Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices from Queens Community Justice Center painted a blacktop mural for Liberty Collective Learning Garden in Jamaica to invite people into the space. The mural takes it’s name from the sentiment, “No matter where you come from, everybody is welcome here.”
Read MoreEast Harlem: El Barrio Diasporico is an immersive art installation about one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in New York City. This feast for the senses offers a new way to understand the lived experiences of a community and its people. Based in a one-room gallery, the exhibit combines art, photography, found objects, memorabilia, and music to create a warm and inviting space. Filmed interviews with local business owners, community leaders, artists, activists, and residents of Hope housing provide a tapestry of oral histories which, when taken together, create a profound sense of place.
Read More“Students enjoyed learning about Frida’s love for animals and the sources of inspiration in her work. They were encouraged to think about an animal or a creature they imagine themselves to be and were asked to use oil pastels and mirrors to create imaginary portraits.”
— CAW Teaching Artist Melika Abikenari
Read More“There wasn’t a single day that I walked into the classroom and encountered anything other than enthusiasm. Sometimes chaos ensued, and sometimes students worked in utter focused silence; but, either way, they were truly enjoying being able to create art and express themselves.”
— CAW Teaching Artist Maham Khwaja
Read More“During the month of February, the PS 155 school community came together to showcase our love for Black History month, social justice, and family, in our Festival of Love celebration. Creative Art Works organized a family engagement event that was engaging and afforded our families an opportunity to bond with their children, demonstrate their love for family and, most of all, embrace joy.”
— PS 155 Assistant Principal Ayo Mendez-Torres
Read MoreEven though the day was overcast in Upper Manhattan, the environment inside PS/MS 278 was sunny and full of excitement for the culminating event of Creative Art Works’ after-school program in mixed media. After making art twice a week for most of the fall semester, students were finally able to present their work to their families in a lush pop-up gallery. Standing poster boards displayed finished works, while works in progress, rough drafts, and trial prints, all representing the artistic process, covered tables in the school library.
Read More“What I truly hope students take with them from this program is increased confidence in their creative skills, advanced problem-solving abilities, and a new outlet from which they can communicate their thoughts, feelings, and self-reflection. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: learning to communicate with images those things that you cannot express in words alone.”
– CAW Teaching Artist Lewis Porter
Read More“I challenged my students to make a book in which they express to the reader who and what they are. Once they’ve made their books, I tell them, ‘I’m going to hold you to your own words. You are responsible for being true to yourself.’”
— CAW Teaching Artist Ryan Davis on the Bookmaking after-school program at IS 254 in The Bronx
Read More“Storytelling, without fail, is something that intrigues and excites everyone. It’s how we learn to communicate, process our emotions, imagine, and create. Learning to express these stories, and being given access to the space to do so, is so important, especially for students. It’s a way to show them that they are seen and heard, that their words matter, and that their stories matter.”
— Teaching Artist Maham Khwaja
Read MoreAt an in-school art class at PS/MS 4 Crotona Park West, students were given step-by-step instructions to draw a maple leaf. The structure of the lesson allowed for creativity to flourish. While each drawing is recognizable as a leaf, there is an explosion of colors, styles and techniques that makes each drawing as unique as a signature. We invite you to stroll through this forrest of creativity.
Read MoreWe are pleased to introduce you to three new members of the Creative Art Works Family: Program Manager Donna Maganello, Program Manager Riki Sabel, and Program Associate Maddie De Leon. We’ve been having a wonderful time getting to know all three of them over the past few months, and we hope you will enjoy learning a bit about them as well.
Read MoreAt a back-to-school community event in School District 4 in East Harlem earlier this month, Creative Art Works invited students to build a mini diorama of “the classroom of their dreams.” The results ranged from charming to whimsical. While this free art-making project was a lot of fun, it also utilized real academic skills, such as creative problem-solving and spatial and motor skills. Come inside the classroom of our dreams to see selections from this joyful event.
Read More“We want the students to know that this school is a nurturing and safe environment, and that, no matter where they come from or where they go to in their daily lives, when they come through these doors they will find a support system and people who care about them and want them to grow. ”
— CAW Youth Apprentice Joshua Grant
Read MoreFrom its inception, this mural was intended to be a statement piece for the lobby of Bronx County Family Court that would break down barriers and engage the community. One goal was that everyone who enters the building should be able to see themselves represented in the art. If this mural achieves that goal, it might be in large part because the team of Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices (YAs) who executed this mural mirror the fabric of The Bronx.
Read MoreRead MoreThe process of working on this mural has been so great. I gained new skills. I'm not as shy as I was before. It was an amazing experience getting to know the people of this community and interacting with them and learning the history of this place. That is going stay with me forever.
— David Tovar, CAW Youth Apprentice, Summer 2022
This spring, Creative Art Works students and Youth Apprentices at more than 20 partner schools produced a prodigious outpouring of joyful and thought-provoking art. The work is stunning in its variety, quality, and sheer quantity. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, we’ve updated the art gallery page on our website, and we encourage you to take a few minutes to enjoy some of this work.
Read MoreWe are proud to announce that Janet Woods of Savills has join the board of Creative Art Works. As Vice Chairman and Northeast Region Lead, Janet Woods provides management of the firm’s tenant representation services in Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Miami. She also serves on the company’s Board of Directors and the North American Management Board. We sat down with Janet to talk about her introduction to CAW through a summer Public Art Youth Employment program, the importance of mentorship, and the intersection between athletics and creative youth development.
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