Dear Friends,
I see collaborations as seeds for growth, which are especially necessary in today's times. Therefore I was very enthusiastic when our sponsor from The Walt Disney Company, Bernadette Longford, introduced me to Harlem RBI and I met their fabulous Executive Director, Rich Berlin. From this introduction, CITYarts was able to partner with Harlem RBI to create a mural that will serve as the background for the organization's Field of Dreams on East 100th Street in East Harlem.
Youth from Harlem RBI's REAL Kids Summer Program worked with Colombian-American artist Maria Berrio to create the piece, entitled "Windows to the Future". The mural is an expression of the youth's hopes, dreams, and aspirations. It depicts a youthful, colorful city in which children are playing together reaching towards the sky, with the words "Dreams Come True" written across the scene. During the creative process, the young artists were encouraged to visualize their dreams for the future, and I truly believe that through this meaningful artwork, they learned that dreams can come true. Indeed, Rich Berlin agrees that this notion is "a familiar theme for both CITYarts and Harlem RBI, whose missions both focus on empowering youth."
The goal of the project was not only the completed artwork but, more importantly, the journey of discovery that the creative process took the children through, a constant reminder of their contributions to their community. Maria explained, "This artistic process is about engaging every child to believe they can do anything, to discover their individual potential and express themselves." The mural stands to inspire children to dream big and follow those dreams.
We are thankful to our lead sponsor, The Walt Disney Company, and Bernadette Longford, for their continuous support of CITYarts and Harlem RBI. Also, special thanks to our contributors: American Eagle Outfitters, conEdison and the DYCD through Council Member Robert Jackson. Also listed below is a description of Harlem RBI's and CITYarts' missions. Please don't hesitate to call our attention to new, inspiring organizations. We are ready for collaboration. Thanks also to Harlem RBI and CITYarts staff and our interns for their continuous hard work.
We hope you will visit the mural, but in the meantime please enjoy these pictures of the creative process and completed mural at Harlem RBI's REAL Kids Summer Exhibition Day.
Best,
Tsipi
Ben-Haim
Executive & Artistic
Director, CITYarts, Inc.
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Board of Directors
Carrie H. Cohen,
Chairperson
Jean Kim, Secretary
Bernadette Longford,
Treasurer
Helene Saren
Lawrence
Amnon Bar-Tur
Vera Sung
Irene Minkoff
Kate Gehring
Tsipi Ben-Haim,
Executive & Artistic
Director
Board of Advisors
Sam August
Anna Carbonell
Deborah Dugan
Robert Fisher
Alex Gorlin
Katie Hollander
Stephanie Holmquist
Gisela Keller
Charlotta
Kotik
Nina & Daniel
Libeskind
Miranda McClintic
Laura
Miller
Dr. Lewis Peach
Jeanne
Greenberg
Rohatyn
Lois
Vaisman
Irwin Shlachter
Gustavo Stecher
Staff
Tsipi Ben-Haim,
Executive and Artistic Director
Kim Llerena,
Assistant to the Director
Marc Maffei,
Project Coordinator
Jordan Taler,
Creative Coordinator
Interns
Alison Deutsch
Allison Purves
Sara Saramiento
Lena Mei
Katerine Leonetti
Fay Gibson
Leandra Lehmann
Jacqui Greyerson
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"Thinking globally - acting locally, CITYarts projects build bridges of cultural
understanding and give youth the opportunity to take an active role in shaping
their future".
-- Tsipi
Ben-Haim, CITYarts Executive & Artistic Director
MISSION
CITYarts empowers children and youth by bringing them together with
professional artists to create public art that addresses civic and social
issues, impacts their lives, and transforms their communities.
PROGRAMS
We give our children and youth the opportunity to get actively involved
in their communities, do something to make their world a better place, and
assume responsibility through the creation of murals and mosaics led by
professional artists.
PROJECTS
CITYarts public art projects give youth a stage to ask, "What does peace look
like to me?", "What can I do to reduce the speed of global warming?",
and other urgent and relevant questions, and to address them artistically
through cooperation and creation.
RESULTS
Since 1968, CITYarts has created over 280
projects, transformed over 200 communities,
impacted over 100,000 kids in New York and over 5,000 kids internationally,
collaborated with 500 artists, and
partnered with 300,000 volunteersin
the process, with the consistent sponsorship of corporations, foundations, and
individuals.
Thank you in advance for your generous support. Please donate now!
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