THE SUN WILL RISE AGAIN
Art Unveiling
Tuesday, August 12th
12:45 — 2:00 p.m.
Kings County Family Court
Ceremonial Courtroom
320/330 Jay Street, Room 2.95
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dani Coca, Teaching Artist
Colleen Kong-Savage, Teaching Artist
Cass Waters, Teaching Artist Assistant
Mon Iker, Substitute Teaching Artist
CAW has painted more than 20 murals at Family Courthouses in Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx; this project marks our first partnership in Kings County. A series of panels evoking transom windows to another world will create a more welcoming waiting area outside the courtrooms on the ninth floor.
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
Aaren Huang
Aaren Huang (he/him) is an undergraduate student a Brooklyn College returning to CAW. Majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology, he is passionate about social sciences. He enjoys cycling, reading the news, and occasionally art. Aaren has more experience in digital art, but he has painted a mural before. “The Collective Dream” in Manhattan Family Court was created by a talented team, which included Aaren. He’s returning because he had a great experience in CAW previously. Aaren looks forward to painting an awesome mural with a new team this summer.
Aiana Rahaman
Aiana Rahaman is a Bengali-American from Brooklyn and a rising senior at John Dewey High School. This is her first time working with CAW, and she is excited to step outside her comfort zone and explore new forms of creativity. While she does not come from a traditional art background, Aiana expresses herself through cooking, baking, and food presentation, as well as designing for her school’s robotics team. She took on this job to open up her mind and think more creatively. Known for her kindness, problemsolving under pressure, and strong communication skills, Aiana values connection and loves spending time with friends exploring the city, and unique experiences. This mural project has given her a new perspective on the power of art and creativity. She is proud of friendships she has made and is grateful to be part of such a meaningful experience.
Amanda Pan
Amanda Pan is a rising high school senior and this is her first CAW job. She has always enjoyed art, as it is one of her favorite hobbies. She is good at uplifting others and being a supportive candidate. She loves her friends and family the most, as she deeply cherishes their company and the memories she has made with them. She is known for being clumsy and kindhearted. The best part of this job for her is the collaborative work she has done with her group. She has gained confidence to speak with others and feels more connected to her community.
Ava Wu
Ava Wu (she/her) is a 17 year old girl who currently lives in Staten Island. She has lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn but grew up in Brooklyn most of her life. Ava goes to LaGuardia High School and is an art major so she has much experience with drawing, painting, 3D design, etc. She appreciates art that features clean linework as well as art that shows high contrasts in color. She likes to paint black and white pictures in her free time and has been interested in art since she was 3. This is Ava’s second year at Creative Art Works and she enjoys the collaborative and creative aspects of the job. She gained new skills like public speaking and refreshed skills like teamwork and painting.
Catherine Cardoso Dumancela
Catherine Cardoso Dumancela is a Mexican/Ecuadorean, born and raised in Sunset Park. She is a kind, open minded individual. Her goal is to become a professional nail technician. Her favorite hobbies are exploring new places, doing her hair, and spending time with her family. This is her first experience working with other people. Throughout this whole job, she has developed so many skills such as public speaking, being social, and team building. Catherine will forever cherish the friendships that she has made throughout this whole experience.
Christian Stoddard
Christian Stoddard is an upcoming high school senior born in NYC. They are working their first job at Creative Art Works over the summer. Christian’s background in art is fairly simple, as they dabbled in drawing as a child. Though they aren’t very experienced in drawing, they are very confident in their writing skills.
Dani Tyler-Zimmerman
Dani Tyler-Zimmerman is a junior at Purchase College for a Bachelor’s degree in music, and returning for their second summer of working for Creative Art Works. Hailing from Brooklyn, some of their passions include making music, writing, and drawing. If all goes well, they hope to release a 20+ song album for their culminating senior project around May of 2027. During their time spent working for CAW, they can say that the best part about the job is how well balanced the work-fun ratio is. Even though the group is undertaking a professional endeavour, the working atmosphere is relaxed enough so that everything isn’t too stressed.
Emely Nunez
Emely Nunez is from New York. This is her first job with CAW. Emely likes to enjoy her time here. She spends her time with her family. Emely is a good listener, she also loves to listen to music, mostly pop music. She loves her family the most because they’re the only people in her life. Also she loves her dog, Rocky. Emely is known for being kind, sweet, and caring. This summer work experience was great and fun. It was nice meeting new people. The best thing about this job is learning more about art everyday.
Emily Wu
Emily Wu lives in Brooklyn, NY. This is her first time in an art program with CAW. She had a small past experience through art classes and doing her own arts and crafts at home, such as gifts and birthday cards for family and friends. She mainly spends her time collecting hobbies like crocheting, sewing, playing multiple sports, listening to music, binge watching movies and shows, and baking. She tends to put people before herself because she cares and has loyalty for them. The best thing about the job with CAW is the experience and people she got to meet. She has gained creativity and leadership through this job. As time goes by she feels comfortable and connected with her community while creating the mural.
Emmalina Eckstein
EmmaLina Eckstein (she/her) is a rising senior at Brooklyn Technical High School. She is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn. She is thrilled to have worked on a Creative Art Works project for the first time. EmmaLina has a range of hobbies, including drawing and baking. She is a violinist and has a passion for technical theater; she is currently the stage manager at Brooklyn Tech. In her free time, EmmaLina enjoys listening to music, going out with friends, and taking pictures with her camera. She had a great time participating in this program and is grateful for both the people she met and the experience she had.
Fatou Diomande
Fatou Diomande is a 16-year-old high school student. She lives in Brooklyn (Bed-stuy). She loves to eat, sleep, hang with friends, and play basketball. This is her first year at Creative Arts Work, her experience so far has been fantastic because she met new people, made new friends, and enjoys the teamwork activities the TA’s made. This is great for her since she stopped doing art about a couple of years ago. This program brought her back to art, continuing to look and make art in a deeper, more meaningful way again.
Gabrielle Williams
Gabrielle Williams (she/her) is a rising senior from Brooklyn. This year she took a fashion & design class that taught her how to hand sew and freehand 10- head croquis. She spends her free time listening to artists like Jhené Aiko and Mariah the Scientist. She is also a movie lover based on comedy, action, and fantasy. She loves kids and spends her free time journaling. This is her first CAW job and would describe it as “liberating” because she loves hands-on activities and making others comfortable. In her opinion, the best thing about this job would be gaining confidence in making eye contact when public speaking.
Back Row: Jeferson Miranda, Karen Liao, Katherine Yu, Aiana Rahaman, Emely
Third Row: Amanda Pan, Emmalina Eckstein, Lijuan Zhao Wu, Gabrielle Williams, Vicky
Second Row: Hazel Chan, Emily Wu, Sam Valerio, Samia Fatima, Ava
Front Row: Teaching Artist Mon Iker, Teaching Artist Assistant Cass Waters,
Nunez, Dani Tyler-Zimmerman, Hamza Elgayaer, Jon-Rai Wright, Aaren Huang
Vicky Shi, Hilary Lee, Catherine Cardoso Dumancela, Seleka George, Terry Banks
Ava Wu, Fatou Diomande, Laila Moreno-Enninful, Lilyany Mirabal-Rairez Waters, Teaching Artist Dani Coca, Teaching Artist Colleen Kong-Savage
Hamza Elgayaer
Hamza Elgayaer is a first time CAW participant. He is a 22-year-old Egyptian American. He was born in Manhattan but spent his formative years in the United Arab Emirates, before returning to Bay Ridge in 2019 where he currently resides. He enjoys being with friends and family and spends his free time gaming, reading, drawing, writing and learning new skills. CAW has helped him improve his thought process when it comes to art and his communication with other artists.
Hazel Chan
Hazel Chan is a high school graduate from Brooklyn Latin. She was born in Brooklyn and has lived there her entire life. She completed high school with an IB diploma and worked on visual arts exhibitions during her junior and senior years. She hopes to pursue art in the future whether it be a hobby or a career. This is her first summer as a youth apprentice with Creative Art Works. When she is not at work, she is playing Animal Crossing, hanging out with friends, taking photographs, or drawing. Creative Art Works offered her job experience and opportunities to work with passionate individuals. Overall this experience made her confident, inspired, and more productive than she would’ve been sitting at home the whole summer.
Hilary Lee
Hilary Lee is a 17-year-old incoming freshman at Hunter College. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family, two turtles, and one cat. This is her first year with CAW, but she has been drawing for over a decade. In her free time, she can be found drawing, reading, and cooking, although her true interests are centered around law. At CAW, she’s improved her skills in teamwork, communication, and connected her two main interests—art and law—by painting for the courthouse.
Jeferson Miranda
Jeferson is a sophomore college student from Brooklyn. He spends his time playing basketball, going to the gym, and studying for school. He loves to work and listen to music. He never had experience in art, and this is his first ever CAW job. CAW has definitely helped him develop a better mind for creativity. It also helped him gain new skills in art, make new friends, and it even allowed him to improve his communication, and teamwork skills. CAW lets people express their vision and ideas together. He experienced something new and loved it.
Jeramiah Crawford
Jeramiah Crawford (he/him) was born in The Bronx and is now a resident of Brooklyn. This is his first time working at Creative Art Works and he has had a wonderful experience so far. According to Jeramiah, he and “art” have not been a good mix but through adversity, creativity, and the environment Creative Art Works provides, his skills and ability have begun to improve. What makes Jeramiah unique is his unwavering willingness to learn new things and his ability to adapt to almost any and every situation. Jeramiah usually spends his time hanging out with friends or playing video games. He values family and is mostly known for his kindness, humor and intelligence.
Jon-Rai Wright
Jon-Rai Wright (he/him) is an incoming sophomore in lower Manhattan, experiencing his first job with Creative Art Works. Aiming to be an investment manager in banking, he takes algebra and personal finance classes. He has a family of 10 including his parents, with 4 pets, who he loves dearly. He is outgoing when given the chance and his art is sourced by whatever his mind tells him to create. He enjoys this job because of the bonds to be created, the work environment experience, and the feeling of being yourself amongst others.
Karen Liao
Karen Liao is a rising senior at the Brooklyn Latin School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This is her first year working with CAW. She wants art and education to have a place in her future. On weekends she is an art teacher for children. Karen plays guitar, sings, and plays volleyball. Art has been her passion since childhood. She believes that creating is a crucial part of our lives that is often overlooked. At CAW, she loved bonding with her peers and working collaboratively on an artwork for the first time. She was also able to refine her skills in public speaking and feel more connected to the borough she grew up in.
Katherine Yu
Katherine Yu (she/her) is a rising junior attending Brooklyn Latin High School. Despite this being her first year working at Creative Art Works (CAW), she has previously gained experience through volunteering as an art teacher. Katherine frequently spends her free time indulging in new hobbies and experiences. As a result she often spends time thinking about what’s next in her journey of life. Katherine’s time at CAW has taught her the importance of resilience and collaboration. It has connected her to many new people while developing social skills. This opportunity has given a great insight for Katherine about working and what it takes to be a part of a team.
Laila Moreno-Enninful
Laila (she/her) is a 16 year-old rising high school senior. She was raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with her older sister and younger brother. She spends her free time making friendship bracelets, reading at her local library, rollerskating at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and watching movies with her family. This is her first CAW job, but she has been drawing from a young age and would like to pursue an art or design major in college. Laila enjoys drawing portraits and architecture, and she loves exploring mixed media in her art. During her CAW experience, she learned a lot about the process of designing a mural and effective collaboration on a creative project. It made her appreciate public art more, and understand its importance in communities. This summer experience also allowed Laila to gain more confidence and make strong connections with her peers.
Lijuan Zhao Wu
Lijuan Zhao Wu is a high school student. This is her first summer working as a Youth Apprentice with Creative Art Works. She feels CAW has taught her new skills and allowed her to meet new people. She spends her time sleeping and talking to her friends. She loves her friends and family the most. She is known for her ambivert personality. During this sixweek internship, she learned to work with people from different backgrounds. She feels this summer taught her a lot of new things and was a productive experience.
Lilyany Mirabal-Ramirez
Lilyany Mirabal-Ramirez is a 17-yearold incoming college freshman at Mercy University. They are from east New York in Brooklyn. This is their first year at Creative Art Works. They’re known for their love for crocheting, music, and drawing. They are also well-known for being someone anyone can go up to and generally being a very supportive person. Their experience at CAW has been very fun and inspiring and they plan on doing this again next year!
Sam Valerio
Sam Valerio is a 20-year-old upcoming sophomore at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), working toward his Associate’s degree in sociology. He hopes to become a social worker and is passionate about understanding how people grow and support each other. He joined Creative Art Works, not because he can draw, as he gladly admits he cannot, but because he enjoys teamwork and sharing ideas. Sam likes being funny to lighten the mood and help others feel at ease. His love for video games connects to his interest in problem- solving and collaboration. CAW was a great experience that helped him build those skills even more.
Samia Fatima
Samia Fatima is from Pakistan. This is her first CAW job. She enjoys her time alone and is learning a lot about art. Samia spends her time with her family, and she is good at cooking. Samia loves herself and feels confident. She loves to think about that time she spent in Pakistan (18 years). Samia is 19 years old and is known as caring, sweet, and lovely. She loves everything about this job, like different types of games, drawing activities and painting. Samia made friends and gained confidence thanks to the kindness of her peers.
Seleka George
Seleka George is a high school student and 16 years of age. This is her first job with Creative Art Works, but her experience with art goes way back to when she was in elementary school. She loved art at a young age because her grandfather was a painter and her grandma loved coloring books. When she was younger she spent most of her time drawing, which she became really good at. Now she explores her hobbies (volleyball, crocheting, paintings, etc). She also loves sleeping and eating. Most of the time she’s thinking about her next meal or a nap. Her main interest is health. She’s an honor roll student, and at home known as the quiet child. The best thing about this job is the experience and learning new things. Seleka gained a new community that she enjoys.
Terry Banks
Terry Banks (she/they) is a 16-year-old junior at Edward R. Murrow Highschool. She lives in Sunset Park and it’s her first time working with Creative Art Works. They find that their time at CAW has changed her perspective on collaborating with her peers, and overall meeting new people. CAW has offered her experience in public speaking and independence. Terry’s been doing art for over a decade and has had a wild imagination since childhood. She enjoys listening to music, creative writing, drawing, playing video games with her parents, and telling stories in her free time. Terry is known by her friends for her and her dad’s killer brownies.
Vicky Shi
Vicky Shi is a rising junior from Brooklyn, currently attending Brooklyn Technical High School. She is passionate about learning, growing as a person, and experiencing life to its fullest. Throughout the summer, Creative Art Works has encouraged her to improve her collaboration skills, express her creativity in new ways, and has ultimately aided her in being more comfortable with herself.
Dani Coca
Teaching Artist
Daniela Coca (Dani) is an American-Bolivian illustrator and arts educator based in Jersey City, NJ. Dani works to deepen connections with her community and actively participates in instructing both children and adults using various art mediums. While she values the improvement of technical skills, she also prioritizes comfort, creativity, fun, and an overall positive atmosphere.
Dani primarily creates narrative-based work, focusing on various concepts, visual development, and comics and children's books. In her work, she explores the concept of connection with home, community, and oneself. Much of her work is heavily inspired by cartoons, comics, and her experience as a Bolivian immigrant. Utilizing her culture and interests, Dani has developed numerous styles that have afforded her opportunities to work on published books and product design.
She is a member of the "American Bolivian Collective" and is a featured artist in Project Mujeristas's International Colloquium on Femicide in the Americas and Catholic Responses. She holds a BFA in Illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Mon Iker 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.
Colleen Kong-Savage
Teaching Artist
Colleen Kong Savage spent her childhood hopscotching across the globe, from The Philippines, to Zambia, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. She eventually migrated to NYC for an MFA at Columbia University, then never left town. Since 2021, she has been guiding students in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn through the mural-making process. In addition to being a teaching artist, she is an illustrator, creating images for books, greeting cards, and small businesses. Her favorite medium is mixed-media paper collage. Her picture book, “Piano Wants to Play” was published by Page Street Kids in March, 2024.
Cass Waters
Teaching Artist Assistant
Cass Waters is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Brooklyn. While painting is central to her practice, Cass also works in sound, video, and photography. Originally from Woodstock, Georgia, Cass developed her artistic voice while traveling across the U.S., working as an art model, and participating in open studio communities. She took an alternative path to art education, eventually relocating to New York City to pursue her Master of Fine Arts at the New York Academy of Art, where she graduated in 2025. Cass currently lives and works in Brooklyn, where she runs several community projects, including The Nostrand Gallery and The Exchange NYC.
Cass brings a spiritually investigative and environmentally sensitive approach to both her studio work and teaching. Her art explores the emotional and material textures of built environments, engaging themes of class, architecture, and human presence.
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
Creative Art Work’s 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 Work’s 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.
CAW’S PUBLIC ART YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED BY:
Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation
