tashawn Nuñez

Brianni Amos My name is Brianni Amos and I am 14. I graduated from Susan B. Anthony in Queens. I have been interested in art since a very young age, because I come from a very artistic and creative family. I enjoy making abstract art. What I learned from this experience is that when you have a job you need to be on time, so I became more punctual. I also learned how to work together in a community. I am so happy that I got the chance to improve my own artwork with the techniques I learned!

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I am 18 years old. I like to draw people, animals, and waterfalls. I have art on display in two galleries. My inspiration is Kalendic Airalia. He was an artist who took AfricanAmerican men and made them pose as wealthy white men that were kings and queens. I also like to draw my dreams, because I enjoy to picture what my brain is thinking about.

This is my third mural with CAW. I like that we painted instruments from the 1920s.

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Damizha Ellis

E’niyah Pazmino I am 15 years old. I attended the Women’s Academy of Excellence. I like to paint and trace in art. Being a part of CAW this summer helped me become better at drawing and coloring. I would like to be a lawyer someday.

Elmo Williams

Tywuan Lee My name is Elmo Williams and I am 16 years old. The high school I attend is Urban Assembly School of Global Commerce and I am entering the 11th grade. My professional goal is to be a successful artist in the music Industry. I like to make music, because it allows me to express who I am.

One thing I learned from this experience with CAW is that all pictures have a certain type of movement, even if it doesn’t look like it does.

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My name is E’niyah Pazmino I am 14 years old and entering 9th grade. I like painting, because it takes my mind off things, which everyone needs now and then. At CAW I learned a lot about art. I don’t need to know how to draw to be able to create something nice.

I am 15 years old. I attend the Heritage High School. The elements that stands out the most to me in art are patterns and design, because those are things I’m learning to master with CAW. I look forward to using my talent for art in a future job. My dream would be to get recruited by a college on a basketball scholarship and work my way up into the NBA. Working with CAW has taught me how to get along with people and work together as one.

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Weldon Stokes

Jhoan Castellanos I am 15. I go to Mott Hall High School and I’m entering the 11th grade next year. My professional goal is to be a sports agent; if not that, I want to be an actor in the movies.

What I’ve learned from this experience is how to be on time for work, how to be a good teammate and how to paint. I like to paint now.

Gera Lozano, Teaching Artist I am passionate about the beautification of public spaces, community empowerment and the art as a healing tool. Public Art brings forth the magic and wonder of its natural environment. I believe the word “public” in Public Art is the people, the history, and natural phenomena of the place. My process includes taking an archeological and analytical approach to researching the distinctive characteristics of each site and transforming the history and energy of the place into a piece that exists organically and harmoniously in its surroundings.

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I was born in the Dominican Republic. I’m currently 15 years old, and will be entering 10th grade at the Frederick Douglass Academy. I’ve lived in Harlem for since 2015, and there’s a lot you learn. There’s more than meets the eye in Harlem, and I believe it can evolve to a better place with everyone’s participation and dedication. I’ve always had an interest in visual arts, ever since I was young and would replicate the impossible onto paper.

Becky Hutt, Teaching Artist Assistant Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Becky traveled throughout the Americas as a performing artist. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and studied painting in Italy.

Becky creates paint-enhanced photography and children’s storybook illustrations. She is thrilled to bring her love of working with youth and the arts to CAW and is extremely proud of the Paint Warriors for their accomplishments.

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About the Public Art Youth Employment Program

The Creative Art Works Public Art Youth Employment Program gives teens and young adults 14-24 years of age full-time summer jobs and part-time jobs after school to create large-scale public art and multimedia projects. Our Youth Apprentices are guided by professional teaching artists and executive staff from the initial concept development through client presentation, to the final brush stroke and public unveiling. Along the way, they gain tangible employment and life skills such as leadership, teamwork, responsibility and the power of taking initiative. They are empowered by the enduring accomplishment in their work of art and its positive impact on the community.

About Creative Art Works

Creative Art Works (CAW) improves the lives of thousands of NYC youth each year through in-school and out-of-school-time classes, community art-making events, and youth employment creating large-scale public art or multimedia projects.

Working in public schools, community centers, parks and libraries, CAW provides dynamic arts experiences for youth who otherwise lack access. Our programs build confidence, unlock a love of learning, and teach valuable technical and developmental skills while creating profound connections between our young constituents, their art and their communities.

www.creativeartworks.org

This program was made possible, in part, with funding from the Summer Youth Employment Program of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and these generous supporters:

Fund of Tides Foundation

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520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 201A New York, NY 10018 646.424.0392 www.creativeartworks.org Creative Art Works is a 501(c)(3), EIN #13-3638436 Copyright Š 2015 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved.