In her book, Letter To My Daughter, Maya Angelou wrote: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Since 1991 Urban Arts Partnership has been working with students in underserved public schools to develop their rainbows and unleash inner kaleidoscopes.
Co-founded by Rosie Perez, Urban Arts Partnership was created to inspire creativity and intellectual development in public school students. For close to three decades their students have created over one million works of art and have been enlightened by 1,000 teaching artists. In fact, the organization currently works with 100 public schools across New York and Los Angeles and impacts the lives of more than 15,000 students each year.
Urban Arts Partnership is also devoted to programs designed to support immigrants, LGBTQ, special needs and at-risk students.“Thanks to our programs students are more creative, expressive, and perform better on tests,” shares Urban Arts Partnership CEO, Philip Courtney. “Teachers grow as professionals and achieve better outcomes and schools are more fun places to be and learn.”
What makes Urban Arts Partnership unique is that they are constantly striving to discover inventive and fun ways to use the arts to teach math, biology, english, computer science and history and make these subjects more accessible. Using out-of-the-box methods they incorporate storytelling, animation, music, printmaking, game design and anything else that gets students engaged and juiced about learning. (For example, they might use hip hop to teach students about a historical figure.) Through the lens of art, students explore their place in the world and the impact they have making positive change.
Just last week Urban Arts hosted its annual benefit, The Color Ball, at The Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. The gala honored legendary hip hop pioneer Darryl “DMC” McDaniels for his decade-long service to the organization. Attendees were also treated to free style performances about the power of potential and an original song by Grammy and Tony award-winning rapper and actor Daveed Diggs. Jesse Eisenberg, Noor Tagouri, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Damaris, Sarah Jones, Diane Neal, Maulik Pancholy, Karina Ortiz and Michael Zegen, who have worked with and are devoted to the students, were there to cheer them on. They have continually showed up for these young people and are a force in their development.
The gala also featured riveting performances and speeches by student and alumni recipients of the Nagler College Scholarships which includes a four year college scholarship and helps supplement tuition, board and other expenses. In fact, five of the Nagler scholars were at the gala to welcome this year’s Nagler Scholarship recipient, Darcelis Gutierrez.
Gutierrez passionately spoke about her acceptance to New York University to create multicultural games that are filled with kindness and empathy. “Game design tied me to myself. I was able to tap into a world that changed my life for the best. Creating something out of nothing proved to me that I can take control of my life,” she said. “As an artist and game designer I want to serve as an example to others who don’t even know that they can strive to break out and do something truly fulfilling.”
Even after they graduate the Nagler scholars maintain a strong bond with the Urban Arts Partnership community. For years, Jesse Eisenberg and his wife Anna Strout have mentored and provided opportunities to Urban Arts alumni like Sarwat Siddiqui and Devin Mojica. They write letters of recommendation for graduate schools and jobs and regularly attend cultural outings together. Siddiqui, a Fordham graduate, continues to write and make music and will be attending graduate school to study psychiatry. Mojica, a student in the acting program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, recently wrapped up filming the movie Zombieland 2 and just signed with a talent agent. “My journey as an actor has been shaped by the opportunities Urban Arts provided as a student and now as an alumni making my way in the entertainment industry,” shares Mojica. “I can’t believe that I get to work alongside my mentors which is a dream turning into a reality.”
Not only did the gala celebrate New York City public school students, it also raised more than $600,000 for the organization. The artists spoke about the profound impact that Urban Arts Partnership students have had on them. “They have inspired me, and I hope that I’ve inspired them as well,” said Artistic Board Member Darryl “DMC” McDaniels who has hosted master classes, worked directly with students for many years and been invested the students’ continued growth as artists and change makers. “Urban Arts Partnership brings so many opportunities to the students they serve. As an artist and a native of Queens it makes me so happy to see an organization using the arts as a means of empowerment for New York City students.”
