Arts! By the People

Empowering Individuals Through Collaborative Acts of Self-Expression


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Last August several of our high school artists took part in our first NYC high school residency. I want to thank all of the participants for their time and courage in creating.  My hope for this new program is to offer a space and a foundation for personally expressive work. At this time in a young person’s life, there are many struggles to understand and expectations to meet. Work, education, and self-development are necessary to create opportunities for the future. The hours we spend on these can be counted and easily measured or prescribed. Yet what cannot be prescribed, controlled, or mandated is the self-understanding, creative thought, and self-awareness that is needed to navigate the choices that will affect a young person’s independent living. These creative processes help us to understand where to plant our feet, how to choose a good mentor, and when to take someone’s advice with a grain of salt. It is my belief that this process requires a protected, but open space. This all sounds so very serious! During the residency, we enjoyed visiting museums and the neighborhood pizza places of Brooklyn. We drew all over the walls for hours, exploring different materials and their effects, responding to poetry or images left on the walls. The residency this year was only four visits, but hopefully we will be able to build on it for the future. This was a first experience for our residents, and their work was bold and surprising. It has been kept largely private, though it’s possible that some of our future work will be created with the intention of sharing. We will keep you posted. Again, a special thanks to our residents and to all the ARTS! By The People staff who made it possible. —Sarah Valeri Pictured above: a detail from one of the resident’s paintings.  

Last August several of our high school artists took part in our first NYC high school residency. I want to thank all of the participants for their time and courage in creating. 

My hope for this new program is to offer a space and a foundation for personally expressive work. At this time in a young person’s life, there are many struggles to understand and expectations to meet. Work, education, and self-development are necessary to create opportunities for the future. The hours we spend on these can be counted and easily measured or prescribed. Yet what cannot be prescribed, controlled, or mandated is the self-understanding, creative thought, and self-awareness that is needed to navigate the choices that will affect a young person’s independent living.

These creative processes help us to understand where to plant our feet, how to choose a good mentor, and when to take someone’s advice with a grain of salt. It is my belief that this process requires a protected, but open space.

This all sounds so very serious! During the residency, we enjoyed visiting museums and the neighborhood pizza places of Brooklyn. We drew all over the walls for hours, exploring different materials and their effects, responding to poetry or images left on the walls. The residency this year was only four visits, but hopefully we will be able to build on it for the future.

This was a first experience for our residents, and their work was bold and surprising. It has been kept largely private, though it’s possible that some of our future work will be created with the intention of sharing. We will keep you posted.

Again, a special thanks to our residents and to all the ARTS! By The People staff who made it possible.

—Sarah Valeri

Pictured above: a detail from one of the resident’s paintings.