Poetry Workshop

The June 14^th workshop, focused on poetry, was phenomenal. Michelle Kotler, the executive director of community word (www.communitywordproject.org), visited Hamilton Fish Park to help the kids develop poetry that will be added to the final mural. Michelle started the workshop by having the kids brainstorm words related to the environment. Choosing five of the listed words the kids created a single line of poetry. Using this format, Michelle then asked everyone to create a line of poetry using the word heat. At this point a few girls became discouraged, but with the help of Michelle, they were able to personify “heat”, which resulted in a beautiful line: “Heat dances to the beat of the sun”. With encouragement from Jamie, Adam and Michelle, the kids were on a roll and writing their own poetry. Many of the students had never written poetry before and were surprised by how easy and fun it was. At the end of the workshop each participant had written a plethora of single lines. Choosing their favorite the kids combined their efforts to create an epic poem. Adam and Jamie are now left to decide if they will use the whole poem or just a few selected lines for the final mural. Overall the final workshop was rewarding and inspiring, leaving the kids will a feeling of accomplishment. Even I was moved to go home and write a poem of my own.

By the end of the week the CITYarts interns and participating kids from the LES will be cleaning the wall in preparation for painting! This has been an exciting week and next week is only going to get better. Keep checking the website for updates.

Until then – stay fresh:

Francesca

Scaffolding will be installed this week!

workshop

The workshop on June 5^th revealed the kids’ at the Hamilton Fish Park new ideas and suggestions vis-à-vis the environmental issue and global warming. After showing the children pictures with the wall to be painted, the two artists, James and Adam, initiated the discussion on global warming and the environment from where it had ended at the last workshop. Thus, whether through words or drawings, the kids together with the two artists envisioned solutions to make the city more environmentally friendly and more similar to the drawings that they had previously done, depicting for instance clean and green parks. More specifically, the thought of recycling and alternative means of transportation seemed to develop as the focus of the drawings. The children seemed very aware of the environmental issues raised by global warming as they come out in their daily lives. Towards the end, the workshop shifted its focus from the theme of the environment towards that of what makes the city of New York unique. The two artists helped the children discover their favorite places and spaces in New York, some of which to be incorporated into the final picture of the subway map. At the very end, ideas on how to include the nature that surrounds the wall into the drawing were developed. Taking pictures of the workshop and seeing how the children came up with new ideas was very exciting and I am eager to take part to workshops again, and eventually, visit the wall to see the final outcome.

Anca -CITYarts Intern

One Step Closer

Hamilton Fish Park Workshop - June 7, 2007

The June 7^th workshop proved to be very productive as the kids and artists brainstormed more ideas for the final mural. Adam and Jamie began the workshop by showing the kids a picture of the mural site -- located in Baruch Park. The 80ft wall is bookended by two large leafy green trees. Jamie and Adam pitched the idea to the kids of incorporating the surrounding nature into the mural. Working from this idea the kids began to draw. The themes of global warming and environmental preservation were prevalent, with drawings of children cleaning up parks and lakes. Even alternative energy sources, such as windmills, were discussed. The kids were surprisingly knowledgeable about the environmental problems at hand and discussed the importance of “saving the earth” for future generations.

Some new great ideas were brought up by the artists and kids. The Big Apple as an image of nature and New York City was discussed and Adam tried incorporating a subway map or clock for the final image. The kids feed off these creative ideas and added them to their own images. They eliminated the subway stops and numbers and replaced them with symbols of the city. By the end of the hour and half period, both students and artists seemed to be one step closer to finding images for the final mural. Next week we will be focusing on poetry, and incorporating words into the mural. The kids were encouraged to bring in poems or to write their own. I feel that lines of poetry addressing the major themes of the mural will be a powerful addition to the image. It will be exciting to see how the kid’s drawings will be influenced by poetic text!

Until then – keep it real
Francesca

CITYarts Intern

Workshop at Hamilton Fish

The workshop led by artists Adam and James last Tuesday afternoon went really well! Kids growing up in the Lower East Side neighborhood were eager to take part in the mural project and share their creative ideas. The kids were given paper and markers and asked to draw their favorite parts of New York City and their own community. Immediately, many of the kids referenced the Lower East Side in which they live. As the kids became more and more engaged in their drawings, some drew beautiful nature scenes of rivers and parks.
The idea of global warming was brought up again (building on what was discussed in the prior workshop). The kids were asked to think about how global warming affects the city and even some of their favorite animals. Their ideas were incredibly innovative and you could just see the creative juices beginning to flow! It was interesting to watch as one girl drew a picture of a horse and explained that horses have always been her favorite animal and she would never want to see them hurt. We took lots of great photos of the kids working on their drawings during the workshop too. It is going to be very exciting to see the eventual outcome of all their individual efforts and talent!
-Sally, a CITYarts Summer Intern

Nature inspires...

James - Mural Artist

Watch the Mural progress here!

CityArts project lead by artists Adam Peachy and James Evans but envisioned by lots and lots of East Houston kids and teens!

Over the next 2 months these talented artists, inspired by the artwork of the youth and teens of the East Houston neighborhood, will be leading the creation of a 4-story Mural on Baruch Place!