This August, over 100 NYC youth between the ages of 16 and 24 will be unveiling four (4) public murals and two (2) oral history multimedia projects in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx (see below for full details). These large-scale public art projects were created through Creative Art Works’ (“CAW”) Public Art Youth Employment Program. Participants, known as Youth Apprentices (YAs) worked full-time for six weeks and were paid wages through the NYC Summer Youth Employment program and related providers and partners.
Many of the Youth Apprentices were new to making art of any kind, and for many of them, this has been their first summer job. Under the guidance of CAW’s professional Teaching Artists and management staff, they worked together to design a work of art, pitch it to client / community stakeholders, revise their design, and execute or install the work.
Along the way, they gained experience in research, stakeholder outreach, and initial concept development by conducting stakeholder surveys of community leaders, interviewing judges, teachers, school principals, business owners, and local residents to design artwork that reflects the neighborhood and its values. YAs also gain real work experience to cite on a job application, earn wages, and are empowered by their artistic accomplishment and their work’s positive impact on the community.
All projects culminate in a public celebration where YAs present their work to an audience of family members, peers, and community residents as well as elected officials and representatives of municipal agencies, who may speak. Culminating events and unveilings are open to the public and typically last about an hour. Refreshments will be served, and all are encouraged to speak with the YAs and Teaching Artists.
Unveiling Details:
Oral Histories
Queens Community Justice Center (QCJC)
162-04 Tuskegee Airmen Way
Jamaica, NY 11433
Screening:
Greater Nexus
89-14 Parsons Boulevard
Queens, NY 11432
Culminating event:
- Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 4:00 p.m.
Queens County Family Court
151-20 Jamaica Avenue
Queens, NY 11432
Mural location:
- wall panels on the 2nd floor;
- MDF to be mounted on the brick wall outside the Children’s Center
Culminating event:
- Tuesday, August 13, 2024, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
* Please allow additional time to pass through courthouse security
PS 368, The William Lynch School
1750 Amsterdam Avenuebetween
146th & 147th Street
Mural location:
- 147th Street, North side wall
Culminating event:
- Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.
Bronx Family Court
900 Sheridan Avenue
Bronx, NY 10451
Mural location:
- Part 40 in Help Center, 1st Floor
Culminating event:
- Wednesday, August 14, 2024, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
* Please allow additional time to pass through courthouse security
Manhattan Family Court
60 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10013
Mural location:
Culminating event:
- Thursday, August 15, 2024, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
* Please allow additional time to pass through courthouse security.
Oral Histories–Inwood / Washington Heights
Inwood Community Services
651 Academy Stret
New York, NY 10034
Screening and culminating event:
Columbia University, The Forum
601 W. 125th Street
New York, NY 10027
Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 3:30 p.m.
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About the Public Art Youth Employment Program
Since 1998, CAW’s flagship Public Art Youth Employment programs have offered full-time summer and part-time after-school employment to young adults ages 14-24. These Youth Apprentices are offered artistic training and professional development while earning real wages creating large-scale public art or multimedia projects in collaboration with local businesses, organizations, and public spaces.
Engaging young people through the arts unlocks their creativity and builds a spirit of inquiry and exploration that yields lifelong dividends. CAW’s programming is designed to not only expose students to the arts, but to encourage their personal growth and their engagement with their communities. Programs like the Public Art Youth Employment Program offer Youth Apprentices professional engagement with clients and community, empowering them as communicators, collaborators, and problem-solvers as they beautify their own neighborhoods.
About Creative Art Works
Creative Art Works (“CAW”), a 38-year-old nonprofit that empowers young people through the visual and multimedia arts. Our programs equip children, teens, and young adults with essential life skills, connect them with communities, academic success and career opportunities, and inspire them to reach for new possibilities.
Working in under-resourced neighborhoods of NYC, CAW provides in-school and out-of-school time classes, creative workforce development programs, and community art-making events, in partnership with public schools, recreation centers, parks, and juvenile justice settings. Their programs build confidence, unlock a love of learning, and teach valuable technical and socialemotional skills while creating profound connections between their young constituents, their art and their communities. Students are never charged for participation, and youth apprentices earn wages.
Funding
Creative Art Works’ programs are made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Creative Art Works’ Public Art Youth Employment program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. Additional funding and support was provided by:
- Brooklyn Community Services;
- Catholic Charities Community Services Alianza;
- Celtic;
- Children’s Aid Society;
- Children’s Arts & Science Workshops;
- Commonpoint Queens;
- El Barrio Operation Fight Back;
- Empire Metal and Glass;
- Eurotech;
- Find Your Light Foundation;
- Funplus;
- Good Shepherd Services;
- Inwood Community Services;
- Manhattan Painting and Decorating;
- Materials for the Arts;
- The LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation;
- Newport Painting;
- The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development;
- The Office of the Manhattan Borough President;
- The Ponce de Leon Foundation;
- Queens Community Justice Center;
- Sherwin Williams;
- Structure Tone;
- Vornado Realty Trust;
- The William Talbot Hillman Foundation., and
- many corporate and individual sponsors and donors.
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Featured image credit: DepositPhotos.com
