PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2019
COLORS OF THE BRONX by THE BRONX RENAISSANCE 1
PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2019
Colors of the Bronx by The Bronx Renaissance Unveiling Celebration Wednesday, August 14th, 3:00 PM PAL Webster-Giannone Center 2255 Webster Avenue, The Bronx Fabio Puentes, Teaching Artist Amanda During, Teaching Artist Assistant Edward Salas, Teaching Artist Assistant
About the Mural This mural represents PAL’s core values and their mission to develop NYC young people through educational, recreational, cultural, and social programs. The design includes images that speak to PAL’s mission, such as a college diploma, sporting equipment, and images of people engaged in a variety of athletic activities. The faces of three women represent the vibrant ethnic and cultural diversity of surrounding community, while images of street signs, local apartment buildings and a city bus ground the composition in the daily life of Fordham Manor. This is Creative Art Works’ eighth mural for PAL and our second one at Webster Center.
2
FROM BRIAN RICKLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Youth Apprentices who call themselves “The Bronx Renaissance” shared a mission. During six weeks in July and August, Creative Art Works challenged 23 young people to create a mural for the PAL WebsterGiannone Center on the corner of Webster Avenue and Ford Street. Even though many of them had little to no prior experience making art of any sort, the finished product had to be of professional quality, because the mural literally represents the face of PAL to the Fordham community. The art had to be true to the voice of the youth, both individually and collectively, but it also had to convey PAL’s mission to encourage young people to participate in healthy acctivities, stay in school and prepare for college. Finally, the work had to be delivered on time, which created a sense of urgency. We equip our Youth Apprentices with all the necessary elements for success. Our professional teaching artists introduce them to all the necessary skills and our generous supporters provide quality materials, but that does not mean we coddle them – in fact, we push them to create superior works of art. More importantly, we can attest, they pushed themselves and each other. These 23 strangers came together as a team to create truly beautiful art. Thank you for attending today’s unveiling. It is sometimes difficult for artists to appreciate the impact their work has on the public until they see it presented to the people for whom it was created. Our Youth Apprentices develop a sense of ownership as they create their art, and that sense is amplified when each individual tells the audience what contributions they made to the project. Your presence here is an essential element in the success of our shared mission.
3
The Bronx Renaissance
4
5
Pamela Ayamba Pamela is a 16-year-old junior in high school and currently works with Creative Art Works. Throughout this experience so far, she has learned many new art skills and the importance of hard work to achieve her goals. Pamela was born in Ghana and is proud of the many aspects of her background and unique culture. Pamela has always had a special interest in art starting from a very young age, and she aspires to have some aspects of art in her future career even though she is not very sure yet what career she wants in her future. But with this experience she had at CAW, her future path is becoming a bit clearer.
Gabriel Bono Gabriel is 16. He was born and raised in the Bronx. He is the youngest of three siblings. He attends school at Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School, where his goal is to become an animator manga artist and photographer. He loves to eat, watch anime, draw, go on adventures, and work out. At CAW he learned how to mix and blend colors in order to make pictures stand out and intends to use this skill in future art works.
6
David Luperon David is 16 and was born in Montgomery, Maryland, and lives in the Bronx with his family. He has grown up there and currently attends University Prep Charter High School. He loves sports and is even on a soccer team. Well, only being an incoming junior he already has an idea of what he plans on studying in the future. CAW is something he found interesting because of the eye perspective that could help influence his future plans because of how it shows you that a rt can be more than a rt and connect the community by going around talking to the community and translating their words into art.
Victoria Jaimes-Ocampo Victoria is 16 years old. She lives in the Bronx and attends University Heights High School. Victoria has been doing track for two years. She loves running and being active. This is the first time Victoria participated in a CAW program, and she doesn’t regret joining, but she has learned many new painting and drawing techniques. In the future Victoria wants to be a pilot for the U.S. Air Force or just a regular airline pilot who takes people to other countries. It has been a fun and new experience working with Creative Art Works.
7
Janessa Belem Janessa is a 16-year-old from the Bronx. She lives with her parents and her twin brother (she is the oldest by three minutes). She is a talented girl who sings, acts, does make-up, and more. She is now a junior in high school and is ready to graduate to become an obstetrician/gynecologist. This is her first time working with Creative Art Works. She says that it was a new experience by her being more expressive with her fellow peers.
Nasir Holmes Nasir is a 16-year-old junior in high school. He attends Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts and plays basketball. He was born and raised in Manhattan. He survived the fire that started on Christmas (his birthday) and moved. He is still pushing himself to do better in the future and make a name. This is his first time in CAW. This program helped him change his point of view on art.
8
D’Lorian Middleton D’Lorian is 17 years old. She was born in Manhattan and lives in Harlem. She graduated from Democracy Prep Harlem high school and now is a freshman at Borough of Manhattan Community College. D’Lorean used to dance for the Millennium Dance Company and danced ballet, hip-hop, jazz, and tap. She wants to be a biomedical engineer when she gets older. Her favorite part of working with Creative Art Works is meeting new people. While creating her first mural with CAW she feels more connected to her community than be-fore.
Fatou Camara Fatou is 16 years old and an upcoming junior at Bronx Academy of Letters. Raised by two parents, she is the oldest of six siblings, which means she has to be the best role model. Fatou is really committed to school because she is very passionate about becoming an obstetrician. She believes that what you work for is what you get. During the few weeks she has been participating in Creative Art Works, she has learned that you don’t have to be an artist to create something beautiful.
9
Elvin Matos Elvin is 17, lives in the Bronx and will graduate from Belmont Prep High School, class of 2020. His hobbies are watching his favorite TV shows on Netflix, playing video games, playing basketball, and listening to music. Elvin’s favorite foods are rice and beans, chicken, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and mangu. This is his first year working for Creative Art Works, and he is so excited to gain knowledge when it comes to art in general. He thought he couldn’t draw until he drew something with CAW...he did it and did it well.
Brandon Gaynor Brandon is 16 years old and is soon to be a senior at Opportunity Charter School. He plays sports such as basketball, football, and flag football. He also used to play ice hockey. He likes food and likes to cook and to play video games. He wants to own his own business. He would like to own a restaurant. His experience at CAW was hard but fun, challenging but joyful.
10
Amena Khatun Amena is a 17-year-old recent high school graduate from the Bronx. She will be attending MIT this fall, class of 2023. This is her first year working with Creative Art Works, and she is excited to be a part of the mural making process. She enjoys hanging out with her friends and spending a lot of time outdoors, hiking, running, or simply taking a stroll. She loves to watch movies, read, and listen to music. She hopes to visit the beach during the first snowfall of the year.
Vincent Colon Vincent Colon is a 17 year old raised in the Bronx. He is still attending high school and wishes to find success through his art and writing. He has always wanted to create something that would inspire and make people happy. Working with CAW gave him a chance to create something inspiring for the community. This is his first year working for CAW and he said the experience was surprising and uplifting. The experience opened his eyes to different forms of art. Besides painting Vincent is into creating stories and sculptures, playing sports, boxing, and drawing. Working with CAW inspired him to create more art and find other things to do at home and focus on.
11
Adilabanu Topia Adila Topia is about to be a senior. She is 16 years old and this is her first year at Creative Art Works. She is from the Bronx, New York, and her hobbies are bowling, swimming, coloring, and painting. She really enjoys communicating with others, and she is really inspired with colors. She works really hard to achieve her goals. She goes to DeWitt Clinton High School, and she has done art in her school. She also talks about how much she enjoys it.
Tiara Marcele Daniel Marcele is 18 years old and from the Bronx, New York. She will be attending university in the fall for criminal justice. She aspires to become an SVU detective. She also enjoys singing, playing piano, and creatively expressing how she feels. From this Creative Art Works program, she has learned patience and to work efficiently with others.
12
Aliyabanu Topia Aliya is a 19-year-old who graduated from Mott Haven Village Prep High School in 2019, because she started school late. She will be attending Borough of Manhattan Community College this fall. This is her first time working with CAW. She has learned all the things that a painter should know, like mixing colors and drawing. In her free time she likes to cook and go out with friends. She made many new friends from her job at CAW. In the future she would like to become a fashion designer for big actors and actresses.
Jordan Jenkins Jordan is a 17-year-old and in his last year of high school. He lives in the Bronx and has one older sibling. He is interested in working with music in the future. Jordan is a hard worker and takes risks when he has to. CAW has helped Jordan become more focused and engaged.
13
Krystyna Maldonado Krystyna is a 19-year-old future entrepreneur from Brooklyn, New York. Krystyna met a lot of new people this summer working with CAW for the first time. So far it has been a great experience learning how to design a mural project for the PAL Webster site. Through this, she has developed public speaking skills and improved creative skills for future artistic development.
Kevin Cambell My name is Kevin Campbell and I’m 18 years old the best thing about this summer job is expanding my artwork and learning how to paint. In the future, I want to be a cartoonist and design. My creative mind makes me unique. I feel connected to my community because there’s music all over and I can use it. I’m known for my comedic behavior.
14
Aaliyah Jimenez Aaliyah is 18 years old and she currently attends Bronx Community College. Her major is liberal arts, psychology. She plans on being a mental health psychiatrist. She lives in The Bronx, and this is her first time working with Creative Art Works. Her overall experience with this job was interesting. It was her first time working with people around her age. A t this job she learned different ways of creating a certain color and hue. She learned to have patience, and she learned that making a mural is not just about the drawing and colors, but the story that it portrays.
Nakia Melanie Fetter Nakia is 18, and her neighborhood is not so far from the PAL Center. This is her first time working at CAW. She has no prior experience with art except for a fift- grade art class. She’s made three new friends working with CAW. The best thing about the summer job so far is the painting itself. It’s been a really fun experience. I think the world would be a better place if people would clean all the garbage out of the ocean.
15
Olympia Cummings Olympia is 17 years old. She was born in Manhattan, and raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Since working with CAW, she has bonded with the group. “I was glad to work with CAW because I love art.” She’s learned many creative things. She is still attending school but looking forward to going to college.
16
Maya DuBose Maya is a 19-year-old Black Queen. Next year, she will be attending Bronx Community College to study media and digital film production. During her time with CAW, Maya’s creative nature has been nurtured by the wonderful teaching artists Amanda, Edward, and Fabio. Not only have they helped her grow artistically, but they helped her realize the career path she would like to take. Maya already had creative outlets for herself such as figure skating, dancing, singing, acting, and karate. She loves to express her talents to the world and is completely grateful to have taken this opportunity.
Selena Lauth Selena is 16 years old and lives in Hunts Point. She attends Cristo Rey New York High School and is a rising junior. Her hobbies are watching shows on Netflix and boxing. In the future she hopes to be a nurse. CAW has helped Selena be able to see art and also to see different views and perspectives.
17
Edward Salas, Teaching Artist Assistant Edward is an artist and educator. He received a BFA from State University at New Paltz in 2013. He has exhibited his work at various group shows in the United States and internationally. Edward was in residence at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning in 2016. He is currently an MFA candidate in painting at Alfred University.
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 33-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 18
Fabio Puentes, Teaching Artist Fabio was born in Quilpue, Chile. He received his BA in visual arts from the University of Playa Ancha, Valparaiso, Chile in 2014, and a BA in education from the University of ViĂąa Del Mar in 2018. In 2010, he joined the Centro Juvenil Cultural Raices, a non-profit that creates free musical and art workshops for the under-resourced youth. He has worked as a Batucada and Latin percussionist instructor. From 2012 to 2013, he was an Etching Instructor at the University of Playa Ancha. From 2010 to 2013, he joined the Centro Del Grabado Valparaiso, a network of artists who create largescale, conceptual, abstract and mixed media art exhibitions. From 2015-2019 he worked at the Colegio Claudio Matte School, which specialized in at-risk students.
Amanda During, Teaching Artist Assistant Amanda is an artist and educator who has been creating since her mother gave her her first crayon. She wrote her first children’s book while still in elementary school and is currently working on one to be published later this year. She studied art history and studio art at Barnard College. She is currently competing a masters in art education at City College.
19
This program was made possible, in part, by 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, and these generous supporters:
Join the Conversation!
caw4kids
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 Š 2019 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved. 20