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“Inwood has changed all throughout its existence. I feel like it is a very nuanced conversation to have, because on the one hand, you do see the good of it. There are nicer amenities being built, like the new library. You have a lot of chain businesses coming into the area and all that is poised to spur economic growth. On the other hand, is this economic growth going to necessarily mean that the culture is going to change? Is what makes Inwood unique going to go away within the next ten years?” — CAW Youth Apprentice Omar Martinez.

Creative 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.

At an in-school art class at PS/MS 4 Crotona Park West, students were given step-by-step instructions to draw a maple leaf. The structure of the lesson allowed for creativity to flourish. While each drawing is recognizable as a leaf, there is an explosion of colors, styles and techniques that makes each drawing as unique as a signature. We invite you to stroll through this forrest of creativity.

At a back-to-school community event in School District 4 in East Harlem earlier this month, Creative Art Works invited students to build a mini diorama of “the classroom of their dreams.” The results ranged from charming to whimsical. While this free art-making project was a lot of fun, it also utilized real academic skills, such as creative problem-solving and spatial and motor skills. Come inside the classroom of our dreams to see selections from this joyful event.

“We want the students to know that this school is a nurturing and safe environment, and that, no matter where they come from or where they go to in their daily lives, when they come through these doors they will find a support system and people who care about them and want them to grow. ”

— CAW Youth Apprentice Joshua Grant

The process of working on this mural has been so great. I gained new skills. I'm not as shy as I was before. It was an amazing experience getting to know the people of this community and interacting with them and learning the history of this place. That is going stay with me forever.

— David Tovar, CAW Youth Apprentice, Summer 2022

We are proud to announce that Janet Woods of Savills has join the board of Creative Art Works. As Vice Chairman and Northeast Region Lead, Janet Woods provides management of the firm’s tenant representation services in Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Miami. She also serves on the company’s Board of Directors and the North American Management Board. We sat down with Janet to talk about her introduction to CAW through a summer Public Art Youth Employment program, the importance of mentorship, and the intersection between athletics and creative youth development.

Making the transition from middle school to high school can be overwhelming. Students suddenly have a lot more choices and a lot more responsibility. Students can become so focused on getting through each class that they never stop to think about why they are going to school in the first place. The Foundations class at A. Philip Randolph Campus High School is intended to address this very issue. Creative Art Works is providing a digital arts curriculum that integrates with the Foundations program and offers students an alternative point of entry to some essential questions.

“I remember when I was younger my mom and I would sit down on the living room floor and rummage through boxes of family pictures. We looked for portraits of my grandparents and other family members who lived far from us. I liked to ask questions about who everyone was... My mom always responded with “no sé Arecis. No vivo de recuerdos.” Read more in our profile of former CAW Youth Apprentice Arecis Tiburcio Zane.

Nermen first joined Creative Art Works last summer on the graphic design team in the multimedia program [link] because she wanted to try something outside her comfort zone and not directly related to a medical career path; however, she discovered a passion for the arts and their ability to amplify issues of social justice and public health. When the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene invited CAW to collaborate with the Center for Active Design to provide photography for the upcoming revised edition of the award-winning Active Design Guidelines, Nermen was chosen as one of six CAW all-stars to participate in the program. Over the course of this program, Nermen included a brief synopsis of her photography assignments with her weekly submissions. We were captivated by her anecdotes and invited her to expand on her experiences as a CAW Youth Apprentice.

“The Center for Active Design wanted to amplify youth voices in their revised Active Design Guidelines. More than offering paid creative youth development, this program challenged our young people to take a sense of agency in the future of our city.”

— CAW Executive Director Brian Ricklin

“Art has the inherent advantage of connecting to youth in a way that gives them space to tell their stories. Since the stories we tell ourselves impact the kind of person we become, my goal is to help young people become self-aware so that they not only envision, but live out, their own great stories.”

– CAW Teaching Artist Ryan Davis

Check out these rock stars! When Savills North America tapped Creative Art Works to paint two murals to bring joy and vibrancy to a pair of hallways in their newly redeveloped Manhattan headquarters, they requested that the designs reflect their love of New York City, pop music and nature. It was a tall order, but our Youth Apprentices had more than enough attitude and swagger to make it happen.