Message From the Director
Dear friends of CITYarts,
In 1989 I started to revive CITYarts, then a 21-year-old organization on the verge of closing. I wanted to give the children and youth of our city a voice with which they could express themselves; to let their imagination fly through the creative process. Together with professional artists they create public art murals, mosaics, and sculptures.
The actual painting or sculpting of these artworks on the walls of their schools and homes isn't just another exciting event for these kids. With every project, youth help transform and build pride in their communities and themselves. The creative process empowers kids to become responsible and active citizens and inspires them to take responsibility for building their futures.
I believe that when kids create, they do not destroy. Their need to create and be heard is stronger now than ever before.
I think of every project as a puzzle. Every piece that comes together is equally meaningful, and the collaborative effort makes the final picture all the more powerful. Behind every mural, sculpture, and mosaic that we produce are the people who help make it possible: the children, the artists, the neighborhoods, the sponsors, CITYarts' staff and Board of Directors, the building owners and managers, and the volunteers that are almost too many to count. Our public artworks belong to all of these people because they put so much of themselves into every piece.
It is our responsibility as adults to open opportunities for our youth and direct their energies into positive activities. Art is vital to the life of New York's neighborhoods and its youth in particular. For that reason, CITYarts created five programs that through art, address the civic, social, and educational issues facing today's youth. Through these programs they create murals, sculptures and mosaics that impact their lives and transform their neighborhoods into vibrant, beautiful spaces for them to meet, celebrate their achievements, and bridge cultural differences. Thinking globally and acting locally, we most recently created the Young Minds Build Bridges program. Through this program we united the youth of New York City and their peers from around the globe around the common purposes of promoting peace and raising awareness of global warming.
At times we have had three generations of a family working together on a wall. During the painting of "Celebrating the Heroes of Our City", which was completed in the summer of 2002, a five-year-old girl said to her grandmother, "Grandma, I didn¹t know you knew how to paint," to which the grandmother replied, "I was never given a chance before." CITYarts' mission is that no child is left behind; we bring people together and give everyone a chance to contribute.
Please help us to help our future generation paint a better world. I would like every child to be able to say, "You see this beautiful mural? I helped create it. I am a part of it."
Tsipi Ben-Haim
Executive & Artistic Director