Harlem Heat

HARLEM HEAT

TRADER JOE’S 125th STREET

HARLEM HEAT

Unveiling Celebration

Thursday, August 17 11:30 – 12:30 PM

Former Barnes & Noble

601 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022

Colleen Kong-Savage, Teaching Artist

Daniela Coca, Teaching Artist

Jonelle Austin, Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training

About the Mural

Harlem Heat was commissioned by Trader Joe’s for their new location on 125th Street in the heart of Harlem. Trader Joe’s wanted a mural by young artists that expressed the spirit and vitality of this historic neighborhood. The two sections of the mural feature prominent 125th Street landmarks, including the Apollo Theater, the Victoria Theater, the Hotel Theresa, and the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building. Other elements include the NYC subway, a boombox, and the street sign at the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd. and Malcolm X. Blvd.

FROM KAREN JOLICOEUR, EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR

Over the course of the past two short months, Creative Art Works has engaged more than 110 youth apprentices in the creation of seven works of public art under the tutelage of phenomenal teaching artists and our dedicated staff. These include murals for three sites in Manhattan, one in the Bronx, and two in Queens, and the installation of an ambitious oral histories project in East Harlem.

It has been a joy to witness the evolution of skills, relationships, and of the artwork itself! From their initial introductions through the development of initial concepts, presentation of designs, subsequent revisions, and ultimate execution, our “YAs” have had a mammoth amount to learn—and to do—in mere weeks. This is especially impressive considering the “firsts”! For most of them, this was their first time working with CAW, and for a third it was their very first job. A surprising number have never dug this deeply into visual art before, or been called on to make a public presentation.

The daunting process demands and develops patience, resilience, and creative problem solving. We are so proud of them coming through with flying colors!

The young people who worked on this commission for Trader Joe’s are a mix of veteran YAs, who we value for their experience, and newcomers, who we value for their fresh perspectives. Together, they came together as a team to design and produce a stunning pair of murals for Trader Joe’s new location on 125th Street in the heart of Harlem. We are grateful for the opportunity to create public art for this high-profile location and we hope all who see it will enjoy this vibrant representation of one of America’s iconic neighborhoods.

Sincerely,

Karen Jolicoeur Executive Director

Back row, left to right: Dayna Hernandez, Jaden Velazquez, Niya Guzman, Tekhi Gibbons, Diaz, Joel Rosario Torres, Daya Diaz.

Middle row, left to right: Nana Boakye, Tytiana Williams, Zury Cordova, Niandro Urgiles, Kaylin

Front row, left to right: Giovanny Bonilla, Teaching Artist Colleen Kong-Savage, Teaching Artist

Luis Jimenez, Wilson Batista, Justin Perez, Tucker Corrigan, Anthony Batista, Micheal

Kaylin Williams, Kit Souvorova, Sophia Zorrilla, Nathan Tejeda, Sai Gomez.

Artist Assistant-in-Training Jonelle Austin, Teaching Artist Dani Coca.

Anthony, or Max, is a Harlemraised multi-media freelance artist, 21 years old and counting. From the age of seven, Max has been polishing his craft within the arts, from original character design to liminal photography. Max has always found himself sticking to more taboo or controversial subjects, such as mental health and body image. Max came into Creative Art Works in hopes of meeting other fun, creative artists and to make a career out of the arts. In working with other participants, Max learned that, a lot of the time, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone to experience the most out of anything new.

Nana is a 17-year-old girl, who was born and raised in Harlem, New York City. Her ethnic background resides with Ghana, being that her parents immigrated from that country. She is a rising senior at Beacon High School. Based on the art experiences she has, she would classify herself to be a skillful intermediate artist. She has taken many AP art electives throughout her years at high school. In her first year at Creative Art Works, she hopes to receive eye-opening experiences and any opportunities that could be provided by this organization.

Anthony Batista

Nana Boakye

Wilson is 22 years old. Pronouns are he/him. The main reason he chose to join Creative Art Works was to try and do something new and what could possibly be fun. He wouldn’t say he’s an artist, but he does enjoy seeing great artists come up with amazing ideas and showing creativity. To him, art is all about creativity and expressing yourself. Art has been something that’s always been on Wilson’s mind. Creating his own designs has always been something he enjoys doing and seeing. Here’s to being an artist for a lifetime.

Giovanny Bonilla

Giovanny, 17, wanted a job that requires teamwork, creativity, and hard work. He found that job in the Creative Art Works program, where they had a plan to paint a mural. Though Giovanny isn’t much of an artist, he is clever with his ideas and always determined to get the work done. He also is kind to his coworkers and funny. He saw this job as an opportunity to learn something new. Giovanny hopes to get a similar job in the future. With enough determination, he can do anything he sets his mind to. Finally, Giovanny could also be very good in art, meaning he could make something beautiful with a paintbrush. All he needs is time and effort!

Wilson Batista

Daya Diaz

Daya is a multimedia artist of a queer and black perspective. From illustration to animation, graffiti, to music, there is no medium of expression Daya is not willing to sink hours into learning. They believe expression and experimentation is key to getting the most out of various means of creation. Throughout this process they’ve learned to express themselves more openly as well as being open to change the process on a whim. Daya returned once again to Creative Art Works in search of further expanding their network with creative people with varying perspectives that will challenge and motivate them to better their craft.

Zury Cordova

Zury is a 17-year-old Latin/Hispanic aspiring artist, born and based in Manhattan. In her free time, she loves painting, sewing, sculpting, and writing. Before arriving at Creative Art Works, she had prior experience within the art community; however, she believed that participating in creative art projects would be a fantastic setting and opportunity for her to continue honing her craft while meeting new, extraordinarily passionate, and talented people. The whole process offered by Creative Art Works was extremely exciting and fun. Zury would be delighted to come back again and work with the amazing artists at CAW.

Passionate about art and fueled by creativity, Michael is a dedicated individual on a journey of selfexpression and skill development. With an unwavering love for artistic expression, he finds solace and inspiration in every stroke of the brush and every line drawn. He is interested to learn new art skills, which drives him to constantly seek out opportunities for growth and exploration within creativity.

Tucker is a 16-year-old student who is going into his junior year of high school. Tucker joined Creative Art Works to gain work experience and learn how to create better art. Over the course of this internship, Tucker has learned that art can be anything you want it to be and the only thing that limits you is your mind. Through CAW, Tucker has created new friendships and memories. Tucker hopes to use what he learned with CAW to continue his high school education and go to college to study computer engineering. He is extremely grateful for the skills Creative Art Works has taught him and the experiences it has given him.

Tucker Corrigan

Michael Diaz

Tekhi is a part of Creative Art Works. Going in with the art skills of a fiveyear-old has been a fun but different type of experience for him. He’s glad to say he took on the assignment, even though he was confused half the time as to what people were doing. But that never stopped him. He’s always up for a challenge and wants to consider himself helpful to his community and peers. Giving up has never been an option for him. He’s easily motivated by the things he learns with a constant reminder to do better every day. Meeting everyone has been a blast! It’s like having another mini-family. CAW is definitely worth trying out again.

Niya is a mixed Hispanic girl from Harlem. Her experience with art has been through its ups and downs. The only times she has really done art for real was in school for an art elective. Also, she has done it a couple of times at home out of boredom. She was chosen to come to the Creative Art Works program and she hopes to get new art skills and friends out of this program. She’ll take whatever this program has to offer that can benefit her in art. But one thing she has learned is to not fall in love with her first art piece because you can always make a better version or a more detailed one.

Niya Guzman

Tekhi Gibbons

Sai is a 19-year-old artist from The Bronx and Manhattan. She finds a lot of inspiration from the world around her and her Taino heritage. This being their third year in the program, they find it to be a helpful learning experience for themselves as well as an enriching area to experiment with their potential. As an artist and creative person, they find a lot of joy in being creative and working with a team. Some of the things she enjoys participating in include painting and drawing.

Luis is a Mexican American student who is 17-years-old and heading into his senior year of high school. He is from New York and lives in Upper Manhattan in the Dyckman neighborhood. He has been there his whole life. He is a big fan of art but didn’t have the skill to back up his love for it. He joined CAW to find work experience and to build experience working with others. Throughout this program, he learned that at the beginning it might be hard, but later it will get easier and more fun, and along the way your skills improve and you will be able to draw way better.

Sai Gomez

Luis Jimenez

Joel, 16, is quiet but fun. He is 6’2” but doesn’t sound like it. He has very little experience when it comes to art. He was into it when he was younger but drifted away from it as he got older. He is hoping to learn how to draw more than a stick figure and a circle. He’s also hoping to get better at talking to people when it comes to work and getting used to the feeling of speaking in front of people. He chose this program because he thought it was an interesting and fun choice for a summer job. He learned that you won’t feel a part of it unless you contribute.

Kit is an incoming junior at Hunter College majoring in chemistry. A self-proclaimed patterned Converse enthusiast, Kit returns to Creative Art Works for a third year with hopes to further gain experience in art and develop better interpersonal skills. Kit is a lifelong hobbyist artist who works with both digital and traditional art and has grown to enjoy working with paint and design over the years spent working with Creative Art Works. Kit spent the summer hiking in Arizona before returning to work with Creative Art Works, and plans to spend the rest of the summer experimenting with various art mediums and styles.

Kit Souvorova

Joel Rosario Torres

Justin is someone who is an artist because he loves how creative it lets him be. He has been drawing for as long as he remembers. It is a lifetime passion. It is for that reason he joined Creative Art Works. He hopes that through the program he learns helpful skills for the future. The chance to contribute to art that will be displayed in the city was too great an opportunity to pass up. He is amazed he even got in, as he only learned about the program on the last day. He is glad to be a part of the team and feels lucky he signed up with CAW.

Nathan is an 18-year-old from The Heights, who is a rising sophomore at St. Lawrence University. They have always had an interest in many different forms of art/expression (dancing, singing, writing, drawing, etc.). They rejoined Creative Art Works for their second year to collaborate with others and help spread positivity. They use art as an outlet to cope with post-pandemic life and school. Last year, working with CAW helped them deal with going to college and to improve on them-self. By working with CAW, they have learned how to better their art, communication, and teamwork skills.

Justin Perez

Nathan Tejeda

Niandro Urgiles

Niandro is his name. But he goes by N; much easier and he likes it. N is himself; it is purposely vague. He’s the kind of artist who can’t finish any projects; but that’s okay, completion and perfection is something he hates. He attends college at FIT as an illustrator, and once he gets his degree he’ll be moving down South. He hopes to be able to work in a group setting when this is over; working alone has always been his deal. From this process he’s learned that he is so much more capable and independent than he thought he was. And by the end of this, he hopes it stays that way.

Tytiana Williams

Tytiana is a young 16-year-old African American woman whose cultural identity is very important to her. She is a rising junior who wants to study law in the future. The story behind her name and the meaning in her hair are both big parts of her identity as well. Her hair helps her express herself in many different ways, with many different colors; while her name represents who she is and her family. She paints landscapes in her free time, and she hopes to learn more about art and different techniques during her first year with Creative Art Works, and she has been enjoying the friendships she’s made along the way.

Kaylin (she/they) is a 21-year-old female artist. They were raised in the Bronx and is still learning about Manhattan and Harlem. Kaylin enjoys all forms of art, such as sculpting, 3D modeling, drawing, painting, animating, and more. Although they enjoy and have experienced different methods and forms of art, they still have a lot to learn. They joined Creative Art Works both last year and this year in hopes of honing their skills in art. In addition, they really enjoyed their time with CAW and hope to continue having great experiences with other people and art. Outside of CAW, Kaylin enjoys other hobbies like coding and games, but art tends to be a main hobby of theirs.

Jaden Velazquez

Jaden is an Hispanic boy from the Upper West Side. Born in The Bronx and raised in Manhattan, he wasn’t much of an artist himself but he did enjoy art classes from time to time. He was a big fan of art history and loved to learn about artists who’s art influenced others, from artists like Keith Harring, Frida Kahlo, and Leonardo da Vinci. He loves to help and support his coworkers. He hopes to gain a great experience with Creative Art Works, to learn more about working with clients, and to get better with his drawing and working with coworkers.

Kaylin Williams

Sophia is a 17-year-old girl who’s working with Creative Art Works for her second time. She’s always liked art, music, and more. She hopes to see old friends as well as make new ones. She’s excited to create another mural with her coworkers. She has a lot of fun in this program and hopes to work with CAW in the future. Making art and murals are therapeutic for her. CAW lets her do what she loves while getting paid for it. She’s met so many talented, funny, and amazing people in this program. For anyone who loves art, she highly encourages them to join CAW over the summer.

Jonelle is a visual artist and art educator who uses fluid and surreal figures to embrace sisterhood, unconditional love, and an exploration of playful intimacy. She is currently receiving her BFA from The Cooper Union, class of ‘25. She has shown work both nationally and internationally and currently works for the nonprofit Studio Institute as well as David Stark Event and Productions, Inc.

Jonelle Austin, Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training

Sophia Zorrilla

Colleen Kong-Savage, Teaching Artist

Colleen Kong-Savage spent her childhood hopscotching across the globe, from The Philippines, to Zambia, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. She eventually migrated to NYC for an MFA at Columbia University, then never left town. Since 2021, she has been guiding students in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn through the mural-making process. In addition to being a teaching artist, she is an illustrator, creating images for books, greeting cards, and small businesses. Her favorite medium is mixed-media paper collage. Her picture book Piano Wants to Play will be published by Page Street Kids in March 2024.

Daniela Coca, Teaching Artist

Daniela (Dani) is an AmericanBolivian illustrator and arts educator based in Jersey City, NJ. Dani works to deepen connections with her community and actively participates in instructing both children and adults using various art mediums. Dani primarily creates narrative-based work, focusing on various concepts, visual development, and comics and children’s books. In her work, she explores the concept of connection with home, community, and oneself. Much of her work is heavily inspired by cartoons, comics, and her experience as a Bolivian immigrant. Utilizing her culture and interests, Dani has developed numerous styles that have afforded her opportunities to work on published books and product design. She is a member of the “American Bolivian Collective” and is a featured artist in Project Mujeristas’s International Colloquium on Femicide in the Americas and Catholic Responses. She holds a BFA in Illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Main mural, 40’ x 8’

smaller mural, 20’ x 4’

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 36-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 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 socialemotional skills while creating profound connections between our young constituents, their art and their communities. www.creativeartworks.org

Creative Art Works’ Public Art Youth Employment program receives support from the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the Find Your Light Foundation, The Leroy and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President.

Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation