the art of starting strong
Community School District 4-Duke Ellington School: Welcome Back to School Event
Before the weather cooled off and pumpkin spice lattes were back on the menu, Creative Art Works was helping New York City kids and teens get ready for the new school year at three community art-making events. While these free projects are fun for the entire family, they also help students transition to a new grade and prepare to focus on learning in a variety of ways.
An art table on the sidewalk or under a tent on a closed street attracts families and individuals of all ages and, in a very casual way, invites them interact, share and create together in a safe environment. Through collective creativity, students feel they’re part of something, and that sense of connection fuels stronger school attendance and engagement in the classroom.
Creative experiences, especially those offered at the start of the school year, allow for smooth transitions when moving up a grade or starting at a new school. Inviting kids into a creative moment at a back-to-school event can ease the anxiety of the unknown, helping them breathe, reflect and feel seen.
New York Restoration Project: Wizard of Back to School Event
When a student wonders, “How do I make this shape stand? Which colors blend well? How can I show this idea visually?" They are stepping into creative problem-solving. That kind of thinking, trial, error, and iteration translates into sharper reasoning in math, science and writing.
“Community events are spaces that disrupt daily life with artmaking. When passers-by run into a table with art supplies, a few chairs and a facilitator inviting them to make art, the neighborhood takes a necessary creative break.”
CSD4 Welcome Back to School Event
Through art-making, students begin to cultivate visual literacy: the ability to “read” images by interpreting meaning though shape, form, color, and symbolism. Through art they begin to notice pattern, balance, line and metaphors.
Art is often thought of as separate from the STEM fields, but the act of making art involves spatial reasoning, measurement and proportion, all of which echo the logic of math and science, which is why academics introduced STEAM as art reinforcing those academic muscles through design and imagination. These foundational skills, practiced through making art, carry directly into subjects like geometry, biology, and earth science.
“It was heartwarming to see the community come together and showcase all the different talents/outlets their kids have such as art making, music and dance. I was truly impressed with the art that the kids put together, they utilized techniques that even I did not consider. ”
PS 4's Backpack Giveaway
CAW offered a wearable art project at New York Restoration Project's (NYRP) Wizard of Back to School Event on August 23, and PS 4's Backpack Giveaway on August 26th, where young people and their family made fancy hats. Students and their family members made accordion books at Community School District 4’s Welcome Back to School Festival on September 27th.
We’ll be decorating canvas tote bags at our next community event at NYRP's Fall Fest at Sherman Creek on Halloween from 2:00 – 5:00pm. Get directions and more information HERE. We will also be giving away copies of the CAW coloring book at this event. If you can’t make it, you can pick up your own copy of the coloring book on our website.
This program is made possible, in part, 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.