THE COLLECTIVE DREAM
PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2024
THE COLLECTIVE DREAM
Mural Unveiling
Thursday, August 15th, 1:00 PM
New York County Family Court
60 Lafayette Street, 4th Floor
Will Watson, Teaching Artist
Noga Cohen, Teaching Artist
Maria Marquez, Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training
ABOUT THE MURAL
“The Collective Dream” is the fifth work of public art made by Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices for New York County Family Court, and the first large-scale painting to be created on site in an area open to the public. The success of CAW’s Public Art Youth Employment program at 60 Lafayette Street opened the door to subsequent projects at Bronx and Queens Family Courts.
“The Collective Dream” answers a directive by the court to paint pictures that reflect the ethnic, racial, cultural, religious and sexual diversity of the people of New York City – the very same people who walk through the doors of this institution on a regular basis. Other features include major and minor NYC landmarks from all five boroughs, and elements that represent the natural world. The three panels that make up the paintings were designed to flow together to tell a unified story which reflects the hopes of society for unified families.
Check out this video made by the Youth Apprentices breaking the process down.
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 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.
Yours sincerely,
Karen Jolicoeur Executive Director
Sandra is a 19-year-old from Flushing, Queens. Her parents are from Mexico. She has two older sisters, making her the youngest. Her goal is to become an aerospace engineer, being able to design innovative machines. Currently, she is enrolled at BMCC, transferring to City College. She enjoys going to concerts (especially kpop ones), festivals, and bailes. With art as a hobby, she is hoping to expand her artistic abilities with the Creative Art Works Program.
Zaynab is a senior in high school from Brooklyn, New York. She enjoys reading, running, biking, and watching movies in her free time. She also loves exploring the city and trying new foods. She has two younger siblings. During the pandemic, she began sketching in ink and painting with watercolors, and she has recently started experimenting with and learning more about art. At Creative Art Works, she has had the pleasure of working with many artists and looks forward to more collaborative projects in the future.
Sandra Amastal
Zaynab Anwar
Meet Aneres Cali Bell, a 16-yearold creative genius in the making. Recruited to Creative Art Works in the summer of 2024, she brought her influential ideas and boisterous opinions to the table. From the time she was five, art has been her passion and has evolved from a pastime to something that identifies who she is. Some of her interests, like video games and nature, can be seen reflected in her work with her semirealistic, anime-inspired art style. Although she is mainly a traditional artist, she has experience with digital art software such as Photoshop and Krita. Her art is a part of her that she’s proud of and will eventually share it with the world on a large scale.
Crystal is a college sophomore at the City College of New York. In addition to majoring in Computer Science, she has always been interested in art and its various aspects, whether it’s painting or just drawing. Other interests she’s had over the years are anything from video games and coding to just scribbling in a brand-new sketchbook. Even more prominent interests such as sleeping and going to work have always been a priority; however, Creative Art Works has taken up a huge chunk of her time. In the future, she wants to be a stayat-home person able to draw her days away, either digitally or with pen and paper. Working with CAW has brought her one step closer and has also enabled her to learn to work with people and have an open mind.
Crystal Burey
Aneres Cali Bell
Jaden Clarke
Cayden Colorado
Jaden is an 18-year-old, six foot three, black male, Christian. He strives to become a better person every day. Jaden was born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn. He’s always had an outgoing, hilarious personality and a big heart. Art has always been a big part of his life, especially illustration & animation. Therefore, he desires to major in the animation program while attending Daemen University as an incoming freshman.
Cayden is a 17-year-old trans male who is an upcoming senior at BLHS (Bushwick Leaders of Academic Excellence). He was born and raised in Reno/Sparks, Nevada for 15 years then moved to Brooklyn in 2021. He’s always had an outgoing, funny personality and a big heart. He’s always been on the go since he was little and has done lots of activities including baseball, basketball, gymnastics and dance. He enjoys singing and being outdoors with friends until street lights come on and repeat the next day. Cayden has always had a deep passion for art, music and athletic activities. Creative Art Works gives him the opportunity to show his artwork and skills to the public eye. He hopes to pursue a career in tattooing.
Gregory DeJesus
Gregory is a 16-year-old boy who is an up and coming junior at Digital Tech and Cinema Technology high school. He was raised in Brooklyn by his two parents and is the youngest among his 3 siblings. He’s passionate about his art and tries to put his all into any pieces he works in. As he spends time at Creative Art Works, he wishes to improve his skills as an artist, and collaborate with the people he works with on projects.
Aaren is an undergraduate student at Brooklyn College. Majoring in political science and minoring in anthropology, he has a passion for politics and urban studies. In his free time, he enjoys to read, draw, doodle, and play video games. He aspires to become a professor at Brooklyn College in the future. Aaren’s experience in art is quite limited. While he has done digital art, he has had no professional art training. Despite this, Aaren believes that his art skills have grown and developed through Creative Art Works.
Aaren Huang
Lily Iakunin
Lily is an 18 year old incoming freshman at the Fashion Institute of Technology, recently graduated from Brooklyn Technical High school. She is Belarusian-Georgian, born and raised in Brooklyn, aspiring to be a textile conservationist and curator. Being interested in history, fashion, and the arts, she aims to incorporate these concepts into everything she does. She chose to work at Creative Art Works to gain more experience in a field she’s unfamiliar with – muralmaking. She is a passionate artist excited to be involved in such a project.
Keith is an 18-year-old male currently living in Brooklyn and is a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College. For a long time, Keith has always wanted to be a comic book artist and writer. In his spare time, he draws and writes his own stories, often reading other comics for inspiration. This has been a dream of his since he was 12. He consistently draws and writes every day trying to improve his skills and also attempting to pick up new skills to help himself in the near to distant future.
Keith Lake
Erika is a 16-year-old upcoming junior studying medical assisting at New Utrecht High School. Her dream is to be a dermatologist and hopefully branch her skills out to business and produce and sell her own products. Suffering from severe acne when she was younger along with her desire to help other people has inspired her to pursue a medical career. She is the youngest out of her and her two siblings. Her hobbies include baking, cooking, traveling, and shopping, and she often enjoys making treats for others such as her coworkers from Creative Art Works. Working with CAW has not only improved her social skills, but also her contribution and teamwork skills. She hopes to expand her creativity to making clothing and creating nail art.
Robin is a 19-year-old illustrator and designer born and raised in Brooklyn. Robin enjoys animals and computers, as well as cold weather. They come from a family of four, not including a pet cat and dog. Robin is non-binary, and wants to improve queer representation through their work. Their work focuses on urban and industrial environments, figure drawing, and baroque dramatism. Robin’s artwork analyzes and contrasts concepts such as psychology, politics, industrialism, and more.
Erika Mai
Robin Murphy
Cristyana Navas
Cristyana is an upcoming sophomore at the Fashion Institute of Technology, majoring in communications design. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she is a 19-year-old who has been deeply influenced by her artistic father and independent hard-working mother. Her father’s career in art and passion for DC and Marvel Comics sparked her own interest in pursuing a career in art, whether as a graphic designer or tattoo artist. Cristyana’s experience with Creative Art Works has motivated her to seek more art internships and continue creating art to achieve her career goals. As the eldest child, Cristyana always strives to be a positive role model for her younger brother, drawing inspiration from her parents’ guidance. She hopes to inspire her brother in the same way her father inspired her, encouraging him to pursue his own passions.
Dorian is 17 years old. Dorian goes to Lowell school. He will be a senior in high school this year. Dorian’s parents are from Puerto Rico and he has a younger sister. Dorian likes art, especially coloring, and playing video games in his free time. He is looking forward to making new drawings.
Dorian Negron
Jade Negron
Jade is an 18-year-old girl who just graduated from Bushwick Leaders High School. Art has always been a big part of her life, especially photography. She loves capturing photos of amazing moments at concerts of her favorite music artists. Some of her best work came from both a Johnny Orlando concert and a Sombr concert. She grew up in Bushwick Brooklyn where there’s lots of both street art and murals which lead to inspiring her to create her own art. Art is a way by which she tries to express herself, but art is also a way by which she tries to capture great moments with her camera at concerts. She believes that there’s beauty in all types of art. She also thinks art is a great way to get away from reality, because, to be honest, everyone needs a break from the outside world sometimes. Everyone is an artist if they truly put their mind to it.
Alejandro is a 20-year-old artist living in The Bronx (against his will.) He likes to create art showcasing the darker parts of life and intimate parts of the body, as well as fan art and character designs. That being said, creating family-oriented work is a challenge, which isn’t necessarily bad. Apart from art, he spends hours obsessing over the Riddler and Batman, along with writing and singing his own songs. Alejandro’s two biggest dreams are becoming a doctor and an artist known for both music and visual arts.
Alejandro Ranamare
Back row, left to right: Cristyana Navas, Dani Tyler-Zimmerman, Keith Lake, Dorian Negron,
Middle row, left to right: Robin Murphy, Gregory DeJesus, Athena Simms , Aneres Cali Bell,
Front row, left to right: Aaren Huang, Valerie Rivas, Erika Mai, Ava Wu, Rick Rodas Ochoa, Cohen.
Negron, Jaden Clarke, Crystal Burey, Alejandro Ranamare.
Bell, Natalia Valerdi, Zaynab Anwar, Cayden Colorado, Teaching Artist Will Watson.
Marwa Sbaa, Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training Maria Marquez, Teaching Artist Noga
Valerie is a rising sophomore at the City College of New York. She is studying Art Education and hopes to help others find a passion for art. She enjoys poetry and story-telling as well. She likes listening to music and playing her guitar in her free time. While working for Creative Art Works, she hopes to gain experience in working and collaborating with other artists who have the same passion for the arts as she does.
Rick is a 17-year-old aquarius from Queens, New York. He loves to explore and expand his persona by trying new things. He has a high amount of love for and appreciation since he was a little kid for his family, friends, fashion, and animals. He has always loved to sketch, draw, and more recently use his creativity through designing and styling clothes. He wishes to attend college at the Fashion Institute of Technology next fall. He cherishes life and takes every opportunity that is given to him and strives to go far in life. He has deep appreciation for the opportunity Creative Art Works gave him to get one step closer to his goal.
Valerie Rivas
Rick Rodas Ochoa
José Santiago
José tiene 17 años y vive en Brooklyn. Le gusta caminar en el parque de Forest Park. Le gusta el arte como los atardeceres, la naturaleza, las obras de arte, y la música. El color favorito de Jose es el azul y negro. Jose viene de la Republica Dominicana, y vino a los Estados Unidos a superarse y buscar nuevas oportunidades. Él estudia en la escuela llamada Bushwick Leaders High School. Cuando él termine la escuela, él quiere ser pintor o piloto de avión.
Marwa is a 19-year-old rising sophomore at Baruch College. She was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and currently live in Brooklyn. Marwa spends her free time reading, writing, drawing, and singing. She started drawing in middle school and never stopped. She aspires to have a career in art where she can make her stories come to life. This is her first year working for Creative Art Works, and it has been a great experience that inspires her to draw more. She wishes to take what she’s learned here and incorporate it into her personal and professional artistic projects.
Marwa Sbaa
Athena Simms
Athena identifies as a demigirl and is 18 years old. A recent graduate of Xavier High School, she hails from Brooklyn, New York. She is a hobby artist, and keen on making whatever comes to her mind. She does this through drawing and writing about her original characters and content. She’s heavily inspired by the video games she plays extensively, fashion and music she’s drawn to, and the friends and experiences she’s had. While usually shy about her work and further interests, CAW gave her a space to be open about herself both as an artist and as a person. She wishes to be more open like this in future endeavors, and bring her art and passions to the world at large.
Raheem is a 20-year-old Brooklyn native. A sophomore in college, he’s studying psychology with a goal of becoming a psychiatrist. The passion he has for mental health awareness and psychotherapy in general has fueled many of his interests. While the work at CAW is far outside his typical comfort zone and experience, he hopes the time here will broaden his perspective on the visual arts.
Raheem Tobierre
Dani is a 19-year-old, hailing from Park Slope, Brooklyn. Some of their favorite pastimes are listening to and making music, hanging out with their friends, and writing stories set in a universe they came up with years ago and have been carefully cultivating ever since. They are currently attending Purchase College as a music production major, where they are learning to produce their own songs. This is a passion they’ve had ever since they were young, and they hope - if everything goes well - to release their 22-track debut album as their senior project. They’re very thankful they made it into this Creative Art Works program, as it has not only given them the chance to meet new people, but it has also allowed them to deepen their understanding of art and develop new skills in terms of composition and coloring.
Natalia is a 17-year-old, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up loving to paint and draw, which is what inspired her to join Creative Art Works. She is the eldest of her family, with a younger brother of the age of nine. This is her first year working in CAW. She hopes to have a chance to go to a liberal arts school in her graduate years. Her strongest passion, besides art, is playing the guitar with her friends. Working at CAW has taught her the value of teamwork and responsibility.
Natalia Valerdi
Keith Lake Dani Tyler-Zimmerman
Ava is sixteen years old and is about to be a junior at LaGuardia High School. She lives with her parents, grandma, and brother in Staten Island. Prior to moving to Staten Island, she grew up in Brooklyn. There, she created the most memorable moments of her life, especially with the pandemic happening. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends in the city and playing video games at home. More specifically, she likes to draw things including still life and graffiti. Her artistic background made her time at Creative Art Works a special experience.
Maria
Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training
Maria is an Ecuadorian American born in Queens and raised in Brooklyn, who first worked for Creative Art Works as a Youth Apprentice during the summer of 2023. 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.
Marquez,
Ava Wu
Noga Cohen, Teaching Artist
Noga is New-York-based multidisciplinary artist and educator working in sculpture, installation art, and drawing. She is the Artist in Residency at ProjectArt for 2023-24, and was the recipient of the Immigrant Artists Program Fellowship of NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts) for 2021-22. Cohen moved to New York in 2019 and earned her MFA in Visual Arts from Columbia University in 2021. While completing her MFA, she won the David Berg Foundation Fellowship, the Artis Contemporary Fellowship, and the Brevoort-Eickemeyer Fellowship. In 2018, she received the Gross Foundation Prize, the Adams Prize, and the SBY grant for emerging artists. Her work has been included in venues such as The Jewish Museum (New York), The Border Project Gallery (Brooklyn, New York), Amos Eno Gallery (Brooklyn), ChaShaMa (New York), Wallach Gallery (New York), Project V Gallery (New York), the Art Lab (Tel Aviv), and more.
Will Watson, Teaching Artist
Will received his MFA from The Maryland Institute College of Art LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting in Baltimore, and his BFA from the Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis Herron School of Art and Design. Will has had the honor of being a keynote speaker for youth and community engagement opportunities with the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, the Maryland State Education Association, the Maryland Institute College of Arts Community Arts Virtual Power Speakers Series, and Stone Quarry Arts Park, in Cazenovia, NY. Will is a Leslie King Hammond Graduate Fellowship recipient and has been featured in group exhibitions at Sperone Westwater, NY, Black Wall Street, NY, and Pepco Edison Place Gallery in Washington, DC. Will’s exhibitions include: Ed Vaire Gallery, a solo presentation of the works created during his residency on Governor’s Island, summer 2022, and at the NADA House. He has inspired future artists by teaching elementary/ middle school students in Baltimore City’s Public Schools and young adults in NYC.
The
Collective Dream
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.
creativeartworks.nyc Creative Art Works
Crative Art Works is a 501(c)(3), EIN #13-3638436
Copyright © 2024 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved.
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
