Kaleidoscope

KALEIDOSCOPE BDO NEW YORK

KALEIDOSCOPE

Unveiling Celebration

BDO New York

200 Park Avenue, Floor 39

Wednesday, August 30th, 2023

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Youth Apprentices:

Sai Gomez

Prisaye Johnson

Maria Marquez

Elizabeth Park

Yotzin Reyes

About the Mural

BDO New York wanted a mural for the cafe of their new Midtown offices that reflected their culture and values, so they commissioned a sitespecific work of art by a team of Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices. The cafe is in the “Parks Neighborhood” of the 39th floor, and the theme for this neighborhood is “Thrive Together,” so the mural design features a diversity of lush vegetation found in local parks. Flora includes flowering dogwoods, may apple, butterfly weed, honey locust, red oak, skunk cabbage, and stag horn sumac. A dragonfly and a red-spotted purple admiral butterfly fly among the flowers. The overall effect is to draw the viewer’s gaze up through the verdant canopy towards the sky.

Abby Walsh, Teaching Artist

FROM KAREN JOLICOEUR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Over the course of the past two short months, Creative Art Works has engaged more than 110 Youth Apprentices (YAs) 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 five YAs that CAW hired for this commission for BDO are an all-star team. They were nominated for the project by our Teaching Artists from across our summer worksites because of their painting and design skills, professionalism, positive attitude and team spirit. BDO wanted a mural for the cafe of their new Midtown office that would meet stringent design specifications. We knew this team could deliver a gorgeous work of art that would exceed expectations. We hope you enjoy their beautiful work.

Sincerely,

Karen Jolicoeur Executive Director

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.

Maria is a 22-year-old Ecuadorian American born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn. They love to bake, play video games and do arts and crafts. They are currently studying at Brooklyn College for a degree in art. They are an aspiring artist and jewelry maker. Their favorite pastime is drawing and making their own world through art. Their goal in life is to become a comic book illustrator and publish their own comic book series. They love fashion and advocate for everyone to express themselves through their style and appearance, regardless of what others think.

Sai Gomez

Maria Marquez

Prisye (she/her/hers) attends Townsend Harris High School as a part of the Class of 2024. Her passion for the arts started at a young age. Driven by a love for learning and for music, she’s picked up three instruments, and is a self-taught drummer and guitarist. She’s also spent time developing her skills in computer aided design and has dabbled in data analysis as an aspiring STEM major. In the future she hopes to continue in a musical direction while making advances in the world of science. Prisye looks forward to gaining work experience as a YA, as well as building off her natural leadership skills while designing a mural for Creative Art Works.

Elizabeth was raised in New York, and she is currently a college student studying social sciences. Having kept many pets over the years, her love for animals has only grown. She loves to cook and eat food, often searching for a good bite to eat. Elizabeth loves art. She particularly enjoys painting watercolor portraits, and has a disdain for acrylic paints. A fun fact is that she wears every pair of shoes she gets until they’re on their last legs. Elizabeth is enjoying the ability to interact with people and doing art together in this CAW summer program.

Prisye Johnson

Elizabeth Park

Yotzin is a 17-year-old senior at High School for Media and Communications. Yotizn 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 expanxed his creativity further than he thought it could. He is doing things he didn’t know he had the ability to do.

Abby Walsh can be found all over the city, working with young people in various forms and styles as a teaching artist. This is still her first year with Creative Art Works, one of four arts nonprofits she is currently exploring in this role. Her degree in illustration came from Ringling School of Art and Design but her career has taken many turns from that initial point –including time working as a Production Designer for film and theatre, a Construction Supervisor and crew lead for everything from installing rigging systems in new buildings to NYFW sets, etc. Having young people as her main collaborators has profoundly opened up her art practice and sense of possibility – this is the most interesting part of her path so far!

Yotzin Reyes

Abby Walsh, Teaching Artist

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 37-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

CAW’s Public Art Youth Employment programs are made possible 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, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.