"Harlem Melody" West Harlem Group Assistance Mural

PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2015

“MELODY OF HARLEM” WEST HARLEM GROUP ASSISTANCE

PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM SUMMER 2015 “MELODY OF HARLEM” by “Crazy Mural Painters” Unveiling Celebration Tuesday, August 11th, 3:00 PM West Harlem Group Assistance 500 West 141st Street New York, NY 10031 Frank Parga, Teaching Artist Mario Moore, Teaching Artist Assistant Jessie Novik, Teaching Artist Assistant Karen Zasloff, Teaching Artist Assistant

About the Mural

CAW is proud to have created our second mural for West Harlem Group Assistance. This mural site is also the District Office of City Council Member and CAW supporter Mark Levine.

All of the young people working on this site are from the immediate neighborhood, and the subject of the mural reflects their youthful and optimistic view of life in West Harlem. The smiling young woman listening to music dreams of a bright future for herself and her community as icons representing family, technology, music and the arts swirl around her head.

Fund of Tides Foundation

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FROM BRIAN RICKLIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO

Once a work of public art is completed, it very quickly becomes a part of its environment. It becomes hard to remember a time when the art didn’t exist.

But before there can be the finished work of art, there has to be a process of art-making. Usually, it’s a long process that involves a lot of people.

If you look at any Creative Art Works murals, you will see the names of the Teaching Artists, Teaching Artist Assistants and, crucially, the names of every Youth Apprentice that took part in the creation of that work. Likewise, you will see the names of all the participants in our multimedia projects when the credits roll. It’s very easy to overlook those names. And there's the irony, because, as far as I'm concerned, those names are there to remind us what the art is really about -- it’s about the participants who created it.

Notice that the word "youth" is in the middle of the phrase, Public Art Youth Employment Program. That is no accident. The art always serves the kids and never the other way around. After the paintbrushes are washed, the drop cloths rolled up and the AV equipment is locked away in the tech cabinet, the public art ceases to evolve; however, the young artists will continue to grow. Each and every one of them will take away something from the process that will serve them for the rest of his or her life. Maybe it’s the ability to be punctual or look people in the eye. Maybe it’s a trait such as self-confidence, tenacity, or maturity. But all of our Youth Apprentices will have grown, and they will all have stories to tell.

I would like to thank all of our young people for participating in the summer 2015 Public Art Youth Employment Program. I would also like to thank our Teaching Artists, Teaching Artist Assistants, our staff, our partners and our generous supporters for making this the best summer yet.

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Tamasia Worthen

Yanting Chen

Nielsie Edwouard 4

Damaris Resto

Karen Zasloff, Teching Artist Assistant

Ashanti Albert Ashli Doeman Frank Parga, Teaching Artist

Lester Mayers Sophia Ridley

Mariam Kamate

Laurisa Cabreja

Qiana Hill

Awa Kone Isabel Kranwinkel 5

Tamasia Worthen

I really love art. In high school, I was known as the “lipstick killer.” To me, lipstick is my art and a great way for me to express my emotions and myself. In the fall, my love of art is going with me to Newbury College, where I am going to study fashion design, and create my own unique clothing line.

I believe that people express themselves not only through art but by the clothes they wear. I have a passion for fashion, so express on!

Chanda Chen

I live in Brooklyn, New York, and I’m studying linguistics at Stony Brook University. I love painting and sculpting.

I like playing the violin and piano; and although I’m no Beethoven, I enjoy playing music that I can connect with.

I hope to one day be able to help kids learn how to express themselves without having to find words for it.

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Yanting Chen

I was born and raised in China.

When I was 18, I moved to NY with my family. When I first landed in the U.S., I was excited and nervous. Because of the different culture and language, I was afraid to communicate with others. During that time, art helped me out. Through art, I could communicate with people; through art, I could express myself to the community; through art, I could share my story in public. I also have learned that nothing is impossible through art. “Use your imagination and make the impossible possible,” is my motto. Love art and let it be part of your life.

Aicha Sylla

I was born in Queens and moved to Manhattan at the age of five after my parents got divorced.

I attend A. Philip Randolph Campus High School. I’m going to be in the 12th grade. My goals in life are to make my family proud of me and to be a good role model to the young people in my family. I like to listen to music, write poems and help people. I want to be a nurse or a journalist. When I retire, I would like to name a hospital or journalism school after someone I care about the most.

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Ashanti Albert

I was born and raised in Guyana, which is a small island in South America. I go to A. Philip Randolph High School and I am going into 11th grade. My aspiration in life is to be happy, because when I am happy I feel like I can accomplish anything. My favorite color is blue.

I like to play basketball, and in my free time I like to write songs, poetry, and rap. My main goal in life is to become a veterinarian and, when the time is right, I hope to one day open my own veterinarian clinic.

Awa Kone I am a 16 year old. I am from Harlem and I go to Frederick Douglass Academy. I LOVE math!

I am currently taking AP Calculus and wish to complete the highest math level possible. I love to cook and draw. I usually draw pictures by looking at other images and then I like to include my own details to create something different. My goal is to become an orthodontist, possibly the best one in the world. But wait, I’m not done dreaming! When I retire I want to open up a 5-star restaurant, with pasta as the main dish. I LOOOOOVE pasta!

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Sophia Ridley I was born in Westchester and raised in the Bronx. My household is a very open environment and my family encourages any form of self-expression. I love to paint.

Ever since I was young, it was my greatest passion besides sleeping.

I see myself working in a creative field in the future.

Damaris Resto I was born in Queens, and I’m 18 years old. I would love to become an engineer, because it’s very challenging. I go to A. Philip Randolph Campus High School and I’m going into my Senior year.

When I finish high school, want to go to College, but not in New York City. I like to sing when I get bored, and I like to draw animated characters. In the future, I was thinking of becoming a singer, a pet care specialist or maybe a babysitter.

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Isabel Kranwinkel I was born in the Dominican Republic. My family and I moved to New York when I was four years old. I am going to be a senior at A. Phillip Randolph High School. I hope to one day be fortunate enough to help people in foreign countries who are in need. I believe that everyone should be offered great opportunities in life. My interests include spending time with family and friends. I credit all my accomplishments and future achievements to my parents, who have dedicated and sacrificed their lives to help my sister and I achieve our goals.

Lester Mayers I am a college student who invests 80% of my time in raising my talent. I do not believe in being placed in a box nor do I allow myself to be placed in one or to feel as though I have to stick with one form of art. My art ranges from theater to dance to fashion. I’m an Artist, and I’m sensitive about my stuff.

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Nielsie Edouard I am 19 years old. I was born in Haiti and raised in Brooklyn. I currently attend Nyack College, majoring in social work. I plan on attending Fordham University for my masters and hope to eventually work for the Legal Aid Society. What does art mean to me? Art is living. It is what keeps me alive. As someone who suffers from depression, art gives my life meaning. By dancing, choreographing, and styling hair, I am able to cope with my depression. Jean-Michel Basquiat is my role model.

Ashli Doeman I was raised in Brooklyn, NY. I am currently attending SUNY Buffalo with the intention of completing a dual degree. My hobbies include cosmetics and spending time with family and friends.

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Laurisa Cabreja I am 15 years old and I live in the Bronx with both of my parents. My main goal in life is to move my family to a better living environment when I’m older. I’m interested in different things like photography, art, and psychology. Being introduced to a lot of things makes it hard for me to decide what I would like to study in the future, but I hope I decide on something before I reach college. For me, art is anything that helps you express yourself and your emotions.

Mariam Kamate I was born in New York City, but raised in Mali. If someone had ever told me I would be painting, I would have laughed it off. I always admired art, particularly painting and drawing, but I never thought I would do something like this. It took me a long time, but when people used to ask me, “What are you? What do you want to be?” I would say, “I don’t know.” But now I can say, “I am an Artist.” I want to be a writer with great inspiration and a pediatrician.

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Frank Parga, Teaching Artist Frank received his BFA at the University of Texas at El Paso and an MFA in Studio Art from NYU. He recently completed projects with el Museo del Barrio, Community Word Project and Groundswell.

Frank has been the recipient of multiple fellowships and residencies, including the Jacob T. and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation’s Visual Harlem Grant Program. He has worked as an artist/mentor in the Global Youth Media and Arts Program through World Savvy, as well as a panelist for the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution Native Arts Program in Washington D.C. Most recently, Frank completed an Artist Residency with CATWALK in Catskill, NY. His work has been shown nationally and internationally.

Karen Zasloff, Teaching Artist Assistant Karen Zasloff is an artist and educator working in puppetry and performance, illustration, and design for stage and film. She has taught art, English and performance in high schools, community centers and at the university level. Karen has built and performed puppet shows with Great Small Works, Basil Twist, Chicago’s Redmoon Theater and the Bread and Puppet Theater. She spent a year as a Fulbright scholar in South Africa, where she designed and directed a community festival with the Handspring Puppet Company.

She is currently building a sculpture and shadow puppet show with South African collaborators that revolves around the themes of memory and political violence.

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Mario Moore, Teaching Artist Assistant Mario Moore is a Detroit native currently residing in New York City.

He received a BFA in Illustration from the College for Creative Studies in 2009 and an MFA in Painting from the Yale School of Art in 2013. His work has been shown in multiple exhibitions, nationally and internationally, and featured in newspapers and magazines. He has also worked on the feature films Real Steel and Red Dawn as a Sculptor.

Last spring, Mario was the Artist-inResidence at Knox College. His work has a direct correlation to the present, while addressing the historical contextualization of blacks in an effort to re-analyze social constructs.

Jessie Novik Jessie earned a BFA from Alfred University, the NY State College of Ceramics, where she concentrated in painting and sculpture.

After receiving her Masters of Professional Studies in Art Therapy and Creative Development from Pratt Institute, Jessie worked as an art therapy intern at Lutheran Medical Center and at League Education and Treatment Center.

Jessie most often uses drawing and painting to reflect the landscapes, characters and narratives that consume her rich imagination. She seeks to induce in her viewers with the same euphoric sense of escape that she indulges in when she creates.

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About the Public Art Youth Employment Program

The Creative Art Works Public Art Youth Employment Program gives teens and young adults 14-24 years of age full-time summer jobs and part-time jobs after school to create large-scale public art and multimedia projects. Our Youth Apprentices are guided by professional teaching artists and executive staff from the initial concept development through client presentation, to the final brush stroke and public unveiling. 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) improves the lives of thousands of NYC youth each year through in-school and out-of-school-time classes, community art-making events, and youth employment creating large-scale public art or multimedia projects.

Working in public schools, community centers, parks and libraries, CAW provides dynamic arts experiences for youth who otherwise lack access. Our programs build confidence, unlock a love of learning, and teach valuable technical and developmental skills while creating profound connections between our young constituents, their art and their communities.

www.creativeartworks.org

This program was made possible, in part, with funding from the Summer Youth Employment Program of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and these generous supporters:

Fund of Tides Foundation

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“Art is living. It is what keeps me alive.”

Nielsie Edouard

520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 201A New York, NY 10018 646.424.0392 www.creativeartworks.org Creative Art Works is a 501(c)(3), EIN #13-3638436 Copyright © 2015 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved.