Inspiring Art-Activism in New York City Youth
CCCADI’s artistic and educational approach to ensuring a moment lives on as a movement.
By: Viannca Vélez
In March 2021, CCCADI launched the On Protest and Mourning virtual exhibition to honor, through visual art, the nation’s public mourning and protest of Black lives taken prematurely by state violence. Executive Director Melody Capote commissioned this exhibition after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 incited a historical moment of mass uprisings, and forced to the forefront conversations about the persistence of systemic racial violence in the U.S.
The exhibition served as one of the ways CCCADI worked to ensure that the conversation about violence against Black bodies continues even after the news cycle goes quiet. The digital exhibition features photographers and filmmakers that capture our collective uprisings and declarations that Black Lives Matter.
For CCCADI, it is of utmost importance that our young people are included in these movements and conversations about race, racism, systemic injustice, and state violence. CCCADI developed the For the Culture program to address the need for youth involvement. Through a professional development series and an in-depth 13-lesson curriculum, For the Culture first prepared educators in the spring of 2022 on how to responsibly and intentionally empower our youth to navigate these conversations.
Funded by the Pinkerton Foundation, For the Culture then offered a four-week summer program for New York City students between the ages of 14 - 18. With the guidance of trained teaching artists, students learned to apply concepts from the On Protest and Mourning education curriculum about the nuances of race, racism, and Anti-Black violence through interdisciplinary art-making.
“It was truly a gift to connect with young people after a traumatic and grief-filled two and a half years. Our participating students reinstilled my hope in humanity. I was deeply moved by their commitment, contributions, and growth throughout this process. To watch young people stand in their power and take up space was awe-inspiring. Their voices will be heard, and I will be listening.” - Elisa Galindez, CCCADI Education Manager.
The students demonstrated their transition from learners to cultural producers through the completion of their final projects. In small groups, together they created mixed media projects that illustrate how art can be used to address and inspire action that advances racial and social justice.
Their project topics focused on discrimination around 4c hair textures, the sexualization of Black and Brown women, the racist rejection of graffiti art, and racial stereotypes in the media.
Additionally, students honored the legacy of Hiram Maristany, community storyteller and photograph documentarian who captured the spirit, beauty, and grit of East Harlem. They followed in his footsteps by beautifully capturing their own communities through black and white photographs.
Their projects and images are powerful, honest, and nuanced.
Participating students:
Allison Avelino (Project: Sexualization of Black & Brown Women)
Annabelle Andrews (Project: Racism & Graffiti)
Ashanti Prudencio (Project: Stereotypes in Media)
Chris Flowers (Project: Texturism)
Clowee Jones (Project: Texturism)
Jazmyne Graham (Project: Stereotypes in Media)
Jinkhia Baez (Project: Racism & Graffiti)
Justice Price (Project: Stereotypes in Media)
Khidar Khalfani (Project: Texturism)
Liz Onedipe (Project: Sexualization of Black & Brown Women)
Sierra Wilkinson (Project: Sexualization of Black & Brown Women)
Terri Diarra (Project: Texturism)
Timani Taylor (Project: Racism & Graffiti)
William Greene (Project: Stereotypes in Media)
Participating teaching artists:
Jordan Martins
Leslie Martinez
Maxine Montilus
Tamara Thomas (Curriculum Developer & Program Evaluator)
Participating intern:
Shylah Jones-Goodwin