Journey of Dreams: Pathway to Purpose by Creative Art Works

JOURNEY OF DREAMS: PATHWAYS TO PURPOSE

Mural Unveiling

Wednesday, August 14th, 10:30 AM

P.S. 368 / The William Lynch School

1750 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan

Mon Iker, Teaching Artist

Lorisse Es Arte, Teaching Artist

Yotzin Reyes, Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training

FROM KAREN JOLICOEUR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

This summer, at six different worksites, Creative Art Works is offering 115 young New Yorkers an extraordinary opportunity. Over the course of six demanding weeks, our Youth Apprentices (YAs) are working together to create large-scale works of public art and short documentary films. While some come to us with artistic backgrounds, many do not. Either way, it is a challenge to learn—or hone—their creative skills while building a team, reaching consensus on design choices, and pitching their concepts to clients. The rigorous pace and high expectations invite YAs to rise to the occasion and foster significant personal development.

It is a joy to watch the evolution of their artwork, and even more so the transformation within the Youth Apprentices themselves. Through the mentorship of our talented teaching artists and management staff, they emerge as leaders, become confident presenters, and form meaningful connections as they collaborate with their peers. They also, by the end of the summer, enjoy a well-earned sense of accomplishment when their art is presented or premiered for the public.

Given the prevailing concern for young people in our post-pandemic world, it has been extremely moving to witness the level of deep engagement with, and support for, each other these young adults have demonstrated across all worksites. We work to “set the conditions,” but it’s up to the Youth Apprentices to bring the magic! Consistent themes captured in this year’s murals and films include leadership, change, transformation, and growth—a metaphor for the blossoming we are witnessing in them.

P.S. 368 / The William Lynch School asked Creative Art Works to create a mural to welcome students to school each day. Leadership at the school wanted the mural to reflect the student body. They wanted it to be youthful, hopeful, colorful, joyful, and diverse. They also wanted to encourage students to reach for their dreams. Aware that students would be passing it every day of their school career, the Youth Apprentices who collectively designed the mural filled it with “Easter eggs” that reward careful observation. We hope you find this work of art worth a second look.

Yours sincerely,

Karen Jolicoeur Executive Director

Back row, left to right: Teaching Artist Lorisse Es Arte, Destiny Delvillar, Front Row, left to right: Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training Yotzin Reyes, Sophia Zorrilla, Sanjida Akira Smith, Teaching Artist Mon Iker.

Delvillar, Ana Meza, Daya Brooks, Max Batista, Christian Toro

Sanjida Mou, Lovejoy Wright , Anais Quinonez, Nur Malik Ruiz, Aida Ndiaye, Ashlye Rosero,

Alyssa Baez

Alyssa Baez is a 21-year-old girl born and raised in The Heights of New York City, truly a native New Yorker through and through. She would consider herself to be extremely determined, passionate, and artistic. She enjoys working in environments where she can learn from her peers and progress on her own. She is very open-minded and accepting of all, no matter who they identify as or present to be. Her favorite hobbies include: fashion design, drawing, painting, and most of all as of recently video games! Always having a passion for art and fashion, or the art of fashion she would say, she sees herself becoming a very big name in the near future. She’s a girl who’s filled with a can’t-stop attitude!

Daya Brooks

Daya is a multimedia artist eager to express themselves in myriad ways. From editing to animation or graffiti, there is no medium of expression Daya is not willing to sink their teeth into. They believe getting out there and experimenting is integral to seizing the most growth. Throughout this process, they’ve learned to expand their horizons as far as they could go. In addition, they think quickly on their feet and adapt to changes on a whim. Daya returns once again to expand their world.

22-year-old Max is a returning Youth Apprentice with Creative Art Works, who had a role in the creation of the “Monte De Flores” mural in 2022 and the “Harlem Heat” mural in 2023. This year, he finds himself back to meet new faces and like-minded individuals to share interests with, as he continues to push the boundaries of shedding light on sensitive subjects through his art so others who are struggling can find sanctuary in their passion.

Jayden is a 16-year-old mixed-race resident of The Bronx, who currently attends Atmosphere Academy as a junior. This job marks his first real experience working with others. His hobbies include basketball, hanging out with friends, and gaming, with Call of Duty being his favorite game. Throughout this job, he has acquired skills in teamwork and public speaking. Jayden cherishes the friendships he has made during his time here and intends to apply all the skills he has gained to future jobs and the real world.

Max Batista

Jayden Canela

Jordan Ceballos

Jordan, a vibrant 17-year-old, is the epitome of perseverance combined with originality. He is still a young man, but he has already established himself as a very diligent person. Jordan approaches every work with unflinching dedication and enthusiasm, whether he is following his personal loves or taking on difficult assignments. His inventiveness is evident in everything he does; he is a creative problem-solver who never stops thinking outside the box. Jordan stands out from his peers in both academic and extracurricular activities because of his exceptional ability to mix hard work and creativity. Creative Art Works has taught him to be more open with his art and to express himself more in his creations.

Gennesis is a 17-year-old Dominican/ Puerto Rican woman, born and raised in Harlem. She’s a kind, strongminded individual. She strives to be the best person she can be, putting her all into any job. Her interests are painting, dancing, and poetry. She loves expressing her emotions through her creations. Her dedication allows her to get through all her projects. While working at Creative Art Works, she learned to open up more and allow herself to make meaningful connections with others.

Gennesis Flores

Destiny Delvillar

Destiny is an 18-year-old graduate of Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music. From Manhattan, this YA is experimenting and learning new ways to do art. Destiny hopes to use this experience and the lessons learned in this program in future applications and programs. As a first year attendee, they’re still learning techniques and skills to add on to their existing artistic skill set. They are a prolific artist in their own right, and have contributed important elements to this mural project. They hope to still pursue art in some way in the future.

Nur is a college freshman, born and raised in The Bronx who just completed her first year as a liberal arts major. This is her second summer with Creative Art Works. In her free time, she enjoys reading, which has fueled a mind of curiosity, leading her to a career path of wanting to understand the way things happen and why, and wanting to help others. One thing she has taken away from Creative Art Works that she remembers for everyday life is to see the world in different colors, ways, and perspectives. Another takeaway is getting outside the mental box and perfectionist way of thinking.

Nur Malik Ruiz

Azazel is a Harlem-born aspiring character designer and barista. He is a 16-year-old who goes to School of the Future. He chose to work with CAW as he finds interest in artistry but doesn’t want to pursue the arts exclusively as he wants to keep his options open. He is very adaptable and has a wide range of skills, mostly based in STEAM, including but not limited to computer sciences, barista work/bar-tending, and writing. But he also has artistic ability. His short-term goal is to step his foot into the workforce; however, he says his ultimate goal is “…to work hard enough to escape into peaceful solitude with a select few people I’m close to.”

Sanjida is a 16-year-old student at the Bronx High School of Science. She’s Bengali and grew up in Harlem. Her hobbies include drawing, crafting, and jujitsu. She values exploring her interests, representing her culture, and being her own individual. She had joined Creative Art Works this year because of her fascination in the arts and to gain new experience in mural making. In the future, she hopes to implement her new skills in her life, continue to explore the arts, and get rich.

Azazel Mercado

Sanjida Mou

Ana is a 16-year-old High School student from The Bronx who aspires to be an illustrator and visual artist. To her surprise, Ana had a significant role in the final design of the mural. During her time at Creative Art Works, she met new people, learned new art skills, worked on her own skills, and became more confident when speaking to an audience. Originally, she did the program to get out the house in the summer but she is genuinely enjoying her time here, and she made some really cool friends.

Aida is a 16-year-old African American. She was born and raised in Brooklyn and attends Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers (Class of 2025). Her talent is dance and being creative. In her free time, she plays volleyball and basketball. She’s currently working on becoming a better volleyball player. She’s never done art outside of school. This was her first year doing Creative Art Works and, so far, she feels like she’s getting more creative by the day.

Ana Meza

Aida Ndiaye

Sadia Quinones

Sadia is a 19-year-old aspiring cartoonist who dreams of creating stories of magic and fantasy to put out into the world. She’s been drawing all her life and will continue to do so and improve. She has recently improved on public speaking and understanding feedback for concept ideas. She is confident a full-time job in animation or comics will be in her future and she’ll be able to share such stories with a wide audience of people.

Ashlye is 16 years old. She is of Puerto Rican and Colombian descent and was born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn. She is entering her senior year at The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management and is interested in studying medicine. Ashlye’s goal is to become a pediatrician. Her hobbies are dancing, taking care of kids, and sleeping. This is Ashlye’s first year at Creative Art Works, and she has learned and improved new art skills such as public speaking and working in groups.

Ashlye Rosero

Anais is an 18-year-old woman who used to live in The Bronx and now is living around Manhattan. She is on her way to study liberal arts in her first year of college. Anais also wants her other future career to be about helping animals, since she has a few of her own. Anais came to the SYEP program to learn more about art and to build up her confidence around more people. She is starting to realize this goal, and she hopes she will be able to use her confidence in her first year of college. In her free time, she likes building Legos and puzzles to help her feel a sense of calm and relief whenever she’s feeling down.

Akira is an incoming freshman at LaGuardia Community College, and is majoring in music technology. She is interested in all forms of art from performing to visual. She wants to pursue music as a career and plans on getting a bachelor’s in political science. In the future, Akira dreams to influence and educate people through music and to find ways to encourage communities to help each other.

Anais Quinonez

Akira Smith

Christian began his work with Creative Art Works when he was 20 years old. He is currently 22 years old. He lives with his parents and his younger brother. He is an upcoming senior at Lehman College. It can be rough to be diagnosed with Autism, yet, despite this, he is a reflective and hard worker. Lately, he’s been drawing, making stories, reading manga, and playing video games. He mostly enjoys going out and being at new events and places. Being a writer is still one of his goals – he’s got plenty of stories and goals. He is getting better at time management and has become a big asset to the art team. He has become motivated to pursue big things for himself.

Jessenia is an 18-year-old artist and fashion designer from Harlem. She is currently enrolled at Columbus State. She aims to establish a design and construction company with a degree in business. Her hobbies include painting, singing, and photography. She draws inspiration and a sense of peace from music and nature. With experience in fashion shows and designing her own garments, Jessenia is strong, determined, and passionate about everything she pursues. She believes her voice is her power, and this program allows her to express herself freely through creative artwork.

Christian Toro

Jessenia Vega

Lythia Torres-Hill

Lythia is a person who is ambitious, outgoing, energetic, caring, and very bright. Her hobbies consist of reading, drawing, gaming, as well as learning. She enjoys feeding her ever-so-curious mind with knowledge. Lythia is currently a college student studying social science to become a social studies/history teacher at the secondary level. She believes that even though our current society is very much stuck in certain cycles, she can make an impact on the young minds so they can have the power to change the future for the greater good of people as a society. She also believes that it takes that one great teacher to change a student’s life forever by making them feel heard and understood as well as feeling full of purpose. She’s determined to be that teacher and prepare great young minds for great world change.

Lovejoy is a young, passionate, and determined African American Latina. She was born and raised in The Bronx. She is someone who appreciates all things art made by creative minds. She hopes in the distant future to be giving back to her community that she was raised in as well as her loving and supportive family. She wants to do that with her dream careers: becoming an architect and a writer. She is planning to start that journey with Creative Art Works. She wants to be completely surrounded with creativity and joy and hopes to improve her skills as well as obtain new ones in this fun experience.

Lovejoy Wright

Sophia Zorrilla

Sophia is an 18-year-old girl who is working with Creative Art Works for her third year in a row. She has always liked art, music, video games, and more. She is excited to create another mural with CAW and to meet new people. Making art is very therapeutic for her, and CAW lets her do what she loves while getting paid. She has met so many people and has learned many new skills with Creative Art Works. She highly recommends CAW to anyone who likes art.

Lorisse has been working with youth for 25 years. She loves to teach and create captivating curriculum for her students. She studied at SUNY Purchase, where she received her B.A., followed by a study with the renowned Labyrinth Theater Company in NYC. Her artistic disciplines include, but are not limited to, visual art (painting, digital, graphic design, photography, videography, and sculpture), theater (singing, moving actress, directing, writing), podcasting, character design, and most recently makeup. Her latest theater project, titled Broken Dolls and Robotic Hearts, was award-nominated and debuted at the New York Summer Festival in 2018. She has worked for museums, school partners, production companies, and start-up companies in the arts.

Lorisse Es Arte, Teaching Artist

Mon Iker, Teaching Artist

Mon (they/she) is a transdisciplinary artist working across the fields of arts-activism and clinical herbalism. Their visual arts practice spans a variety of media, including arts-activism intervention, performance, murals, illustration, photography, short film, and animation. Mon’s recovery from complex chronic illness and disability allying with plants and fungi informs all of their work. Mon’s artistic endeavors have shown across North America and have been featured in the New York Times. She is the recipient of numerous awards. Mon holds a BFA magna cum laude from Trinity University and the Savannah College of Art and Design, and professional certification in clinical herbalism from ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism. Mon is an associate member of the American Herbalists Guild, certified for trauma-informed practice, and pursues ongoing advanced clinical study.

Yotzin is a 18-year-old senior at High School for Media and Communications. Yotzin was born and raised in The Bronx, but remains proud of his Mexican heritage. His hobbies include playing basketball, bike riding, going to the gym, and playing video games. He is interested in real estate and photography. His hobbies, interests, and culture are important to him because they are his label – it’s how he feels he is seen and represented in the world. Yotzin feels being a part of Creative Art Works has expanded his creativity further than he thought it could. He is doing things he didn’t know he had the ability to do.

Yotzin Reyes, Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training

Creative Art Works’ Public Art Youth Employment program receives support from 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, the Office of the Manhattan Borough President, the Find Your Light Foundation, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, the Ponce de Leon Foundation, and the William Talbot Hillman Foundation.

Creative Art Works is a 501(c)(3), EIN #13-3638436

caw4kids

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 38-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. 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. www.creativeartworks.org