Tori mixes paint with youth from P.S 64 Tori, 21, San Antonio
Summer Intern, 2009
My first day at CITYarts proved to be quite an adventure. Not knowing what to expect, I approached the door with an open mind. When Julia and I decided to go to the NYU library to search for pictures for the P.S. 64 Stay in School workshop, we had no idea something so simple would end up being far more difficult. The library hated us, really! Every attempt to access pictures failed. Finally, one of the student workers helped us by lending us his personal jump drive that I returned to him later that day. After attaining some of the pictures, Julia and I sprinted back to the office. Looking back, it really was quite humorous. The greatest part of our little adventure was that I quickly learned the nature of CITYarts. No one in the office was annoyed or upset with us. Actually, everyone was calm and not even phased by our arriving late with random, unprinted pictures. Patience, kindness and encouragement continued to be qualities of the CITYarts atmosphere throughout the summer. I never once felt discouraged or overwhelmed. In fact, I think my roommate was jealous of how excited I was to go to work everyday. I loved the diversity of the atmosphere at CITYarts. I appreciated the different approaches everyone took when working on a project. I learned so much from simply witnessing the methods and ideas of those around me. CITYarts allows for different avenues that all lead toward a common goal. Furthermore, I greatly appreciated the balance between instruction and independence the interns were offered. After being showed how to do something, I was easily able to take initiative while remaining comfortable asking for help. The projects adopted by CITYarts allow for gaps to be bridged and communities to come together. I loved how at the Pieces for Peace wall I could interact with volunteers from CSM, kids from the local school, students at City College, the park managers, and the people at the local grocery store. More than anything, I am grateful for the opportunity I had to meet people and simply interact with them. CITYarts really was a unique opportunity and I am so thankful for the chance to work there this summer.