One of the organizations I was introduced to several years ago embodies the deep beliefs I hold, and through watching their growth and vision over time, I have come to learn and understand some beautiful ways of thinking and deep truths about what it means to empower youth, families and communities. CITYarts helps support youth in the process of creating murals in community areas where art may not have been readily seen, and also helps youth recreate and design and rejuvenate existing murals and public art. Recently I attended a moving party and art sale at their offices in downtown Manhattan, and I share photos of some of that art work here. Over 200 works of art were available for purchase, from artists including:
Damian Henry, Hank Virgona, Cris Gianakos, Art Hijack, Daniel Libeskind, Darrell Nettles, Benjamin Edwards, Carri Skoczek, Emi Avora, Victor Mira, Taewon Jang, Abby Leigh, Carl Van Fechten, Eva Lundsager, Ben Moon, Peter Sis, Gregg Louis, Fire Ash, Faith Ringgold, Khalil Abdul Wahid, Larry Brown, Mimi Thompson, Rush Resnick, Marsha Levin-Rojer, Christo, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Zigi Ben-Haim, Karen Fitzgerald Jessica Diamond, Joseph La Piana, Michael Kagan, Linda Williams, James Evans, Paul Deo, Holly Hughes, Carl Friedman, Matty Grunberg, Stephan Lack, Judith R. Brodsky, Kanchan Chander Jr., Gregory Heisler, Suzzane Anker, Nelleke Nix, Moshe Kupferman, Nicky Nodjoumi, Tim Davis, Lobe Robert, Nina Yankowitz, Richard Hunt, Jackie Gendel, Melamid and Komer, Vik Muniz, Charles Yuen, Louis Mendez, Duda Penteado, Ernesto Burgos, Joel Fisher, Andrew Ginzel and Kirsten Jones, Rebecca Arnold, Sylvia Mendel, Rose Viggiano, Aaron Johnson, Emilio Cruz, Jennifer Danner, Jackie Gendel, Jennifer Clarke, Audree Anid, Damien Mitchell, Brad Melamed, Rodney Ripps, Jackie Kingon, Yonatan Ziv and Lily Rattock, Victor Pierce, Marilyn Dintefass, Paul Dikgwele Molet, Amelie Hegardt, Richard Mock, Francine LeClerq, Mathieu Jais, Julie Hedrick, John Batho, Kamdar Vidhya, Louis Lieberman, Herman Rose, Mia Enell, Tjunkiya Napaltjarri, Lane Twitchell, Cathy Billian, Norman Rockwell, serif;">Birgit Wolfram, Yorly, Aveza R. Quereiski, Eric Ginsberg, B. Thilk, Jane Kent, Bill Albertini, Keith Cerone, Barbara Schwartz, Dennie Bellone, Ann McCoy, Joan Snyder, Mette Tommerup, Betsy Kaufman, Donna Schulman, Patrick Casey, Michael Johnson, Ivan Valtchev, Brooke Borg, Jackie Ferrera, Janice Melham, Weissglass, Gitte Blass, Saummer, Ed Eyth, Stuart Netsky, Carlos Paez Vilaro, Motsamai Thabane, Issac Lin, Robert Cronin, Alette Simmons-Jimenez, and Jenny Holzer.
Artists who have created murals with CITYarts include:
Duda Penteado, Paul Deo, Brooke Borg, Sean Carlson, Peter Sis, Michael Davis, Dominique d’Orange, Janice Edelman-Lee, Sadie Edginton, David Flores, Netonda Hall, Charles Jean-Pierre, Bob Krasner, Hoyi Leung, Todd Merchant, Damien Mitchell, Minaa Moshin, Ben Moon, John Moore, Joanna Nowek, Cheng Pansum, Dakota Warren, Peter Ziemciewicz and Natalie Zuckerman.
It was a lovely evening of inspiration surrounded by the work of some of the greatest local contemporary artists of our time, and perhaps the most inspirational of all was knowing that those artists are also fully aware of the importance of art in empowering the lives of youth and their communities. In the words of CITYarts, "CITYarts engages youth and professional artists in the creation of public art, including murals and mosaics. Through this creative process, CITYarts empowers, educates, and connects youth and children locally and around the world to become active participants in realizing their potential and transforming communities." Current projects include Garden Playground, a mural in Brooklyn that will be designed to celebrate nature, and the Upper West Side Story project that connects youth with local business owners to design and create banners for local businesses. I've seen some of the gorgeous projects and met some of the youth and the artists, and I can tell you that CITYarts is doing amazing work. As their founder Tsipi Ben-Haim states so beautifully, "When kids create, they do not destroy." I'll add to that from my own experience, that when people create, they begin to learn to live fully.
CITYarts - Moving Sale
525 Broadway
Suite 602
New York, NY
www.cityarts.org
Executive And Creative Director Tsipi Ben-Haim
With Shulamith Bahat, Chief Executive Officer Of Beit Hatfutsot
Executive And Creative Director Tsipi Ben-Haim
With Shulamith Bahat, Chief Executive Officer Of Beit Hatfutsot
Closer To Home
There is never too much art in my opinion, and on Saturday when I visited Rummage and Ruffage at The Church of The Holy Innocents in Hoboken, I saw one of the loveliest groups of women with beautiful hand made jewelry I have seen. Artist Martha Velasquez creates each piece with such care and joy that they seem to come alive on the table, and when you try them on they bring her vibrantly peaceful and joyful energy to the wearer. Martha and her daughters plan to be at Rummage and Ruffage every Saturday, so stop by whenever you can to see what new designs Martha has made. Martha's daughter Diana Franco is a Founding Partner and Director of Business Operations of CoreWoman, an organization that "Empowers women by developing the skills and capabilities necessary to succeed in high school, college, as leaders in business, and as entrepreneurs." You can meet Diana when you visit with Martha, as the jewelry business is one of the CoreWoman projects.
Artist Martha Velasquez With Her Two Daughters
Handmade Jewelry For Sale - A Project of CoreWoman
Saturdays From 10am-2pm At Rummage And Ruffage
Church Of The Holy Innocents
Willow Avenue and 6th Street
Hoboken, NJ
Blessings,
Jannie Susan
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