Working from Home

A CAW Youth Apprentice is making a difference in the world without leaving his block.

Every morning, Tyrese Kierstedt walks out the front door of his apartment building, hangs a left, goes twenty feet and arrives at his summer job. Tyrese is one of several Youth Apprentices who are painting Creative Art Works' third mural for West Harlem Group Assistance, a community-based development corporation dedicated to revitalizing West and Central Harlem communities. The mural is located on the northwest corner of 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue, half a block north of Communities for Healthy Food at WHGA, a food pantry that promotes healthy lifestyles and provides related services to Harlem residents.

Come See the Magic!

Our 2016 Public Art Youth Employment Program started on July 5th with an orientation at the Oberia D. Dempsey Multi-Service Center in Harlem. Over the course of six weeks, Youth Apprentices will be paid to participate in six mural projects and to contribute to two multi-media or graphics projects at six partner locations. Read on for details about each site.

The Passion of El Barrio

Home is where the heart is, and CAW’s heart has been in El Barrio ever since we began offering arts programs there 30 years ago. We are excited to be offering a new art workshop for families with young children at Artspace PS109 every Saturday in February.

Keeping a 73,000-Year-Old Tradition Alive

About 73,000 years ago, somebody made a pattern of nine red lines on on a small stone flake found in a cave about 200 miles east of Cape Town, South Africa. It may be the first known work of art. The idea eventually spread all over the world until hundreds of caves were decorated with hand prints, magic symbols and hunting tableaus. The most recent examples of this art form were recently discovered in the wilds of Upper Manhattan at Inwood Public Library and United Palace of Cultural Arts.

The Serious Art of Stop-Motion Animation

Stop-motion animation has been used to make classic TV shows and movies such as Gumby, Wallace and Grommet and The Nightmare Before Christmas. While the basic technique is easy to learn, the applications are endless. Last fall, Creative Art Works offered two after-school classes that employed different aspects of this simple yet powerful movie-making technique.

Scott Lucas, Marketing & Communications ManagerJanuary 5, 2016Global Tech PrepComment

Small Stories about Big Changes

“Kids at this age want to tell their own stories. The cartooning class gives them the skills and the opportunity to do that.”

CAW Teaching Artist Tom Palmer

PSST! WANNA BUY AN IDEA?

Welcome to the Marketplace of Ideas. We have two stories today about branding, advertising and creating identity. The first takes place at a middle school in Harlem, the second at a museum in London. Both stories demonstrate that creativity is a vital skill with applications outside the classroom.

Brian RicklinOctober 30, 2015Comment

Talk on the Street

We often say that Creative Art Works’ programs, “...build confidence, unlock a love of learning, and create profound connections between our young people and their communities.” But how do art and community intersect? Last Saturday, the young participants in our free art workshops developed a deeper understanding of what it means to be part of a community by taking part in a collaborative art-making project.

Scott Lucas, Marketing & Communications ManagerOctober 27, 2015Comment

A Monumental Undertaking.

Creative Art Works is proud to participate in MonumentArt, an international mural festival that is bringing together outstanding artists from around the world to simultaneously paint monumental murals in nine public spaces in the South Bronx and Manhattan’s East Harlem/El Barrio neighborhood. CAW Teaching Artists and Youth Employees are working alongside renowned Guest Artists, including Elizam Escobar, Luis Vidal, Faith47, El Mac, Sego, Cero, Ever, Viajero and 2Alas.

Whole Foods Supports CAW on 5% Day

Buy Groceries, Support Creative Youth Development

On September 16th, Whole Foods will donate 5% of net sales from all Manhattan and Brooklyn Markets to three nonprofits that provide arts programming to New York City communities. Creative Art Works is honored to be one of those beneficiaries.

New Artwork Blossoms in Isham Park

“To be honest, I’m excited that my name will be on it and it’s in my neighborhood,” she said. “But it’s also great to know that we could build back from what happened a few years ago and create something beautiful.”

Finding Your Voice

Most people who pass by our Public Art Youth Employment worksites are nothing short of supportive and encouraging, but on very rare occasions, you encounter a detractor. In this short video, Creative Art Works Youth Apprentice Sophia Ridley shares her story about finding her voice when confronted by an aggressive critic.

Shout out to the wall...

Each Public Youth Employment Program has a unique personality, depending on the participants, the client, the theme of the project and even the weather. Today we have two different perspectives about youth employment, one mature and reasoned, and one young and joyful. I hope you enjoy both of them.

Totem Poles, Cave Paintings and a Thunderous Reception

We have two stories for you this week. First, thunderstorms did not dampen the spirits of a dozen volunteers from CAW's long-time supporters JLL who visited two of our summer mural sites. Second, students in a CAW integrated art unit at the JCC's Math and Literacy Camp got to explore three ancient civilizations -- including exploring the caves of Lascaux with a torch!

If You Paint It, They Will Come

Today the Multimedia Team joined the Youth Employees from Renaissance School of the Arts on a field trip to The Museum of the City of New York. CAW Teaching Artist Assistant Kito Kirtley said she wanted her students to be encouraged to make art of their own.

Taking Root and Taking Flight in East Harlem

The CAW Youth Apprentices designing a Mural for Renaissance School of the Arts calls themselves, “Murally Minded.” During a client presentation on Monday, July 20th, “Murally Minded” presented their design to the Renaissance administration and teaching staff and leaders from the local community. CAW Executive Director Brian Ricklin and Program Director Anthony González were also in attendance.

"When Words Don't Work, Paint Does."

Art is such an immediate way of communicating, because it bypasses language and gets to the essence of an idea. During the second week of the CAW Summer Public Art Youth Employment Program, our Youth Apprentices explored the power of symbols to tell a complex story.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Youth Apprentice

CAW returns to our roots in the heart of East Harlem. This neighborhood, also know as El Barrio, has a long tradition of expressing its vibrant culture through public art. Youth Apprentices will be painting a large-scale mural on the east-facing exterior wall of the Renaissance School of the Arts (RSA). But before they start on the wall, they will participate in a number exercises to sharpen their skills.

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