“I think approaching the subject matter from a different point of view, from a different angle, is an amazing experience for students. As the weeks go by, I’m seeing the students engaging with the subject matter more. They are excited when they get to class.”
– CAW Teaching Artist Kibrom Araya
Read MoreStudents at MS 328 in Washington Heights created collagraphs, a kind of print that uses textured materials to create patterns, that tells a story brimming with ridges and grooves. When the work was printed students were often surprised to see a completely different image than what they had expected. This left them with a different understanding of how making art works in real time — the end product doesn’t always come out as expected. Sometimes it’s better.
Read MoreA Creative Art Works social justice program at IS 232 in The Bronx centers youth perspectives. Students are challenged to think about their own identity and values as individuals and how they fit into their larger community.
Read MoreThis fall, CAW is offering Art Around the World as an in-school program to students in grades K – 3 at our partner school, PS 155, the William Paca School. We dropped in on CAW Teaching Artist Carlita Field-Hernandez as she was beginning a unit based on the family portraits of Chicana artist and illustrator Carmen Lomaz Garza. Garza is a good choice for this age group, as her art focuses on family scenes that even small children find relatable, like preparing a family meal or eating watermelon on a hot summer night. The goal for this project is for students to create their own family portrait using pencil and paper.
Read More“We’re incrementally building the skillsets they're going to need to support them in their next art project so, by the time we're ready to create our final posters, they’re going to be doing stuff they would not have been able to do at the beginning.”
— CAW Teaching Artist Abby Walsh
Read MoreAs teachers, friends and family arrived to a pop-up gallery celebrating work created by students in a Creative Art Works after-school mixed media program, some students took it upon themselves to act as docents, not just of their own art, but works by other students as well. They were ecstatic to point out the techniques they had learned. It was inspiring to see the pride the students had in their work, and impressive to hear them talk so knowledgeably about each project.
Read More“At Creative Art Works, we're teaching artistic skills, which are important on their own, but we're also teaching life skills. We’re creating a foundation of skills, expertise, and understanding of the workforce to prepare young people to create a path for their own lives. We tell donors that when they support CAW, they are supporting future leaders, future artists, future professionals, future community members, and that's very inspirational and aspirational, so people want to be part of our mission.” — CAW Development Manager Clair Vogel
Read MoreCreative Art Works has returned to PS 153 in Hamilton Heights with an in-school literacy-based art curriculum. Each project invites first-grade students to respond to a classic children’s book. Students are then given the chance to explore materials and create art directly related to the illustration style of the book and informed by the themes of the text. Integrating art-making into the language arts curriculum creates educational synergy. The process of manipulating safety scissors, paint brushes, and glue sticks builds fine motor skills, engages executive functions such as time management, and exercise problem-solving skills. The act of responding to literature through art improves comprehension and long-term retention, builds vocabulary, and engages different learning modalities.
Read MoreBDO 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" 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 MoreCAW’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 MoreGirl 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 MoreThrough 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 MoreCreative 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
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