WHO WE ARE In the Spring of 1991, a handful of artists got together with homeless kids to make art in New York City. The Art Start headquarters are located at 526 West 26th Street in New York City. Over the past twenty years, Art Start has become an award-winning, nationally recognized model for using the creative arts to transform young, at-risk lives. Art Start kids live in city shelters, on the streets, are involved in court cases, or surviving with parents in crisis. Through Art Start s daily creative arts workshops taking place inside some of the city s loneliest places, at-risk youth collaborate with local teaching artists and educators who donate their time and guidance to nurture the youth s creativity and talents. Art Start uses a student-centered approach to education. Our workshops instill in our youth the confidence to appreciate who they already are and what they innately have to offer the world; then, to think critically, ask important questions, and pursue meaningful opportunities in life against all odds. Our creative workshops are structured to support consistency, build resilience, and provide direction to youth going through a time of challenging transition. While encouraging personal development on many levels, by using art and music projects that focus on the outlet for expression, kids are free to build trusting relationships with our teaching artists naturally, learning to open up and bond in ways not possible through the social service or traditional education model. And because Art Start comes to the youth, both in terms of location and circumstance, we re able to reach them despite the physical and psychological walls built to keep them closed off from the rest of the world. Though they face many obstacles, our kids have dreams that far surpass their circum- 2 ART SAVES LIVES 3
Our wish is to ensure the youth of New York City realize their potential to make their own mark of beauty on this world and we will do whatever we can to inspire and push this expression, which resides in each and every young person s heart." - MARA HOFFMAN Over 11,000 artists have volunteered at Art Start over 25 years. Art Start offers weekly piano lessons. stances. They yearn to be participants and make meaningful contributions. Art Start teaches kids how to survive their own lives with confidence, creativity and hope, and transform a time of instability and transition into a time for personal growth and development. Since 1991, we have led the effort in bringing creative arts to thousands of NYC youth. TThrough partnerships with numerous city-run and non-profit shelters, Art Start conducts creative arts workshops five days a week with homeless youth ages 5-21. From bucket drumming, building a 20- foot Chinese dragon, writing a song, choreographing a dance, painting a self-portrait or playing in a band, Art Start recognizes the obstacles keeping these youth from seeking out extracurricular outlets for their creative energy. Art Start brings our youth a unique formula that s fluid and adaptive, yet focused and consistent. Workshops are led by Art Start staff and a team of committed volunteers who focus on building trusting relationships with the youth. Art Start creates a safe and creative space inside the workshops while connecting them to new experiences outside the shelter. In 2016, Art Start s Homeless Youth Outreach Program operates inside of eight partnering NYC shelters. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Through partnerships with New York City alternative sentencing programs, Art Start provides music, visual, and performing arts programs to youth with open court cases. During this crucial window of time, participants are able to commit to goal-oriented creative projects, express themselves, hone in on their artistic interests, and re-direct their energy toward positive goals. Art Start believes that by honoring these young people and their voices, we discover the key to open greater opportunities with them. ONE MIC is intended to awaken self-realization in teens that have been mandated to alternative to incarceration programs in NYC. The program uses Hip Hop pedagogy, an instructional method that utilizes hip hop culture to provide a bridge to concepts that promote critical understanding, via the Bruce Willis/Art Start Recording Studio. Through year-round, student-centered workshops, participants cultivate original works while learning to think critically about their roles in the world around them. Media production techniques, event coordination, social networking and leadership development are among the strengths they attain. In 2016, Art Start s Youth Offender Outreach Program operates inside of two alternative-to-incarceration programs, and three youth detention facilities in NYC. Over the past twenty years, Art Start has become an award-winning, nationally recognized model for using the creative arts to transform young, at-risk lives. Art Start kids live in city shelters, on the streets, are involved in court cases, or surviving with parents in crisis. Through Art Start s daily creative arts workshops taking place inside some of the city s loneliest places, at-risk youth collaborate with local teaching artists and educators who donate their time and guidance to nurture the youth s creativity and talents. Art Start uses a student-centered approach to education. Our workshops instill in our youth the confidence to appreciate who they already are and what they innately have to offer the world; then, to think critically, ask important questions, and pursue meaningful opportunities in life against all odds. Our creative workshops are structured to support consistency, build resilience, and provide direction to youth going through a time of transition. While encouraging personal development on many levels, kids are free to build trusting relationships with our teaching artists naturally, learning to open up and bond in ways not possible through the social service or traditional education model. And because Art Start comes to the youth, both in terms of location and circumstance, we re able to reach them despite the physical and psychologicalwalls built to keep them closed off from the rest of the world. Putting Homelessness into Context The state of New York has among the highest homeless population in the US. 62,674 homeless people slept in a shelter on a single night in NYC. That s over Yankee Stadium s capacity. Families comprise 75% of NYC's homeless shelter population. 15,856 homeless families 24,076 homeless children Factors that contribute to families entering a shelter: Lack of Affordable Housing Rents are rising and more than 50% of income goes toward housing. Single Parent Household 39% of housesholds below the poverty line are headed by a single mother. 1 in 43 New York City children spent at least one night in the municipal shelter system. Human Trafficking Low Income $ Shifts in public policy means fewer people are receiving welfare benefits. Children who grow up in shelters are more susceptible to The average shelter stay for a homeless family with children is now an alarming 14.5 months. Developmental Delay Criminal Record Hunger Abuse Domestic Violence Once leaving an abusive relationship victims often have nowhere to go. Lack of Consistent Routine 4 ART SAVES LIVES 5
EMERGING ARTISTS The Emerging Artists Program supports NYC emerging artists between the ages of 13-21, who have exhibited exceptional artistic talent, but lack the resources and support to turn that talent into opportunities for their future. Princess, 17, The Bronx Ray, 18, Manhattan Nico, 19, Brooklyn Kelvin, 17, Washington Heights PRINCESS REESE - also known as Shorty Q - is a 17-year old emerging Lite Feet dancer who always knew she loved to dance. Born in Queens but raised in the Bronx, Princess had people dancing around her constantly; her father was an avid break-dancer and into popping, her sister was a choreographer, and her older brother was into a growing dance form called Lite Feet. Because of her unfamiliarity with Lite Feet, Princess gravitated toward it and decided to learn more. RAY GUZMAN-FLETE is a self-taught visual artist and writer, born and raised in New York City. Although Ray has never had any formal training as an artist, he adapted his style of art through drawing early in life and eventually began writing as a teenager. Thus far Ray has designed a sweatshirt that is being sold at a local vintage clothing store in Lower Manhattan. NICO FOX is a 19 year old visual artist from Brooklyn. He studied art all his life in various programs. Throughout middle school he attended abstract and perspective drawing courses at Pratt Institute as well as a weekly visual arts course through Rush Kids at Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn. He is currently part of the mural program with Groundswell. Nico is passionate about all forms of art. In the program he plans to explore new mediums. KELVIN HADY is an aspiring photographer hailing from Washington Heights Manhattan. Kelvin s first encounter with photography was with his family s photo albums. His work has been in featured in multiple group exhibits, starting from high school and internships such as the Future Image Makers with New York University & Expanding the Walls residency program, made possible by The Studio Museum in Harlem. Kelvin is currently an Emerging Artist-in-Residence with Art Start. 6 ART SAVES LIVES 7
FAMILY PORTRAITS The portrait project challenges the belief that the future simply will be a continuation of a difficult past. VOLUNTEER Volunteering for Art Start is more then just community service it s life enhancing for all involved. Paired up with young people whose dreams far surpass their immediate circumstances, artwork is just one of the magical results. Your ideas, your time, your expertise and your willingness to make a relationship with a child or a teen, even if just for one night a week, will open up their minds to seeking opportunity and plowing towards their goals not to mention how it will open up your own artistry and creativity. THE COMMITMENT Art Start volunteers have many ways to contribute to our mission, but the main one is to be a Workshop Volunteer in the Homeless Youth Outreach program: Commit to a full session (3 months), one night per week, with no more than TWO absences. Have a background or interest in the arts and a willingness to help lead a project based on your interests. Have experience working with groups of children or teens, either in a classroom setting, summer camp, daycare, or large family. Have a positive, open mind, and believe that anything is possible with vision and commitment. The Cintron family Attend an interview, undergo $60 GoPass finger print and background check, and undergo a volunteer artist orientation for 2-3 hours on your designated volunteer weeknight during the week directly preceding your start date. THE SCHEDULE Above: The Williams family. Below: Charles and his mom, Mary. Art Start workshops take place on weeknight evenings, between the hours of 4-9pm. Most workshops are 1.5 hours long and the starting time depends on the program. Art Start workshops are located in Bushwick Brooklyn, South Bronx, and Harlem. Workshops include visual arts, music, dance, theatre, photography, gardening, and music recording. Youth range in age from 5-21. The Art Start Portrait Project offers homeless and court-involved New York City teens, who rarely have access to the arts, the opportunity to create empowering dreams of their future and show the world how they want to be seen. Through Art Start workshops and in-depth dialogue, participants explore personal identity and envision their lives without boundaries. With support from world-class photographers, retouchers and stylists, those visions now come to life in a large-format photographic print. With all of the elements in place, these images represent a picture of inspiration and hope. When given the freedom to imagine, the courage to believe and the resources to create, we profoundly transform how we interact with the world. Participating photographers on this project include Anyway Reps Natalie Brasington and David Johnson, as well as Mary Ellen Matthews (SNL), Andrew Eccles, Matt Hoyle, Chris Randall, Heidi Gutman, Zachary Maxwell Stertz. Makeup artists will include Kim White and Emma Strachman. For the fourth year, Fast Ashleys Studios in Greenpoint, Brooklyn returns to The Portrait Project as a presenting sponsor of photo equipment and studio space for the shoot locations. DCOY Studios also returns as a sponsor, donating all digital retouching for the project. This year, Canon joins the project as the exclusive printing sponsor, making the public exhibition and book possible for this project. Follow the progression of The Portrait Project on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via @artstart.org, CONTACT US 526 West 26th Street, Suite 501 New York, NY 10001 (212) 460-0019 8 ART SAVES LIVES 9
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