Who Gets to Tell Your Story?
Six youth-created films offer an inside look at the creative process at each of our summer worksites
CAW Youth Apprentices Ambrose Medina and Zosia Sinton familiarize themselves with their camera
CAW Teaching Artist Maham Khwaja discussing edits with youth apprentices on the REBNY mural documentary team
Who is better equipped to tell the inside story than an actual insider? In recent years, some youth apprentices in our summer Public Art Youth Employment program have stepped forward to document the creative process at their worksites, creating engaging films using little more than their cell phones and a laptop.
We decided to support that interest with professional video and editing equipment in their hands, and instruction from Teaching Artists Maham Khwaja and Amrita Singh to develop their video, editing, and storytelling skills. While Maham and Amrita have years of experience, the tough creative decisions were left to the YAs themselves.
Aside from learning the mechanics of the camera and the editing suite, the filmmakers learned the art of interviewing, visual composition, storytelling, and project management. They learned the give-and-take of the the collaborative process — when to compromise and when to advocate for their point of view. They learned critical thinking skills as they evaluated what made it into the film and what got edited out. Most importantly, they developed a voice.
We invite you to sample these films in any order. Each one has a distinct point of view. Some focus on the process. Some focus on the people. All of them show us what our young people thought was important. If there is a thread that connects them all, it is the joy of creativity.
The Heart of Hustle
CAW has a long history of partnership with the NYC real estate industry, so it felt only natural when the Real Estate Board of New York came to us for a mural installation in their office.
Watch the film HERE.
Your Vote, Your Choice
CAW YAs helped The League of Women Voters of the City of New York get out the Gen Z vote by designing accessible, engaging voter education materials for young first-time voters.
Watch the film HERE.
Colorful Connections
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council asked our CAW YAs to capture the chaotic, beautiful pulse of how millions of New Yorkers travel every day.
Watch the film HERE.
Through the Eyes of a Child
This mural for PS 153 in Harlem captures the essence of learning and belonging by portraying children playing and communicating in diverse ways. It includes NY icons such as the local icee vendor, delis, and bodega cats.
Watch the film HERE.
A Patchwork Mindscape
For our second project at Kings County Family Court, our YAs brought a variety of talents and experience, and a deep passion for Brooklyn, to bring beauty, serenity, and hope to visitors to an austere waiting area.
Watch the film HERE.
Colors of the Creek
Every person you pass on the street has a story. CAW YAs created environmental portraits and stories of local residents, highlighting their relationship to Sherman Creek Park and the surrounding neighborhood.
Watch the film HERE.
CAW Documentary Teaching Artists
Maham Khwaja
Teaching Artist
Amrita Singh
Teaching Artist
CAW Staff
Karen Jolicoeur
Executive Director
Ian Newton
Director of Finance & Administration
Clair Vogel
Development Manager
Scott Lucas
Manager of Marketing & Communications
Donna Manganello
Program Manager
Kevin Claiborne
Program Manager
Riki Sabel
Program Manager of Teaching & Learning
Emilio Vides-Curnen
Operations Coordinator
Madeline De León
Program Coordinator
Paola Gonzalez
Development & Communications Coordinator
EJ Meehan
Finance & Administration Coordinator
Our partners for these programs include:
Our Thanks
Creative Art Works’ Public Art Youth Employment program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The program also receives support from the AEO Better World Foundation, the Find Your Light Foundation, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, the Pinkerton Foundation, and the William Talbot Hillman Foundation. Creative Art Works’ programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The Sherman Creek photo essay program was made possible by a generous grant from Charities Aid Foundation Canada.
Additional funding was provided by: The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and by numerous corporate and individual sponsors and donors.
