PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2018
“IN HARMONY’S WAY” BY BEAUTY BEHIND THE VIOLENCE
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PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2018 IN HARMONY’S WAY by Beauty Behind The Violence Unveiling Celebration Tuesday, August 7th, 1:30 PM Bronx Family Court House 900 Sheridan Avenue, Bronx, NY ValÊrie Hallier, Teaching Artist Michael Mitchell, Teaching Artist Assistant
About the Mural
This summer, Creative Art Works created their fourth mural for the New York State United Court System and our first at Bronx Family Court. The Youth Apprentices on this project range in age from 15 to 21 and include both talented artists and first-timers with little or no previous art-making experience. For many, this is their first summer job. All Youth Apprentices contributed to the design of this mural, which depicts a symbolic journey through life and offers a message of love and hope to the youngest visitors to the Court House.
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FROM BRIAN RICKLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The so-called Generation Z has been described as disconnected and pessimistic, but that is certainly not the case with the 150 young people I’ve had the pleasure of working with in this summer’s Public Art Youth Employment Program. Our Youth Apprentices have a sense of purpose and are hungry to do something meaningful. Inside this brochure, you will meet our future doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, accountants, scientists, social workers, and inspired artists. Most are still in high school; a few have started college. They have diverse interests that include poetry to politics, carpentry to computers, fashion to finance, and everything else one might find in our diverse city. For some, this was their first job. Many had little to no experience painting or producing a documentary short film. What they had in common was a commitment to creativity and an eagerness to rise to the challenge, making relevant and expressive public art. I am inspired by their remarkable individuality and all the genuine connections they made. I am also blown away by their perseverance. While their actions and their art speak volumes, I would like to highlight some of their own words, too. Below are a few of my favorite quotes from our summer series of “lightning interviews” (You can find complete versions on our social media outlets and blog): “A friend asked me, ‘Would you rather work hard all summer or would you rather have fun and paint?’ And I said, ‘I think painting sounds hard!’” – Kimani “I have executives, I have clients, I have people that I have to get approval from... It feels like there are high expectations.” – Marvin Kimani & Marvin, a creative job is tough – there was a lot of pressure, so congratulations on sticking with it! “I just want to create something that’s meaningful.”
– Britney
Britney, you certainly did! It’s been a privilege to be witness to yours and all the teams’ creative processes and personal growth. To all our supporters, thank you for making this possible. And to our readers and especially those in attendance today, thank you for joining in celebration of each and every apprentice and their collective art which is being revealed here today.
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South Bronx Artists Sean McMaster
Jaiborn Ashby
Samantha Lesesane
Teaching Artist Assitant Michael Mitchel Jenieva McIntosh 4
Hawa Konteh
Teaching Artist ValĂŠrie Hallier
Amiri Outlaw-Clark Aminata Kenteh
Maya Emptage Khadeja Ayers
Jaylin Jones
David Espinal
Christian Santana
Tabiya Lindsay
Rashaun Bannister Shataysha Byrd 5
Amari Outlaw-Clark Amari is an artist who was born in The Bronx. She enjoys drawing, writing and watching movies. This summer she wants to be able to get out of her comfort zone and allow herself to become more independent and outspoken. She has begun to develop new relationships and create new memories while working for Creative Art Works. She wants to be an art teacher and teach others how to create art of their own.
Christian Santana
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Christian Santana is 20-yearsold. He is a proud Puerto Rican who was born in New York. He loves listening to music, playing video games, and daydreaming about the unknown. Christian is an upcoming artist and hopes to broaden his horizons with the Creative Art Works program. He intends on learning the different patterns in art and incorporating them in his own life. He will be attending Bronx Community College this fall in pursuit of a degree in digital computer animation. He hopes to either work at a major tech company or to become a game designer. His main goal is to make it out of the Bronx and achieve his dreams.
Aminata Konteh Aminata was born in The Gambia, which is located in West Africa, but she has been living in New York City since she was 15. She graduated from The Bronx Collegiate Academy and Technical Career Institute (TCI) with an associate degree in health information technology. Aminata enjoys dancing, using computers, soccer and listening to music. She doesn’t have much art experience, but through coming to Creative Art Works she has learned how to mix colors and draw different types of figures. She plans to become a doctor or a nurse in the future.
David Espinal David, a 21-year-old from The Bronx, was born in New York City. His parents are from the Dominican Republic. His personal hobbies include photography and traveling. Some areas he wants to improve on are opening up more to people and taking better care of himself. His plans for the future include having his own business and living life as stress-free as he can.
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Geremiah Emptage Geremiah is 15-years-old and was born in The Bronx. He plays basketball, chess and likes to draw. He’s known to be chill and cool. Geremiah thinks about his future a lot, so he is motivated to work hard. Creative Art Works is the right fit for Geremiah because it helps him improve his drawing skills. He plans to play professional basketball in the future.
Jaiborn Ashby Jaiborn, or “Jai� for short, is 18-years-old and currently attends Buffalo State College. His major is criminal justice. He loves to play sports, video games and being social. Art is not really his field, but he works hard and has gotten better since the beginning of the Creative Art Works program. He wants to become an FBI agent in the future because he loves justice and doing what is right.
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Hawa Konneh Hawa Konneh is 18-years-old. She was born in Conakry, Guinea, and was raised in The Bronx. Currently, she attends New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science II. During her free time, she likes to listen to music and dance with friends. Coming into the Creative Art Works program she didn’t know what to expect because she doesn’t really have much experience with art. During her time in this program she met great people and had amazing advisors to help her along the way. In the future, she would like to study psychology and become a high school guidance counselor.
Jaylin Jones Jaylin is 15-years-old and he is from The Bronx. He is a junior at Martin Luther King Jr. high school. This is his first CAW job. He is a very laid back and adventurous person. The best part about his summer job so far is getting his first paycheck. He also learned how to draw people and enjoys making lots of new friends.
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Jenieva McIntosh Jenieva is a 17-year-old young woman born and raised in The Bronx. She is a mix of Italian, black, and South American Guyanese. She is currently attending a high school called Manhattan Village Academy and will be a senior this September. Her passion lies in reading and writing. She prefers to spend most of her time curled up at home immersed in a good book or manga. She doesn’t have any prior experience in creating or painting a mural, but she enjoys the task of mixing colors to make new gradients. She hopes that when the mural is finally completed and hung up it will have a large, positive impact on the place she calls home.
Khadeja Ayers Khadeja is 18-years-old and is going into her sophomore year of college at Buffalo State. She enjoys writing poetry and wrestling. She also plays basketball and volleyball. She enjoys expressing her creativity through colors. She feels like she can improve at anything, because she doesn’t feel like she has perfected anything in life yet. Her inspiration is her mother, who showed her how nothing in life is handed to you and if you want something you have to go get it yourself. Khadeja’s future plan is to live in Atlanta and be a physical therapist for athletes. She enjoys helping people get better. 10
Keiana Alston Keiana is an 18-year-old girl who lives in The Bronx; however, she is originally from the West Side of Harlem. She spends her free time visiting her family members. Keiana is very motivated and open minded. She’d like to sharpen her skills as a hair stylist. Keiana’s future goal is to finish high school. This summer with Creative Art Works has been a refreshing and amazing experience for her. She has enjoyed every new experience with painting, drawing, meeting and making new friends. She loves to learn new subjects such as public speaking.
Rashaun Bannister Rashaun is 16-years-old. His hobbies include playing basketball and video games. He would really like to improve his art work, social skills, and the expression of his creative ideas. During the Creative Art Works program Rashaun is learning to speak up and to work as part of a team. He wants to pursue a career as a cook or as a manga artist.
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Samantha Lesesane Samantha goes by Sammie. She’s 16-years-old and was born and raised in The Bronx. She’s Puerto Rican, black, Irish and German. She loves to draw and she also does photography. What she loved about the CAW program was color mixing and painting on the mural. There’s things she would like to improve about herself, like her social skills. She feels at times she can be very shy and would love to change that. In the future she hopes to have her own business in fine art and also hold classes to help other aspiring artists. What motivates her are the pictures she takes. They give her ideas and help keep her focused on the things she wants to achieve.
Shataysha Byrd Shataysha Byrd is a 20-year-old African American woman. She was born and raised in The Bronx. She is a junior at Alfred State College, located in Alfred, New York. She enjoys writing poetry, reading, listening to music and being herself. She finds comfort in the arts and believes that expressing yourself is the best way to openly accept who you are. Her strengths include being a team player, a leader, open to suggestions and public speaking. Her weaknesses can be talking too much and being too open. This summer, she was able to meet many amazing people that allowed her to open her creative vision thanks to CAW. 12
Sean McArthur Sean is 20-years-old and he is very outgoing and vocal. Born and raised in The Bronx he finds comfort in football, although he plays other sports such as basketball, while track is his true passion. He attends college in Syracuse and is a criminal justice major hoping to pursue a career in law enforcement. Sean continues to strive in school. His weakness is being a class clown, but his strength is leadership. He loves painting with CAW and working with the entire organization.
Tabiya Lindsay Tabiya is a 19-year-old from New York. In her free time, she enjoys a wide variety of activities such as gaming and writing. She loves making friends. However, she dislikes failure. Her biggest aspiration is to be an astronomer one day, as she has had a love for space ever since she was a child. To achieve this, she plans on returning to school and receiving the proper education she needs to follow her dream. She will also apply the leadership and teambuilding skills that she learned at Creative Art Works to help prepare for the future.
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Valérie Hallier Valérie is a multimedia artist whose work crosses media from drawing, photography, murals and immersive installations. She first came to the US on a Fulbright scholarship and received an MFA from SVA in computer arts. Her work has been shown internationally, including at the Housatonic Museum, CT; The Brooklyn Council for the Arts; ACM Siggraph, FL; and SCAN Arts Symposium, PA. After a LMCC Swing residency on Governors Island, she was a guest of The NY Theremin Society at Pioneer Works Art Center in Brooklyn. She was selected to be part of BRIC Media Arts’ first Biennial in Brooklyn. In 2017, Valérie started as a teaching artist with the Community Word Project TAP program, then interned at various public schools in NYC. This is her first mural with CAW. www.valeriehallier.com/teaching
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Michael Mitchell Michael studied illustration at the Art Institute of Chicago, architecture at The University of Chicago’s AIA Design Center, and advertising & design at The American Academy of Art. He was a founding partner at Howell/Mitchell Design in Chicago. He is comfortable working in practically any medium, including an extensive background in marker rendering. Michael has served as a freelance artist for most of New York’s largest advertising agencies, doing presentation storyboards for TV commercials. He has created a number of indoor and outdoor murals in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and Honolulu. He has taught art at the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment and at CAW’s Saturday program at Randolph Houses in Harlem.
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IN HARMONY’S WAY written by Shataysha Byrd edited by Jenieva McIntosh Growing up in the boogie down Bronx Love wasn’t something that was taught to me so easily As the train doors opened, my journey seemed to begin Scared and unaware The future looked foggy and filled with uncertainty I prayed Pushing for better days, I called for help Caged and locked in, spiraling down A misunderstood kid But I got better The system I had once thought bent on breaking me Brought me help Through tutoring they pushed for me to finish school Bringing colors to my sky Light and Harmony Trips to Yankee stadium and the Bronx Zoo filled my memory The family that I’ve created outside of my blood Molded me into the person I want to be And the greater idea is that my life has just begun And my train ride isn’t over yet
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About the Public Art Youth Employment Program
Public Art Youth Employment Programs give teens and young adults full-time summer jobs and part-time jobs after school to create large-scale public art and multimedia projects. Youth Apprentices are guided by professional teaching artists from the initial concept development through client presentation, to the final edit and public unveiling or premier. 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) is a 32-year-old nonprofit that empowers young people through the visual and multimedia arts. Our programs equip children, teens, and young adults with essential tools and skills; connect them with community, academic success, and career opportunities; and inspire them to reach for new possibilities. Working in under-served neighborhoods of New York City, in public schools, community centers, parks, and libraries, CAW provides dynamic art-making 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. Students are never charged for participation in our programs. www.creativeartworks.org Creative Art Works is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, EIN #13-3638436 Copyright © 2018 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved.
Creative Art Works hires Youth Apprentices directly and as a worksite manager with the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Summer Youth Employment Program. Programs are implemented in partnership with Catholic Charities of New York Alianza Division, Children’s Aid Society, Inwood Community Services, and Police Athletic League. CAW’s 2018 Public Art Youth Employment Program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. Direct support is provided by Brookfield, Crowell & Moring Foundation, RBC Foundation USA, Sherwin Williams, State Street, Structure Tone, and by individual donors.
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In Harmony’s Way
Join the Conversation!
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creativeartworks.nyc
@caw4kids
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 © 2018 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved. 28