Kaleidoscope
BDO New York wanted a mural for the cafe of their new Midtown offices that reflected their culture and values, so they commissioned a site-specific work of art by a team of Creative Art Works Youth Apprentices. The cafe is in the “Parks Neighborhood” of the 39th floor, and the theme for this neighborhood is “Thrive Together,” so the mural design features a diversity of lush vegetation found in local parks. CAW assembled a team of all-star Youth Apprentices for this high-profile commission.
Read More
Harlem Heat
"Harlem Heat" was commissioned by Trader Joe’s for their highly-anticipated location on 125th Street in the heart of Harlem. Trader Joe’s wanted a mural by young artists that expressed the spirit and vitality of this historic neighborhood. The artwork by our Youth Apprentices exceeded their expectations.
Read More
The Day Comes to an End, Justice Does Not
CAW’s relationship with Family Court began in 2011 when a handful of Youth Apprentices made prayer flags for a waiting room for New York County Family Court. This led to three more works of public art at that location, each one more ambitious than the last. In 2018, our Youth Apprentices painted the first of five works of large-scale public art for Bronx County Family Court, including our most recent, “The Day Comes to and End, Justice Does Not.”
Read More
Girl Wonder
Girl Wonder is a mural about how the dreams of one person can draw inspiration from a community and, at the same time, contribute to that community. This is the fifth Creative Art Works mural at the Louis D. Brandeis High School Campus, including the western exterior mural and three interior murals, so this project feels like a homecoming. Several of the YAs are current students at one of the four high schools on the campus, and our own Teaching Artist Assistant is a past graduate! These connections to the school and surrounding community inform the robust youth-created design, which welcomes passersby to contemplate the positive development possible within the building. We hope you agree that the future they represent looks bright!
Read More
The Colors of Queens
Through each of the four vibrant panels that comprise "The Colors of Queens," we follow families from day to night as they transform their neighborhood and the larger natural world into an inclusive home for all. Viewers are encouraged to spot familiar faces sprinkled throughout the panels which serves as a reminder that we’re all connected. From the historic Rufus King Park, to the Queensboro Bridge to the very steps leading into the courthouse, “The Colors of Queens” truly shine bright!
Read More
Growing Community
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 More
East Harlem: El Barrio Diasporico
East 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
“With fleas or warts or with a silly snout that snorts”
“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
An Enthusiastic Response to Making Art
“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
Harlem Families Celebrate the Roots of Love
“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 More
It’s Always Sunny in Art Class
Even 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
Things that you cannot express in words alone
“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
Putting Yourself Between the Pages
“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
In Conversation with very young storytellers
“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 More
A Thousand Ways to Draw a Leaf
At 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 More
CAW Adds New Program Staff
We 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 More
The Classroom of Your Dreams
At 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
A Ripple of Change
“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 More
Mirroring Dreams of Justice
From 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 More
