Creative Art Works 2021 Paintings for Bronx Family Court by Creative Art Works

PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2021

HOPE AND BALANCE BY TEAM PICASSO

PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2021 HOPE AND BALANCE by Team Picasso Unveiling Celebration Wednesday, August 11th, 1:15 PM Michael Mitchell, Teaching Artist Ciara Ruddock, Teaching Artist Assistant

About the Art

These three triptychs are the eighth project Creative Art Works has created for our long-standing partner, the New York State Family Court, and the third for the Bronx Division. This series of paintings will be the first to be installed inside a courtroom.

FROM BRIAN RICKLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR This year marked the return of in-person Public Art Youth Employment programs for Creative Art Works. It was a deliberate and thoughtful return – all of our staff have been vaccinated and masks were required on site – yet it felt good to create a sense of community after 15 months of social distancing. We put three teams of Youth Apprentices into the field this summer. Projects included an 122-foot exterior mural for The Crossing, a L+M / Invesco residential property in East Harlem; a series of large-scale paintings for a courtroom in Bronx Family Court, and two interior murals for the Midtown headquarters of Savills. We also offered remote employment to three teams of multimedia workforce programs. All of the artmaking and design were grounded in social justice issues. This year, we have recruited Youth Apprentices from all five boroughs who represent the cultural, ethnic, religious, and gender diversity of our city. They range in age from 16 to 24 and their interests run the gamut from engineering to musical theater. Most of them have no prior experience making art and, for many of them, this is their first summer job. The work is physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. Over the course of six weeks, our Youth Apprentices must come together as a team to overcome seemingly insurmountable creative and technical challenges. Internally, they must learn to navigate differing perspectives, negotiate conflicts and build group consensus. Externally, they must balance their client’s wishes while still maintaining their own voice and artistic integrity. And all of this is in addition to acquiring and developing new skills in a very short time. Our Youth Apprentices develop a sense of ownership as they create their art, and that sense is amplified, during the culminating event, when each individual has the chance to tell their audience what contributions they made to the project. Your presence at this event as a member of the CAW community is an essential element in the success of our shared mission. Thank you for attending today’s event. Sincerely,

Brian Ricklin

Team Picasso

Aboubakarey Tunkara Aboubakarey is 16 years old. He lives in the Bronx and he is going to attend Bronx Prep High School in Fall 2021. Aboubakarey has been playing basketball since he was 6 years old and loves doing it in his free time. This is Aboubakarey’s first time participating in the CAW program. He learned how to draw and mix colors. Creative Arts Works is the best program Aboubakarey has been a part of because it has taught him new skills like, mixing colors and drawing faces. In the future, he hopes to teach people how to draw.

Boris Gonazalez Boris is 17 years old and lives in Manhattan, but he was born in Ecuador in Cuenca. He attends Inwood Early College and he is going to be a Senior in September. He likes to play chess, video games and enjoys running. This is his first time working with CAW. He learned how to work with others and also how to blend colors. He hopes to visit Japan when he gets older to understand things about their culture.

Audrey Li Audrey is an 18 year old who is going to be a sophomore at Lehman College in Fall ‘21. She lives in the Bronx. This is her first time working with CAW and she has learned many new art skills like drawing and mixing colors. In the future, she would like to become an accountant or anything in the business field. This summer at CAW she has learned team building skills that she hopes to apply to her business interests in the future.

Denzel Funderburk Denzell is 23 years old. He was born in Boston, but moved to Queens when he was 5. He currently lives in Manhattan. He enjoys making money and reading books. In the future, Denzel hopes to travel the world and find a steady income. This is his first time in the Creative Art Works program. Denzel enjoyed creating the confetti effect on many of the panels of the mural because it gave him a sense of pride and ownership in the project.

Diamondrain Jackson Diamond is 18 years old, was born in Staten Island, and she lives in the Bronx with her older sister. She attends Bronx Academy of Health Careers in the Evander Childs Campus. She enjoys reading and writing short stories. She hopes to be an English teacher or Art teacher. This is her first year working with CAW and her favorite part is being able to experience something wonderful and fun. Diamondrain is thankful to be able to brighten her community with amazing art.

Jainabou Batchilly

Jainabou is 17 years old and graduated from New Visions Charter High School for the Humanities II. In Fall ‘22, she will be attending Baruch College, majoring in Finance. Jainabou likes to bake cookies and other pastries. One day, she hopes to create her own cookbook. In her first year at CAW, she enjoys learning new artistic skills. One day looks forward to painting her own room with the usage of those skills. She thought the mural was going to be a tough challenge, but was amazed that working together as a team has empowered herself and the group to have confidence to get the job done. She looks forward to another opportunity at CAW in the future.

Ja’Nyyah Alvardo Ja’Nyyah is 16 and she attends Urban Assembly For Media Studies. She lives in the Bronx. This is her first time at Creative Art Works. She learned so much about painting, color and hue. Ja’Nyyah never thought she would be this excited over a job. In her free time, she writes and reads a lot. She dreams of becoming a writer, actress and director. Creative Art Works is truly a magical place!

Jasmin Taylor Jasmin is a 16 year old and lives in the Bronx. Jasmin attends Fredrick Douglas Academy and is a rising Junior. She enjoys hanging out with friends and listening to music. She has learned many new things working with Creative Art Works for the first time this summer. She has enjoyed improving her creative skills, and she really enjoyed painting the mural.

Jomarlyn Matos Jomarlyn is a 17-year-old from The Bronx. She recently graduated from high school and will be attending college this fall. This is her first year working with Creative Art Works. She’s happy that she’s able to have some of her artwork in her community. She looks forward to friends and family being able to see her work in public. In her free time, she enjoys playing softball and she’s been playing for 3 years now. She believes that her time working at CAW has improved her ability to collaborate and work in a team. Overall she enjoyed her experience with CAW and would do it again.

Katherine Ponce

Born and raised in Brooklyn, 19-year-old Katherine loves to draw, sing, and play piano and violin. She loves making digital art using programs like Adobe Photoshop, which she learned through Future Music Projects at Carnegie Hall, and Clip Art Studios. She posts of her artwork Instagram at @bunnyfacekat. This is her second time working with Creative Art Works and she is super excited to be part of the group again! She currently attends NYU where she takes digital art classes and is on her way to becoming the architect and animator she aspires to be. She still dreams of happily raising a bunny some time in the future.

Justin Beltran Justin is 16 years old and has been drawing his entire life. He graduated from the Art and Design High School and in September 2021, he started Fashion Institute of Technology, majoring in illustration. He hopes to become a concept artist or a character designer. He plays video games and edits videos as a hobby, which help him become a better artist/creator. Justin has been drawing for his whole life. In his first year at CAW, he was excited to be able to utilize his art knowledge to help create the mural for The Bronx Family Court.

Lamax Samuels Lamax is 21 years old, was raised in the Bronx, and is a recent High School graduate. He started making music when he was 12 years old and has been progressing ever since. He recently began taking his talents seriously and is successfully making a career of his interest in music. This is Lamax’s first year at Creative Art Works. He is learning to express himself and though he does not draw, he is continuing to learn and improve his skills.

Luis Nova Luis was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in the Bronx for 8 years. He currently attends Innovation Diploma Plus High School, where he is a rising Senior. He loves football, rugby, wrestling, basketball, running track, and boxing, all of which he has been doing since he was a freshman. In this first year at CAW, he is glad that he was able to be around people who are interested in the arts and have technical art skills. He hopes to add a tribute to football in the mural, as he attributes the sport to an increase in his self confidence. Luis hopes to travel to Paris in the future and to be able to travel the world.

Micahael Colon Michael is 16 years old and lives in the Bronx. In Fall ‘21, Michael will be a Junior in High School. He likes to play basketball in his free time. Michael has enjoyed this first experience with Creative Art Works, particularly learning how to paint on a large scale. Michael notes it has been useful to learn how to mix colors and how to paint small details. In the future, he hopes to visit Japan.

Tashawn Pinkney Tashawn is 16 years old. He was born in New York City, and is the oldest of his siblings. He attends Careers and Sports High School. His goal is to go to college either for business or the arts. He loves to play video games and basketball. At Creative Art Works, he learned how to paint and other techniques like how to mix and blend colours. He plans to use this skill in the future if he decides to go to college for the Arts. Tashawn believes that his time at CAW has allowed him to get even better at collaboration.

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. This is his third mural project with CAW.

Ciara Ruddock Ciara is a visual artist living and working in Brooklyn. She received her BA at Saint Mary’s College of California and studied post-graduate painting at The Marchutz School of Fine Art in France. She also studied Culturally Responsive Pedagogy at Teachers College. Ciara has been an Artist in Residence with Project Art and The Children’s Museum of the Arts, along with many other residencies and fellowships. She has dedicated most of her career to working with neurodivergent artists. She is deeply interested in the psychology of color, and often uses her art to reflect internal landscapes, trauma and emotional pathways of the mind. She seeks to introduce others to the healing power of art, as well as embracing art as a further exploration of self. This is her first mural project with CAW.

This program was made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, as well as these generous supporters:

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 premiere. 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 35-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 underserved neighborhoods of New York City, in public schools, recreation centers, foster care facilities, parks, juvenile justice settings, and now in the remote environment, CAW provides dynamic creative youth development for those who otherwise lack access. Our programs build confidence, unlock a love of learning, and teach valuable technical and social-emotional skills while creating profound connections between our young constituents, their art and their communities. Students are never charged for participation. www.creativeartworks.org Creative Art Works is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, EIN #13-3638436 Copyright © 2021 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved.

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