PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2016
THE MORE YOU GIVE, THE MORE YOU GROW HAMILTON GRANGE MIDDLE SCHOOL
PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2016 The More You Give, The More You Grow by The Power Grangers Wednesday, August 10th, 2:00 PM Hamilton Grange Middle School The Jacob H. Schiff School Campus 500 W. 138th Street New York NY 10031 Lunar New Year, Teaching Artist Becky Hutt, Teaching Artist Assistant Sophie Mendelson, Teaching Artist Assistant
About the Mural
CAW’s Youth Apprentices are reinvigorating West 138th Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam with a new mural connecting the Jacob Schiff School Campus with the culturally rich and community-oriented neighborhood of Hamilton Heights. This organic design commemorates the transformative journey of learning, which is nurtured within the campus’s three collocated schools, Hamilton Grange, PS 192 and PS 325, and is reinforced by the generosity of spirit that courses through the local community. www.creativeartworks.org.
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Jacob H. Schiff Elementary
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FROM BRIAN RICKLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO
Public Art is a Conversation At Creative Art Works, we know that the artistic process is a powerful tool for creating meaningful conversation and shared understanding. In light of recent events in the news at home and around the world, the need for common ground among people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and points of view is ever more present in our minds. This summer, our Youth Apprentices met with our program partners and ventured out into our communities seeking to answer this essential question: “What message should our art express?� As they gathered stories bridging generations, languages, cultures, identity markers and social stations, they also wrestled with harder questions about American history, race relations, food scarcity, public health, law enforcement, and the nature of access and opportunity. Some of these conversations were challenging, some were uplifting: in every case they led to a deeper understanding. As our young people developed storyboards and mural designs, we also witnessed them developing the ability to passionately advocate for their ideas while simultaneously respecting the perspectives of others. Today, we are excited to share with you the youth-generated work, which we believe embodies the spirit of our community. We hope that this public art will continue to encourage robust and fruitful conversations for many years to come.
Join the Conversation!
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GRO PHO HER Kenneth W.
Andy Acevedo Rahmeek
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Rosanna Valencia
Elsie Vidal
Scarlett Cabrera Jessica Santillan Cristal Parron Richelle Hutchinson
OUP OTO RE Gianny Izaguirre Radhames Carelas Annessa Jeetoo Bryant Espinal Arianna V. Olivio Madeline De Leon Chidimma Nduke Raymond Diaz Sophie Mendelson Becky Hutt Lunar New Year
Isiah Brown
Gianna Ortega
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Andy Acevedo Andy is 19 years old and is the youngest of three children. He lives in Hamilton Heights and attended the Facing History High School. He is now a sophomore at SUNY Cortland. Andy hopes to own his own fashion business or work in the fashion world internationally. He loves to travel, which was a factor in why he chose to major in International business. This is his first time working with CAW and so far it has changed his point of view on art.
Arianna V. Olivio Arianna is a designer and animator living in New York City. She graduated in 2013 with an Associates in Digital Design from Hostos Community College before going on to graduate with a BA at the City College of New York with a major in Studio Art concentrating in Digital Design. Her work was featured in City College’s Electronic Design and Multimedia Student Show in 2014. Arianna has been on the Dean’s List for 2012, 2013 and 2015. Her interests include handdrawn and digital animation and researching flower meanings. Some of her favorite things in life are food, chocolate, looking at flowers, and Game of Thrones. 6
Anessa Jeetoo Anessa is 18 years old and recently graduated high school. She currently lives in Queens and will be attending the University of Albany in the fall. She has volunteered at the Museum of Natural History. In her spare time, she likes to watch superhero and horror movies and TV shows. She loves animals and dreams of opening an animal shelter one day. This is her first year working with CAW. She says her experience was new and uplifting.
Cristal Parron Cristal is 22 years old and from The Bronx. She is a graduate from Talent Unlimited High School in Instrumental Music. She aspires to get a B.A. in Art History, minoring in Studio Arts, and a Masters in Art Conservation. Cristal’s dream is to become an Art Curator and Art Preserver for a museum and to become a polymath. Her inspirations are Consuelo Vanderbilt and Emperor Pu Yi. She also likes to volunteer for the NYC Parks Department in her free time.
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Chidimma Ndukwe Chidimma is an 18-year-old graduate from high school. She lives in Manhattan. This is her first time participating in a CAW’s program. She has made paintings in school and sold them during the school’s art show. In the future, she wants to become a music producer and a psychiatrist.
Gianna Ortega Gianna is 16. She was born in Manhattan and lives in the Bronx. She attends Mott Hall Bronx High School. Gianna has been dancing continuously since she was five years old. She dances reggae, Spanish, hip-hop, trap, rap, ballet, modern dancing, and step. She adores all kinds of animals, but hates insects. Gianna wants to be an OBGYN and have her own clinic someday, because she believes that some doctors don’t care or treat their patients properly.
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Elsie Vidal Elsie is 18, lives in Washington Heights, and graduated from Mott Hall High School. Her first time working for CAW was last summer. She’s been in love with the arts since she was five, and over the years has built a collection of paintings and drawings. Her favorite movie is The Conjuring and her favorite TV show is Dr. Phil. Elsie is an aspiring rapper who has been writing her own lyrics since she was eight years old and hopes to build a career from music.
Gianny Izaguirre Gianny is a 17-year-old graduate from George Washington High School, class of 2016. She was born in Washington Heights but currently lives in the Bronx. Her hobbies are watching her favorite TV shows on Netflix, listening to music, and reading the Daily Mail. Gianny’s favorite foods are macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and tacos. This is her first year working for Creative Art Works and she is excited to gain knowledge when it comes to art in general.
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Isiah Brown Isaiah is 18. He was born in Harlem Hospital and now lives in Kingsbridge, in The Bronx. Isaiah graduated high school from New Heights Academy Charter School and soon will start college at BMCC. He loves video games and to work out. He also loves water and mozzarella sticks. Isaiah isn’t sure about what he wants to become in life, but he believes that he has many qualities that will bring him success: he is smart, he’s outgoing, he is a strong leader, and he has good communication skills.
Kenneth W. Kenneth is a nice person who likes gaming. He is a hard worker who always tries to help people. He is a family man who wants more for his community. He has seen some things and some stuff, so anytime somebody needs help, he will be there looking as good as he could to help the best way that he could. You can always count on him. Have no fear, Kenneth W. is here!
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Jessican Santillan Jessica is 20 years old. She was born in Queens and lived all her life in South Ozone Park. She graduated from Forest Hills High School and will soon graduate from City College of New York. She wishes to finish school with a degree in Architecture. Jessica is a shy individual, being that it’s her first time with CAW, but she was able to break out of her shell and present her personality. She is a friendly, creative and ambitious person, and you can see that based on how she created an aspect of the final design for the HGMS mural. In her spare time, she likes to take pictures, volunteer, go to concerts and do DIYs.
Madeline De Leon Madeline is a nineteen-year-old artist from The South Bronx. After a year off from graduating high school, she is now ready to move on to college and pursue her dream of being a video game designer. In her spare time, she likes to sketch, make comic books, listen to music and most of all, play video games. This is her first time doing something so major with the arts, outside of other minor school projects. Madeline is excited to be part of Being a part of the Power Grangers and looks forward to working on and completing this mural.
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Rahmeek Rahmeek is 23 years old and considers himself a true Brooklynite. He spends time with his many siblings, plays a whole lot of video games, and reads a lot. He is into traveling (even though he has never been outside the 50 states), electrical repair and installation, and carpentry. In the future he hopes to own his own construction company.
Richelle Hutchinson Richelle is a 22-year-old BMCC student who lives on the upper west side of Manhattan. She will be graduating this upcoming school year with hopes of going on to Hunter College and pursuing her Bachelors of Science and becoming a registered nurse.
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Raymond Diaz Raymond is a sophomore at Mather High School. He is 15 years old and from Brooklyn. Starting last year, he developed a serious interest in visual arts. He likes to hang with his friends, who got him into arts from when they introduced him to graffiti. Since then, he expanded his arts to drawing and doing communitybased murals.
Rosanna Valencia Rosanna is a seventeen-yearold recent high school graduate from Manhattan. She will be attending Brooklyn College this fall, class of 2020. This is her first year working with Creative Art Works and she is proud to be in a position where she can learn all about the mural-making process. Some of her interests include photography, fashion, music, and art. In her spare time, she likes to sing, watch documentaries, and construct clothing, but she often struggles to find the time. In the future, she hopes to be in a career where she can work with her hands, be creative, and help others.
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Scarlette Cabrera Scarlette is 19 years old. She lives in Washington Heights and goes to George Washington High School. This is her first time in a CAW program, and her first time making art without getting a grade on it. She has loved dancing since she was five but she wants to become a physical therapist. One of her favorite quotes is, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” –Dr. Seuss
Keonne Samuel Keonne is returning for his third summer with Creative Art Works. He enjoyed studying with Creative Art Works in an after-school program while a student at the Manhattan Middle School for Scientific Inquiry. He likes to play video games and plans to start his YouTube career later this year. He is inspired by John Cena.
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Bryant Espinal Bryant is 18. He was born and raised in Manhattan. He is a recent graduate from the High School of Arts & Technology, and will be attending college in the fall. This is Bryant’s first time working with CAW and also his first time painting a mural. His hobbies include skateboarding, photography, and playing video games.
Radhames Carelas Radhames is a 19-year-old college student attending Borough of Manhattan Community College. Born and raised on 143rd, he later moved to a quiet Riverside neighborhood. He’s always wanted to make a name for himself. He found a passion for mathematics, which led him to his career choice of accounting. As a child, Radhames was very introverted and uninspired, but through working out, he found himself becoming more open to the world around him, leading him to pursue acting throughout high school, as well as basketball, and swimming. As Radhames continues to grow, he aims to pursue as many different challenges as possible. 15
Lunar New Year, Teaching Artist Lunar New Year is an artist, muralist, curator, and community organizer. He has created numerous works of public art around the world, including a five-story work for the Audubon Mural Project at the corner of 155th Street and Broadway, and The End of Race / Libertad y Xul antes del desayunó for Los Muros Hablan at 145 East 100th Street on the corner of 3rd Avenue. He is also an educator and public speaker for such projects as Young New Yorkers, City Without Walls in Newark, and ConectArte in collaboration with the United Nation’s World Food Program in El Salvador.
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Becky Hutt, Teaching Artist Assist Originally from Lancaster, PA, Becky graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, and studied painting in Italy. She moved to New York City after traveling throughout North and South America as a performing artist. Becky also creates paint-enhanced photography and children’s storybook illustrations. She spent the past year as a Teaching Artist Assistant at HGMS, so she is excited to work on this mural, beautifying the community where she lives and works. Becky is extremely proud of the Power Grangers for their accomplishments.
Sophie Mendelson, Teaching Artist Assist Sophie grew up in Chappaqua, NY. She earned a BA in Studio Art from Skidmore College, where she also worked as a preschool teacher and art tutor. She specializes in oil portraiture and fiber sculpture, and has done several large murals, including an exterior wall in Chappaqua, completed in conjunction with the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. She believes in the importance of creativity as a tool for developing self-esteem and unlocking one’s potential. Sophie completed an internship with CAW at Hamilton Grange this spring, and is thrilled to be a TAA this summer. This fall, she will begin a Master’s degree in Art Education at Columbia University. 17
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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
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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 by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, as well as by NYC Council members Mark Levine and Melissa Mark-Viverito, and these generous supporters:
Creative Art Works is grateful to www.digitaltouchinc.com for providing discounted printing services and world-class customer service.
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Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. - Robert Louis Stevenson
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