Bronx County Family Court
Mural Unveiling
900 Sheridan Avenue
Bronx, NY
Wednesday, August 14th, 1:00 – 2:00 PM
Dani Coca, Teaching Artist
Natalie Raskin, Teaching Artist
Becky Schuman, Teaching Artist Assistant
About the Project
The design of our Bronx County Family Court murals was the result of a collaboration between New York State Family Court judges, clerks, and administrators, and Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices. They serve as a vibrant tribute to the borough’s rich heritage and diverse communities. These panels, featuring a sunrise and a sunset, celebrate diversity, peace, and equality. They depict shared conversations on park benches, the Heinrich Heine Fountain in nearby Joyce Kilmer Park, and flowers indigenous to the homelands of the many nationalities that call The Bronx home. These familiar scenes are intended to offer everyone who visits the courthouse a sense of comfort and belonging.
Check out the Bronx Family Court mural team interviews, made by them, here
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.
Sincerely,
Karen Jolicoeur Executive Director
Mariel Alifonso (she/her) is a recent high school graduate and school assistant in Manhattan. She attended Mott Hall High School and has volunteered to be a representative at school fairs. Mariel has been accepted to Lehman College and is ready to start this fall. This is her first summer working with Creative Art Works. She feels that CAW has helped her discover her passion for art and the love you can express through it.
Jeyconny Aquino (he/him) is a 21-year-old artist. This year, Jeyconny graduated in the field of criminal justice.
Jeyconny plans on expanding his artistic skills and exploring new mediums. This is his first summer working as a Youth Apprentice with Creative Art Works. He feels that CAW has transformed his understanding of artmaking to anything but a solitary experience.
Jeyconny enjoys the collaborative aspect of the mural process with CAW, finding inspiration in working with other artists and contributing to the community through art.
Jeyconny Aquino
Mariel Alifonso
Javasha Boone (Ja-vay-shah; she/her) is a facilitator and art specialist for Children’s Aid Society from Harlem. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Library Science at Queens College. She plans to become a museum curator. She specializes in oil painting, primarily focusing on nature and pop culture. This is Javasha’s first year working with Creative Art Works. CAW has helped her hone in on her art skills and given her the tools and confidence to become a better artist.
Avery Cabassa (she/her) is nineteen years old. She lives in The Bronx and this is her first year with Creative Art Works. She graduated from Talent Unlimited High School and is going to start her sophomore year of college in August. She has three sisters and loves to read and draw. Her favorite things to draw are sunsets, the sea, and flowers.
Javasha “JJ” Boone
Avery Cabassa
Angel Campusano (he/him) is a sixteen year old artist and producer. He is a student at Inwood High School Early College and isn’t planning on attending college after he graduates. Angel has been drawing and making music since he was in fifth grade. His uncle was a big inspiration for the musical side of him and got him his first drumset when he was nine. Angel plans to become a music producer full time after high school and collaborate with his favorite artists. He also plans to start his own business in the world of e-commerce.
Ethan Carrion (he/him) is a high school student form New York. Ethan wants to be a famous soccer player and practices every day. As a Youth Apprentice at CAW, Ethan has enjoyed building his painting skills and working with other people.
Ethan Carrion
Angel Campusano
Annmarie Caterina (she/her) is an upcoming senior and writer from Manhattan. In the past few years she has taken creative writing classes and has also studied journalism. She is very creative and uses art to express her feelings. After she graduates she wants to major in English and writing. She wants to write about mental health and the different perceptions surrounding mental illnesses as she is very passionate about the topic.
Lina Eid (she/her) is a third year Studio Art major and Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies minor at Reed College. She is Egyptian American and lives in Manhattan. Lina has been studying art for over six years and is an interdisciplinary artist with experience painting, sculpting, printmaking, and sewing. This summer, she worked as a Teaching Apprentice at the Park Avenue Armory and as a Youth Apprentice at Creative Art Works. She hopes to pursue a career in arts education or conservation.
Lina Eid
Annmarie Caterina
Dante Evans (he/him) will be attending City Tech this fall. This is his first summer working as a Youth Apprentice with Creative Arts Works. His journey is just beginning in exploring his creativity!
Kana Frias (they/them) is an artist and comic creator from The Bronx. Kana has been passionate about art for eight years and loves to create stories about their original characters and make them come to life.
Kana Frias
Dante Evans
Esther Ganda (she/her) has been described as mysterious, intimidating, confusing, and overall unusual during first encounters. Esther is a jack of all trades, dabbling into multiple interests including filmmaking, music production, track and field, and piloting aircrafts. She would like to be a person who inspires the younger and next generation and let them know that anything is achievable, to always try, and dream big.
Esther is a person who will persevere through any obstacle that comes her way. As a Youth Apprentice at Creative Art Works, Esther hopes to leave a long-lasting impact on the YAs and Teaching Artists around her. Living by the quotes of Maya Angelou, Esther continues her responsibility to be a voice to the people and uphold the values of the community to create a safer place for everyone.
Leah LJ Jarvis (she/her) is 18 years old and a rising college freshman from Queens. She has previously interned at other arts and cultural organizations and this is her first year as a YA with Creative Art Works. She loves reading, journalism, poetry, and artmaking. LJ will be starting her first semester at Fashion Institute of Technology in the fall studying fashion business management. She feels that CAW has expanded her love for art and given her the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and learn from many like-minded creatives.
Leah “LJ” Jarvis
Esther Ganda
Left to right: (top) Lorenzo Vergara, Ethan Carrion, Annmarie Caterina, Shah JJ Boone, Lina Eid, Jeyconny Aquino, Mariel Alifonso, Esther Ganda, LJ Jarvis, (bottom): Natalie Raskin, Angelica Maldonado, Kit Souvorova, Avery Cabassa,
Shah Rahman, Diana Perdomo, Dante Evans, Kana Frias, Angel Campusano, Jarvis, Jayla Morales, Laysha Mejia, Ambar Sanchez Cabassa, Dani Coca, Becky Schuman
Angelica Maldonado
Angelica Maldonado (she/ her) attends Lehman College. She is from the boogie down Bronx. Ever since graduating top of her class in high school she has continued to strive to be the best in her academic career, while still enjoying her last years before adulthood takes over. Ahhhh. She has enjoyed the welcoming environment surrounded by other artists who also share her passion for art.
Jhoan Martinez (he/him) is a college junior at Fordham University and long-term Bronx resident. After spending most of his life refining his intellectual excellence, he joined CAW as a Youth Apprentice in part for the cathartic effects of artistic selfreflection and expression.
Jhoan Martinez
Laysha Mejia (she/her) is a high school senior from The Bronx. This year she will play sports such as volleyball and soccer. She has volunteered at American Dream High School. Laysha is beginning to work on college applications and wants to pursue studies in finance or law. This is her first year working as a Youth Apprentice with Creative Art Works. She feels that CAW has opened up experiences with new materials. Throughout the experience she was able to collaborate with many other artists and contribute to the mural process.
Jayla Morales (she/her) is 17 and on her way to her first year at college. She’s studying Radiology at Hostos. You may think that she’s so creative and knows how to draw and that’s why she’s in this program. Nope! Jayla is more of a supportive idea maker than an artist. She had some doubts about joining this program but it helped her come out of her shell and create friends and memories with her peers.
Jayla Morales
Laysha Mejia
Diana Perdomo (she/her) is a recent high school graduate and is now starting college in August, ready to learn in a completely different system of education. She loves to read and write books and poems. In life people like to say she’s been everywhere because there’s never one solid place where her mindset stands. She tries her best to see other people’s perspective because that’s the best way for her to
be more open minded towards things. Being part of Creative Art Works has helped her explore and express herself better in an artistic way.
Shah Rahman (he/him) is a 17 year old boy who draws digitally. He loves to read novels, manhua, manga, and other books. His favorite novels are “Extra,” “Omniscient Viewpoint Reader,” and “The Academy’s Undercover Professor.” Shah is currently in 11th grade and wants to be either a biochemist, artist, or a software developer. Shah lives in The Bronx and wants to stay in The Bronx. He was born in Bangladesh and still loves the foods from there to this day.
Diana Perdomo
Shah Rahman
Angelina Rivera (she/her) is from Orlando, Florida but currently lives in The Bronx. She enjoys journaling as well as reading. Angelina’s aspirations are to become a better writer/ journalist. Angelina also has the goal of growing as an artist, and developing some artistic points of view and skills. This summer Angelina learned different artistic skills from Creative Art Works and from her teammates, giving her the chance to explore different mediums!
Ambar Sanchez (she/her) is an upcoming junior in high school. Throughout her life she has branched out to many experiences. She has tried out for sports such as volleyball and tennis, and earned various modeling awards for etiquette and commitment. She has also put her best foot forward in her academics, earning valedictorian in middle school. This however, hasn’t stopped her love for art; she has a passion for music (and has earned several awards for it) and painting.
Ambar Sanchez
Angelina Rivera
Kit Souvorova (he/him) is a rising college senior from Brooklyn. He is a hobbyist digital and traditional artist and an avid hiker and rock climber. Kit has been a Youth Apprentice with Creative Art Works for four years. In that time, he has used what he has learned throughout the program to grow as an artist, a public speaker, and a member of a team.
Lorenzo Vergara (he/him) is a high school rising senior from The Bronx. He has a passion for film and does general art for fun. This is his second summer working as a YA with CAW. He enjoys creating things no matter how good or bad it looks. At CAW, you have the freedom to express your vision in your own style. To some of you, you may think your style is “bad” but at CAW that’s totally fine. Imagine the experience of being yourself in your own room but with other people who are supportive and understanding.
Kit Souvorova
Lorenzo Vergara
Daniela (Dani) Coca is an American-Bolivian 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. While she values the improvement of technical skills, she also prioritizes comfort, creativity, fun, and an overall positive atmosphere. Dani primarily creates narrativebased 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.
Natalie Raskin (she/they) is a painter, bookmaker, writer, and educator raised and living in Brooklyn, New York. She builds worlds out of loneliness and alter-egos. Across mediums, storytelling functions in mapping feelings and finding places of belonging for strange and awkward dreams. Natalie has been working in socio-emotional education settings since 2019, and develops individualized making and writing experiments with students to support them in developing autonomy with different forms of language. They are interested in instilling a sense of wonder and curiosity in students as they learn through multiple modalities, and aim to establish the ideas of process and archiving as being valuable to the experience of being in school and in community with others. Natalie received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and her MFA in Studio Art at Queens College/Social Practice CUNY. She is currently making sculptural paintings and thinking about participatory reading, playing with the ways in which the art book can be community-facing, visually engaging, and a tool for learning.
Daniela Coca, Teaching Artist
Natalie Raskin, Teaching Artist
Rebecca Schuman, Teaching Artist Assistant
Rebecca (Becky) Schuman (Becky) is a painter, activist, and teaching artist. She received her BA in Studio Art and Environmental Studies and Sustainability from Drew University in 2021. Since then, she has worked as an environmental educator and nature preschool teacher, and as an elementary school art teacher. Outside of work, Becky is an animal rights and environmental activist, and has frequently organized events and volunteered with groups around the New York Metropolitan area. Her paintings are reflective of her activism, and have been featured in various group shows, as well as in collaboration with animal sanctuaries. Going forward, she hopes to pursue her MFA and continue teaching and painting in celebration of socially-engaged art.
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. 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 social-emotional 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 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.
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