HARLEM’S WINNING STREAK
HARLEM’S WINNING STREAK
Unveiling: Wednesday, August 13th
3:00 — 4:00 p.m.
Grant Houses
1301 Amsterdam Avenue West Harlem, New York
The game room in NYCHA’s Grant Houses is a favorite gathering space for resident teens, but the decor needed a serious refresh. The NYC Department of Youth & Community Development engaged Creative Art Works to take on this project as part of a larger beautification initiative for its Cornerstone Centers.
Will Watson, Teaching Artist
Becky Schuman, Teaching Artist
Mon Iker, Substitute Teaching Artist
From Executive Director Karen Jolicoeur
This summer, CAW hired 135 NYC teens and young adults for our Public Art Youth Employment program and handed them tremendous responsibility. We once again entrusted these Youth Apprentices (YAs) to lend their skills, talents, grit, and humanity to major corporations and public institutions, knowing that they will deliver a stunning work of art. We’ve done this every summer for decades, and we are always inspired—though we can no longer say we are completely surprised—by what they create!
This year, our YAs painted four stunning murals or large-scale paintings. One series of panels offers hope and compassion to visitors in a waiting area at Kings County Family Court. An interior mural creates a welcoming and inclusive teen space in the Grant Houses Cornerstone Center in Morningside Heights. An expansive exterior mural at the Jacob H. Schiff Campus in West Harlem celebrates the local community. Finally, long-time supporter BXP has commissioned an abstract work for its marketing centers; the five canvases, which work together or separately, evoke the natural world and create a welcoming space.
We also assembled two multimedia teams this summer. A team of young graphic artists has designed a welcoming and informative printed guidebook for the five county courthouses within the NYC Family Court system. At the same time, a crew of young filmmakers produced a compelling and moving portrait of some of the many kinds of artists who call West Harlem home.
What our teams produced this summer is nothing short of remarkable. Of course, it’s true that our staff and Teaching Artists set our YAs up for success with instruction, mentorship, encouragement, and support. Still, we never lose sight of what our young people bring to the table: their boundless capacity to contribute, to lead, and to enrich their communities through their fresh perspective and authentic expression.
Their extraordinary accomplishments serve as a powerful testament to the boundless potential residing within our youth. We hope you share our deep sense of optimism as we look forward to a future shaped by their talent and vision.
Yours sincerely,
Karen Jolicoeur Executive Director
Alphys Pena
Alphys (they/them/theirs) is a 21-yearold who identifies as agender. They are currently living in the South Bronx and plan to continue college in a few years for their associate’s degree in computer science. They have an interest in art, crochet/ knitting, writing, puzzles of all kinds, STEM, and videogames. They also are advocates for awareness for autism/ ADHD in adults. While working at CAW was far out of their comfort zone in the social aspect, they are learning to open up to be a part of this community.
Ana Meza
Ana (she/her) is a 17-year-old Mexican and Puerto Rican American going into her junior year of high school. She was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. She is an aspiring visual artist and spends her time drawing, painting, and reading. Ana rejoined CAW this summer because of the amazing experience she had last year as a youth apprentice. This year, she enjoyed working with old coworkers and friends from school, as well as making new friends and acquaintances along the way. Ana loved contributing design ideas and reimagining words into drawings.
Andrea Aguayo
Andrea (she/her) is 16 years old and her family is originally from Mexico and Puerto Rico. She is a rising junior in high school from The Bronx and goes to the Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters. Her goals are to graduate high school and pursue a career in fashion design. She has gained an interest in art as her older sister is studying to be an art teacher. Usually, Andrea prefers to work independently; working in groups with Creative Art Works is a new experience for her. Outside of school and work, Andrea loves baking, reading, playing volleyball, journaling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Arnaldo Rodriguez
Arnaldo is an 18-year-old incoming freshman at the The Fashion Institute of Technology pursuing a fine arts degree. He recently graduated from Marble Hill High School for International Studies. Born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for 13 years, he later moved to The Bronx. Art has always been a big part of his life, especially in the illustration and painting areas. Arnaldo aspires to gain more artistic experience and become a skillful artist in the upcoming future with the help of friends and mentors.
Camila Feliciano
Camila (she/her) is a 16-year-old rising senior in high school from the Bronx. She is half Dominican/Puerto Rican, and attends Marble Hill High School for international studies. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, and also writing poetry. In the future she hopes to study in the medical field in order to become a labor and delivery nurse. Her strengths are sympathizing with others and being there for them. For this mural project, she was able to share her ideas and help her teammates.
Faith Deas
Faith (she/her) is a freshman college student who attends FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and is majoring in illustration. She lives in the Bronx. Faith’s favorite activities include writing, reading, and creating. She also loves sticker making and has sold them at small local conventions. Faith’s goal is to continue to make merchandise to sell online. She also dreams of becoming a storyboard artist or children’s book illustrator. The reason why Faith would like to pursue these careers is because of her supportive family who has always applauded her creativity and encouraged her to continue her studies in art. Faith would also love to sell affordable artworks to those who may be unable to afford art otherwise.
Geraldine Tewiah
Geraldine (she/her) is a rising junior at University Heights High School. She was born and raised in the Bronx, but her family is originally from Ghana. Throughout her life, she has traveled to Ghana a few times, mainly when she was younger. She plans on traveling and exploring many other areas when grows up as she wants to be a travel nurse. Some of her strengths are collaborative and academic skills like math and science. Her goals is to graduate high school with good grades. She contributes to group work by sharing and expressing her ideas and taking advice from peers.
Jaimy Clemente
Jaimy (she/her) is 16 years old and was born and raised in Brooklyn. She is a rising junior in high school at Manhattan Early College (MECA) where she is studying advertising and business. Jaimy’s love for art and drawing is what encouraged her to join Creative Art Works. At MECA, she also takes classes such as graphic design and visual thinking. Jaimy enjoys painting, crafting, and crochet. Working at CAW has taught her responsibility and teamwork skills.
Back Row: Teaching Artist Becky Schuman, Arnaldo Rodriguez, Geraldine Tewiah, Kujeji
Front Row: Alphys Pena, Lovejoy Wright, Jenice Armstead, Julia Rodriguez,
Kujeji Sumareh, Taneiya Pereira, Ana Meza, Maya Wellington, Teaching Artist Will Watson Rodriguez, Camila Feliciano, Jaimy Clemente, Andrea Aguayo, Faith Deas
Jenice Armstead
Jenice Armstead is a recent college graduate looking for opportunities to expand her horizons, such as through CAW. She studied liberal arts because she wanted to explore different subjects. Her goals are to do pharmacy tech after CAW. In the future she plans to go back to school for her bachelor’s to have a career she wants. Strengths she has are collaborating and punctuality. Outside of work and school, Jenice enjoys watching movies, playing videogames, and spending time with her family.
Julia Rodriguez
Julia Rodriguez is an 18-year-old upcoming freshman in college from NYC. She’s currently attending art school and majoring in illustration. Art and creativity are a significant influence in her everyday life, and she hopes to bring some of that inspiration to Creative Art Works. Aside from drawing, Julia enjoys listening to music and playing guitar, two hobbies that are equally important to her.
Kujeji Sumareh
Kujeji (she/her) is a rising junior in high school from the Bronx. She hopes that her ideas and teamwork contributed greatly to the mural. Her strengths are creativity, adaptability, and organization. She believes that this mural will represent and encourage a sense of community. Though she spends most of her time sleeping and on her phone, Kujeji also enjoys baking and drawing silly characters. She wouldn’t say that she’s the most artistic person ever, but she does have a thing for the arts. Fun fact: she wants to get into pottery.
Lovejoy Wright
Lovejoy (she/her/any) is a young, passionate, and determined AfroLatina, born and raised in The Bronx. She is someone who appreciates all things art made by expressive and creative minds. Entering her first year of college, she plans to pursue careers in writing and architecture. In the future, she hopes to give back to the community that she was raised in, as well as to her loving and supportive family. As this is her second year at CAW, Lovejoy’s artistic journey has already started. Her mural projects from both years are surrounded with creativity and joy. Going forward, she hopes to improve her skills, as well as obtain new ones.
Maya Wellington
Maya (she/her) is a rising junior at Midwood High School and is from Brooklyn. Maya contributes to her team by providing ideas, creativity, and effectively collaborating with her peers. Art is important to Maya because it is a creative outlet. Additionally, she believes that this mural is important because it reflects the community and encourages unity. Maya frequently participates at school as a member of the debate and lacrosse teams. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, and listening to music. Maya aspires to be a biomedical engineer in the future, where she can combine her passion for science and artistic expression through design.
Becky Schuman
Teaching Artist
Rebecca Schuman (Becky) is a painter, activist, and teaching artist. She received her BA in studio art and environmental studies and sustainability from Drew University in 2021. Since then, she has worked as an environmental educator and nature preschool teacher, and as an elementary school art teacher. Outside of work, Becky is an animal rights and environmental activist, and has frequently organized events and volunteered with groups around the New York Metropolitan area. Her paintings are reflective of her activism and have been featured in various group shows, as well as in collaboration with animal sanctuaries. Going forward, she hopes to pursue her MFA and continue teaching and painting in celebration of socially-engaged art.
Taneiya Pereira
Will Watson
Taneiya (she/her) is an 18-year-old rising freshman at BMCC and a recent graduate from The Early College High School of Emergency Medicine (ECHEM). She is of Trinidadian and Panamanian descent, but as she puts it: Brooklyn Bound— born and raised. She is an independent, spontaneous, and adaptable person who uses such traits to navigate her social spaces. Creativity is something we all have in common here at Creative Art Works, which is what gave her the push she needed to commit to this program. Through this process, she has revealed different layers of her artistic side. She has also stayed mindful of the purpose of this project, the renovation of a sanctuary at the Grant Houses community room.
Teaching Artist
Will Watson was born in Indianapolis, IN. He received his MFA from The Maryland Institute College of Art LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting in Baltimore, MD, and his BFA from the Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis Herron School of Art and Design 2011. Will has had the honor of being a keynote speaker for youth and community engagement opportunities with the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, the Maryland State Education Association, the Maryland Institute College of Arts Community Arts Virtual Power Speakers Series, and Stone Quarry Arts Park, in Cazenovia, NY.
Will is a Leslie King Hammond Graduate Fellowship recipient and has been featured in select group exhibitions at Sperone Westwater, NY; Black Wall Street, NY; and Pepco Edison Place Gallery; Washington DC. Will’s exhibitions include: Ed Vaire Gallery, a solo presentation of the works created during his residency on Governor’s Island, summer 2022, and at the NADA House. He has also inspired future artists by teaching elementary/middle school students in Baltimore City's Public Schools and young adults in New York City.
Riki Sabel Teaching Artist
Riki Sabel is Program Manager | Teaching and a Teaching Artist for Creative Art Works. She previously worked with the “Monte de Flores” mural team during the 2021 summer Public Art Youth Employment program.
Riki holds an M.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art and a B.S. from Skidmore College. Before joining CAW, Riki previously worked as a teaching artist at the Children’s Museum of the Arts in New York, the Tang Teaching Museum in Saratoga Springs, and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. She has experience working in various aspects of exhibit fabrication, installation, and administration at The Glenstone Museum, the LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting, the Tang Museum, and for various New-York-based artists. She has exhibited her artwork at galleries in Baltimore, Brooklyn, and her hometown of Newport, Rhode Island.
Riki is interested in creating a learning environment that is supportive, kind, and inclusive. Her personal art practice is grounded in drawing and painting, but she likes to dabble in all the mediums including installation, sculpture, and ceramics.
Mon Iker Floating Teaching Artist
Mon Iker (she/her) is a transdisciplinary artist working across the fields of arts-activism and clinical herbalism. By engaging the intersection of social and environmental justice through art and the healing exchange, she aims to create work that bridges visual culture and social practice. Her visual arts practice spans a variety of media, including arts-activism intervention, performance, murals, illustration, photography, short film, and animation. Last but not least, she is inspired by dad jokes and her curandera great grandmother. Born in San Antonio, Mon currently practices between Texas and New York. Mon’s artistic endeavors have shown across North America and have been featured in the New York Times. Awards (both solo and collective) include the EmergeNYC Fellowship, GloATL R&D Fellowship, Eyebeam Art and Technology Fellowship, and A Blade of Grass Fellowship. Select exhibitions include the American Academy of Arts & LeSers, Hemispheric Institute of Performing Arts and Politics Encuentro (Mexico City and Montreal), Art Basel, Queens Museum, and Living Walls: World’s First All Female Street Art Conference. Mon holds a BFA magna cum laude from Trinity University and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
About the Public Art Youth Employment Program
Public Art Youth Employment Programs give teens and young adults full-time summer jobs and part-time jobs after school to create large-scale public art and multimedia projects. Youth Apprentices are guided by professional teaching artists from the initial concept development through client presentation, to the final edit and public unveiling or premiere. Along the way, they gain tangible employment and life skills such as leadership, teamwork, responsibility and the power of taking initiative. They are empowered by the enduring accomplishment in their work of art and its positive impact on the community.
About Creative Art Works
Creative Art Works (CAW) is a 39-year-old nonprofit that empowers young people through the visual and multimedia arts. Our programs equip children, teens, and young adults with essential tools and skills; connect them with community, academic success, and career opportunities; and inspire them to reach for new possibilities. Working in underserved neighborhoods of New York City, in public schools, recreation centers, foster care facilities, parks, juvenile justice settings, and in the remote environment, CAW provides dynamic creative youth development for those who otherwise lack access. Our programs build confidence, unlock a love of learning, and teach valuable technical and socialemotional skills while creating profound connections between our young constituents, their art and their communities. www.creativeartworks.org
SUPPORTERS
Creative Art Works’ Public Art Youth Employment program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Creative Art Works’ programming is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation
