So Much More
So Much More
Migrations on the south wall of the gymnasium at Jacob Schiff School Campus
A Tale of Migratory Birds and Children of Immigrants
CAW Youth Apprentices present Migrations at the official unveiling
There's so much more to creating a mural than putting paint on a wall. A good mural is a true grass-roots effort, made by the community, for the community. So many people made Creative Art Works' latest series of murals, Migrations, at Jacob Schiff School Campus and Jacob Schiff Park possible. Twenty-three Youth Apprentices, working under the guidance of three Teaching Artists, persevered through rain and heat to create works of art that make connections between the children of immigrants, migratory birds and the role education plays in protecting both.
Migrations was conceived as part of the The Audubon Mural Project, a collaboration between the National Audubon Society and Gitler &_____ Gallery to create murals of climate-threatened birds around Washington Heights, where John James Audubon spent the last years of his life. The project’s goal is to commission artists to paint murals of 314 species of birds listed in the Audubon Society’s groundbreaking Birds and Climate Change Report, which states that at least half of all North American birds are threatened by global warming.
Watch the short film, "Changing Nests"
by CAW's Summer 2018 Multimedia Team Youth Apprentices
CAW's own Multimedia Team captured the essence of the Audubon Mural Project in the short film, "Changing Nests."
Becoming Part of the Environment
The seven sections of Migrations are located on the Jacob H. Schiff School Campus and the adjoining Jacob H. Schiff Playground. The school campus is home to two of CAW's educational partners, PS 192 and Hamilton Grange Middle School.
The playground is administered by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, which also served as a client for this project. Another important stakeholder is the Jacob H. Schiff Playground Neighborhood Association.
Watch the short film, "The Park,"
by CAW's Summer 2018 Multimedia Team Youth Apprentices
CAW's multimedia team produced a short film about the history of Jacob Schiff Park the current efforts to lobby the NY City Council to make improvements to the neighborhood's "common backyard."
A pattern of white-faced ibis on one of the parapets in Jacob Schiff Park
Mallards
A common redpoll protects a nest of children of immigrants
A white-faced ibis flying over snow-capped mountans
A gift to the community
The Audubon Mural Project wrote an excellent article about Migrations on their web page, and created their own video about the Migrations, which includes footage of the official unveiling and interviews with a number of our Youth Apprentices. The quotes below are taken from the Audubon video.
"The common redpoll is watching over the kids in the nest. The redpoll is native to the land but the children are not, so it’s a sense of welcoming.
Britney Roache
"We all talk to each other. We all work with each other. We pick up the slack for each other. I think we are all going to be really proud of what we did."
Tiffany Guzman
"It just makes you feel good that you are a part of something bigger than yourself. This is not something I could take home with me. It’s something the community can see.
Denisha Wright
