Taking Root and Taking Flight in East Harlem
CAW's "Mural Minded" Youth Apprentices Capture the Experience of Growing Up in East Harlem at Renaissance School of the Arts
Ariesmeldy Espinas explains to clients why the saxophone was included in the mural. Photo by CAW Youth Apprentice Aaron Castillo.
by CAW Summer Youth Apprentice Edgar Gonzalez
The CAW Youth Apprentices designing a Mural for Renaissance School of the Arts call themselves, “Murally Minded.” During a client presentation on Monday, July 20th, Murally Minded presented their design to the Renaissance administration and teaching staff and leaders from the local community. CAW Executive Director Brian Ricklin and Program Director Anthony González were also in attendance.
The design features a person skateboarding on a giant yellow pencil, an undulating saxophone, paint buckets, red, white & blue stripes on one edge of the mural, and roots growing inside the mind of a person on the other edge of the mural.
Joshua Perez, one of the Youth Apprentices from Murally Minded explained to everyone how the saxophone represented music education at Renaissance and in the surrounding community. The skateboarder represents the youth of the community who love to skateboard, while the pencil signifies learning in the school. The paint buckets are full of green and yellow paint; along with the red white and blue stripes on the left side of the mural, these colors represent all the unique cultures that live in the community.
Joshua went on to say, "The fact that there's a seed planted in the brain which grows into vines that reach the world on the other side, depicts a want for travel and knowledge, which is powerful because that is what I want for myself."
"Mural Minded" Youth Apprentices are painting a mural about art, education, and growing up in East Harlem. Photo by CAW Teaching Artist Kady Perry.
The CAW Youth Apprentices of Murally Minded include: Safiya Khalfani, Arlin Garcia, Elise Vidal, Aaliyah Toney, Trevonna Hepburn, Thalia Torres, Joshua Perez, Asli Lazaro, Ariesmeldy Espinal, Luis Rodriguez, Marvin Smith, Katherine Benscosme, Alexander Matos and Emmily Matos.