The Heart of Hustle
A CAW mural for the Real Estate Board of New York celebrates the rich diversity of the built environment in all five boroughs
A Natural Partnership
Creative Art Works has a long history of collaboration and partnership with the real estate industry in New York City. When you’ve been executing public murals across a major city for as many years as we have, you get to know the people who develop, lease, and sell the walls and buildings you’re painting on pretty well.
The “Art Avengers”
That’s why it felt so natural when the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) came to us for a mural installation in their conference room. For 130 years, REBNY has served as the premier association for New York City’s real estate industry. They work with individuals and companies at every level and in every corner of the real estate industry, including commercial and residential owners, developers, brokers, agents, attorneys, and management firms. We’ve crossed paths with REBNY many times over the years, and we were excited to partner on such a high-profile project.
For this important commission, we recruited two of our longtime Teaching Artists, Farah Mohammad and Becky Schuman, to guide an ace team of Youth Apprentices, who gave themselves the name the “Art Avengers.”
The “Art Avengers” pitching their design to REBNY
The Pitch
One aspect of the design process that CAW always emphasizes to our youth apprentices is that it’s essential that we ask our client what matters to them, and make sure that their values and ethos are represented in the final product. That’s why the first step of the mural design process is a client interview, followed later by a pitch presentation where our YAs present their proposed design and receive feedback from our stakeholders. (You can read more about the pitch process in the blog “Ideas Become Reality.”)
As the premier association for New York City’s real estate industry, our client team at REBNY had a clear idea that they wanted a full representation of the built environment of all five boroughs. The Art Avengers’ initial design had emphasized natural spaces, flora, and fauna, but was light on NYC’s distinctive skyline, architectural representation, and famous landmarks.
Through various feedback meetings and numerous drafts, the Art Avengers refined their mural concept to represent the meeting place between the NYC they experience as young people growing up in the city, and the bustling industry that REBNY represents.
CAW Youth Apprentice Joel Cepeda
“The left section of the mural features the daily lives of New York’s corporate workers featuring commuters and the Queens Plaza Station, a key transit hub for thousands of people each day.”
“We decided to include a subtle view of nature because in New York City, just as much as we have buildings, we also have a lot of nature. So here is a body of water with the Staten Island Ferry. For the park design, we took inspiration from the Brooklyn Bridge Park. The most important detail is the people who represent the residents of New York City.”
CAW Youth Apprentice Fenny Wang
CAW Youth Apprentice Mimi Hardman
“On the right side, we began with the Unisphere from Queens, to show multiculturalism. Next to that, we have the Wonder Wheel from Coney Island, which represents entertainment and events. Down below, we have the Bronx High Bridge to show that we can travel everywhere by buses, by trains, and by cars. Next to that, we have the Manhattan Bridge to show our historical architecture.”
The Unveiling
A monumental mural had to have a monumental unveiling, and the culminating event for this project was attended by a who’s who of the NYC real estate industry. Among the many guests who attended the unveiling were members of CAW’s Board, including Chairman Andy Levin, a Senior Vice President at BXP; Steven Soutendijk, a Vice Chairman at Cushman & Wakefield; and Tiffany Theriault, a Managing Director at Apollo Global Management. The Chief of Staff from City Councilmember Virginia Maloney’s office, Shelby Gardner, also attended.
From left: CAW Board Member Tiffany Theriault, CAW Executive Director Karen Jolicoeur, CAW Board Chair Andy Levin, REBNY President James Whelan, CAW Board Member Steven Soutendijk attend the unveiling of “The Heart of Hustle” at the REBNY offices.
Members of the REBNY stakeholder team were in attendance, including REBNY President James Whelan and Vice President of Digital Jason Ryan. Other representatives from REBNY included Manager of Office Operations Angela Caldwell, and Digital Content Creator Grace Boak. All were eager to see the actualization of their and the Art Avengers’ combined vision for the mural.
The unveiling was enthusiastically received. Afterwards, James Whelan, a titan of the NYC real estate industry, also graced us with a few words.
REBNY President James Whelan congratulates CAW’s Youth Apprentices
“You’ve captured the energy, diversity, creativity, and ambition that makes this city unlike any other place in the world. As people visit our offices in the future, they’ll see the skyline, the neighborhoods, the buildings, and the people reflected in your work. They’ll be reminded that New York is not defined only by its architecture or its real estate, but by the people who bring those places to life every single day. That connection is especially meaningful to REBNY. Our members help build, own, manage, and care for the places where New Yorkers live, work, learn, shop, and gather. This mural reminds us that great cities are ultimately about people and opportunities.”
Read more about the young artists who created the new mural for REBNY
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “The Heart of Hustle” in this short documentary
CAW Teaching Staff
Farah Mohammad
Teaching Artist
Becky Schuman
Teaching Artist
Micaela Jimenez
Teaching Artist Assistant-in-Training
Documentary Staff
Maham Khwaja
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 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.
Additional funding was provided by numerous corporate and individual sponsors and donors.
Our partners for this program include Commonpoint and the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development.
