New Urban Arts Staff Giving Tuesday List 2025

Posted on November 18, 2025 by Dean Sudarsky

“We take care of ourselves, we take care of each other, we take care of the studio.”

These words hang prominently above the door to New Urban Arts as an inspiration to all of our students, staff, volunteers, and visitors. As we celebrate #GivingTuesday, we hope you’ll care for your community in a way that is meaningful to you.

This year, we polled our staff and asked them which local organizations they support; here’s the list we compiled. We hope that you’ll give to New Urban Arts, as well as some of these remarkable organizations that make our community a better place. Happy #GivingTuesday!

AMOR	We are a community support network, organizing to fight back against detention, deportation, police violence, and state sponsored violence & abuse.
AS220 Youth	AS220 Youth is a nationally recognized, award-winning after-school educational program and creative incubator for young people. Serving young people ages 14-21 with a special focus on those in the care and custody of the state, the program strives to dismantle the pipeline to prison by empowering  at-risk, beyond-risk and incarcerated youth through arts, culture and collective action.
Colibrí Center for Human Rights	The Colibrí Center for Human Rights is a family advocacy nonprofit working to end migrant death and related suffering on the U.S.-Mexico border. We partner with families, forensic scientists, and humanitarians to find the missing and help identify the dead. We also work to bear witness to the loss of life and hold space for families to build community, share their stories, and help raise consciousness about this human rights crisis.
College Visions	College Visions empowers low-income and first-generation college students to achieve the promises of higher education, while leading the way for innovative college planning and advising.
DARE	DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality) organizes Providence communities for social, political, and economic justice since 1986.
Dorcas International	We cultivate an inclusive community for immigrants and those seeking refuge by providing integrated services, fostering cross-cultural understanding, and nurturing strong partnerships.
The Equity Institute	Our mission is to partner with schools and communities to develop equitable and sustainable learning environments. By centering community, we leverage local talent to create pathways for individuals to become certified classroom teachers. We offer comprehensive support through coaching, professional development, and community spaces designed to connect, build, and heal.
Everett Company Stage School	Encompassing a Company, Stage and School, its ensemble of artists create, perform, teach and mentor new generations of artists within a diverse community. Guided by the principles of collaboration and experimentation, Everett explores complex social issues through a combination of theater, dance, music and video. At the heart of the organization is the belief that the arts can transform lives across cultures, generations, and economic backgrounds, and create a more just, equitable and joyous future.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island	Today our mission is as it was from the start — to grow a local food system that values the environment, health, and quality of life of the farmers and eaters in our region. Increasing Community Access to Local Foods: All of our programs — Farmers Markets, Farm to School and Community Education, Bonus Bucks, Hope’s Harvest, Market Mobile, and Harvest Kitchen‘s culinary job training program — increase the availability and affordability of locally sourced foods, reduce food waste on local farms, and share knowledge of how fresh, local ingredients fit into a healthy lifestyle.
Foster Forward	Foster Forward’s mission is to empower lives impacted by foster care. We have an unwavering commitment to support children and youth, families, and the child welfare system as a whole, to grow, connect, improve, and move forward.
George Wiley Center	For 40 years, The George Wiley Center has been a grassroots agency that organizes members of the low-income community to advocate for systematic changes aimed at alleviating problems associated with poverty.
Haus of Codec	Building community through the arts and Educational Empowerment. Based in the Creative Capital, Haus of Codec is committed to ensuring an end to transition-aged youth homelessness in Providence through the arts and workforce development.
House of Hope	Founded in 1989, House of Hope CDC is a non-profit, community development corporation. Serving our residents of Rhode Island, we aim to prevent and end homelessness. We offer affordable housing and life changing services. Working with other advocates, we support policies to ensure that no one is left behind.
Latino Policy Institute	The Latino Policy Institute works to stimulate public policy discourse by examining and communicating the evolving experiences of the Latino community in Rhode Island. LPI is committed to educating, activating, and motivating community members and stakeholders to ignite positive change in the lives of all Latinos.
LitArts RI	LitArts RI supports Rhode Island writers through community events, workshops, writing groups, and shared creative workspace. Our mission is to build Rhode Island’s arts community by supporting the state’s creative writers and enriching the lives of readers.
Manton Avenue Project	MAP’s mission is to nurture the unique potential of young people in Olneyville by unleashing their creative voices and uniting them with professional artists to create original theatre.
Mathewson Street Church – Friendship Breakfast	Each week we serve over 300 Sunday meals in our Fellowship Hall. Many of our friends who come through the doors are affected by our current housing crisis, many face food insecurity each day. We provide a warm homestyle breakfast, a room filled with music from local musicians, and a space to lift each other up.
Movement Education Outdoors	Movement Education Outdoors (MEO) provides outdoor experiences and curriculum for community-based organizations serving youth of color and of limited economic resources. We teach youth to become mindful of their body, aware of indigenous history and engaged in the natural world.
Olneyville Neighborhood Association	The Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA) is a community-led organization committed to empowering low-income and immigrant communities through literacy, digital skills, and leadership development. We aim to operate from a framework of community defense, popular education, and collective power. Our goal is to ensure that residents are active participants in shaping their economic and social futures.
Parents Leading for Educational Equity	Our mission is to demand a high-quality public school education for every child of color and be a voice for parents, caregivers & caretakers when policy decisions are being made at the local and state level.
PrYSM	PrYSM mobilizes queer Southeast Asian youth, families, and allies to build grassroots power and organize collectively for social justice.
Providence Public Library	Providence Public Library inspires Rhode Islanders to be lifelong learners by engaging their curiosity and offering access to extraordinary experiences, resources, and ideas. Engage. Learn. Thrive.
Providence Student Union	PSU builds student power to improve education and well-being.
Project Weber/RENEW	Through peer-led outreach, Project Weber/RENEW provides harm reduction and recovery support services, builds relationships with the people we serve, and fights for systemic change. We empower individuals who use drugs and/or engage in sex work and people at risk for and living with HIV & hepatitis C to make healthier and safer choices in their own lives.
Red Shed Bike Camp	At Red Shed Bike Camp, kids explore the watershed on two wheels, enjoying daily bike rides while learning safe riding skills, basic bike maintenance, and watershed stewardship. By the end of the week, campers leave with more confidence, new skills, and a deeper connection to nature. We believe biking should be for everyone!
The Refugee Dream Center	The Refugee Dream Center, founded by Dr. Omar Bah, aims to create a sense of family and community for refugees who may be far away from their loved ones. What sets this nonprofit apart is its focus on building community wherever refugees are, irrespective of the circumstances they face. Unlike other organizations, the Refugee Dream Center eliminates tedious paperwork, long waits, and appointments. It is an organization created by refugees for refugees, with a majority of the staff being refugees themselves.
El Refugio	El Refugio accompanies immigrants at Stewart Detention Center and their loved ones through hospitality, visitation, support, and advocacy. We envision a world without immigration detention.
Rhode Island Black Business Association	RIBBA is committed to closing the wealth gap in Rhode Island by empowering all residents to thrive and fostering equitable opportunities for future generations.
Rhode Island School for Progressive Education	The Rhode Island School for Progressive Education (RISPE) is a beacon of transformation within the Rhode Island educational sector. RISPE holds the distinction of being the first higher education institution in Rhode Island explicitly founded to diversify the state’s teacher workforce and champion anti-racist education.
SISTA Fire	Our mission at SISTA Fire is to co-create a network of women of color and non-binary people of color to build our collective power for social, economic and political transformation
Sojourner House	The mission of Sojourner House is to promote healthy relationships by providing culturally sensitive support, advocacy, housing, and education for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking; and to effect systems change.
Southside Community Land Trust	Our mission is to provide access to land, education and other resources so people in Rhode Island can grow food in environmentally sustainable ways and create community food systems where locally produced, affordable and healthy food is available to all.
Southside Cultural Center	Southside Cultural Center of Rhode Island connects, cultivates and engages community through the arts.
The Steel Yard	The Steel Yard’s historic campus is a platform for professional artists, makers, and the community to practice and learn the industrial arts. The organization fosters creative and economic opportunities, by providing workspace, tools, training, and education while forging lasting links to a local tradition of craftsmanship.
Teatro ECAS	Located in the heart of southeastern New England, Teatro ECAS brings together diverse, multi-generational audiences to experience the joy of live theater performed in Spanish, fostering self-discovery and cultural connection.
Tomaquag Museum	The Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island’s only indigenous museum, dedicated to sharing the culture, arts, and history of tribal communities in Southern New England from a first-person perspective.
Young Voices	Young Voices transforms urban youth into powerful advocates who have a voice in every aspect of their lives.
Youth In Action	Youth In Action creates opportunities for youth to become agents of change through transformative youth leadership programming.
Youth Pride, Inc.	Youth Pride, Inc.’s mission is to meet the unique, ongoing needs of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults through direct service, support, advocacy, and education.

Volunteer Artist Mentor & Study Buddy Applications are OPEN!

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Dean Sudarsky

APPLICATION DEADLINE: August 25, 2025

We are now accepting applications for Volunteer Artist Mentors and Volunteer Study Buddies (academic tutors) for the 2025-2026 school year. We are seeking volunteers for both of our program sites: the NUA Storefront Studio and NUA Knights (located at Central High School). You must be over 18 years old to apply.

About Our Youth Mentorship Programs:

New Urban Arts is a nationally recognized interdisciplinary arts studio for high school students. We offer a drop-in studio space where students can opt into workshops, engage with peers, mentors and staff or just hang out.

Our mission is to build a vital community that empowers young people as artists and leaders, to develop a creative practice they can sustain throughout their lives.

In 2017, New Urban Arts worked with Central High School to launch NUA Knights, an after school and summer program specifically for Central students. NUA Knights offers 15+ after school programs to students led by teachers, staff, community partners and other nonprofit organizations per year.

What to Expect:

Mentoring youth in the arts at New Urban Arts & NUA Knights is a volunteer position. This is a school-year-long commitment from September 29th – May 29th (with exceptions of holiday recesses on the PPSD calendar). Each volunteer contributes their time (specified by each site below) and also participates in a professional development program of monthly meetings, and a two-day orientation on Sept 25 & 26. Mentors receive a small honorarium in appreciation for their contribution.

NUA Storefront Studio: Two sessions, totaling 4.5 hours per week (M-F 2:00-4:15 pm OR 4:00-6:15 pm)
NUA Knights: One or two sessions, totaling 2.5-5 hours per week (M-Th 2:30-5:00 pm)

Apply ONLINE, or download a PDF and email application and supporting materials with subject headline “Mentor Application” to dana@newurbanarts.org

Submission of this application does not guarantee you a position at New Urban Arts. Spots are limited. A formal interview process will follow once we receive your application. Our students will review, interview and hire applicants. Thank you for your interest in volunteering at NUA!

New Urban Arts to Receive $25,000 Award from the National Endowment for the Arts

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Dean Sudarsky

New Urban Arts is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $25,000. The NEA will award 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects awards nationwide totaling more than $31.8 million as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.

“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including those at New Urban Arts.”

We’re grateful to the NEA and their continued support of community arts programming for Providence youth. For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

We’re Hiring an Administrative Coordinator

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

New Urban Arts is seeking an Administrative Coordinator to join our team on a full-time basis. The Administrative Coordinator plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth functioning of our organization. This position supports the Executive Director, program, development, and operations teams by managing administrative tasks, coordinating schedules, and facilitating day-to-day activities. This position is ideal for a strategic, systems-oriented thinker interested in supporting teams through clear communication, organized information, and efficient workflows.

Full-Time Administrative Coordinator – New Urban Arts
Position: Administrative Coordinator (Full-Time)
Hours: 40 hours per week
Compensation: $26 per hour

Benefits: NUA provides medical, dental, and retirement benefits to full and part-time staff. This position will receive 15 days of paid vacation after completing a probation period and up to 15 days of paid sick time. New Urban Arts recognizes 15 paid holidays for full-time employees and up to three paid weeks of organizational closures (dependent on roles and deadlines).

Reports to: Executive Director

For more information on the position and how to apply, read the full posting here.

We’re Hiring a Development Associate

Posted on November 6, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

New Urban Arts is seeking a self-motivated and detail-oriented Development Associate to join our team on a part-time basis. The Development Associate will provide essential administrative support to our development efforts, with a focus on donor management, grant research, data management, and reporting. This role requires someone who is proactive, organized, and able to work independently to meet deadlines.

Part-Time Development Associate – New Urban Arts
Position: Development Associate (Part-Time)
Hours: 20 hours per week
Compensation: $25 per hour

Benefits: NUA provides medical, dental, and retirement benefits to full-and part-time staff. This positon will receive one and a half weeks paid vacation after the completion of a probation period and up to a week and a half paid sick time.

Reports to: Development Director

For more information on the position and how to apply, read the full posting here.

Double Your Impact

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

We’re excited to share that we have a great opportunity to double the impact of our work at New Urban Arts, and we’d love for you to be part of it.

A generous donor has offered a $25,000 matching grant, and to unlock this support, we need to raise $25,000 from new or returning donors. Donor support helps sustain a creative community where young people explore their interests, develop skills, and express themselves through art. If you’ve been a donor in the past, but not in recent years, we would love to have you back! Your gift will be doubled, and so will your impact. If you’ve never given to New Urban Arts, we’d love to welcome you into our community of supporters. Donors’ gifts help sustain our work and create safe spaces for young people’s creative exploration and expression. Here’s what one of our students had to say:

“New Urban Arts means a safe space where I can creatively express myself, my emotions, and my struggles through art and support from others around me.”

This is just one of the many stories of young people shaping their futures at New Urban Arts. Whether they are printing photos in our darkroom, experimenting with music in the recording studio, designing garments and accessories with one of our ten industrial sewing machines, or simply using the natural light to work on painting and drawing, students can rely on the resources and creative spaces that NUA provides. By renewing your support, you’re helping to ensure that this vital work continues, creating opportunities for more students to explore their passions and connect with their creativity.

Every dollar you give will be matched, doubling the power of your contribution. Will you join us again with a gift today to support this work?

Thank you for continuing to be part of our community!

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Update on the NUA Archives at PPL

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

For our 25th anniversary, New Urban Arts started a partnership with Providence Public Library to archive our papers and artworks as a part of their Rhode Island Collection.

Over the past few years, we sent a wide range of materials to PPL, including founding documents, vision statements, student art, board minutes, photographs, oral histories, and more. These materials will be available both digitally (visit our Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/newurbanarts) and physically, making NUA’s stories accessible to historians, community members, and alumni.

This month, Summer Mentor and former A Life After School Coordinator, Addy Schuetz, former Executive Director, Daniel Schleifer, and former Board Chair Susan Smulyan started the physical end of the process of bringing boxes of archives over to PPL, with support from Kate Wells on the PPL side.

Our history will join PPL’s Community Archives initiative, which preserves materials from people and community groups documenting shared experiences, art, activism, cultural history, identity, and heritage. NUA’s archive will be alongside those of our friends at AS220 and the Urban Pond Procession.

These materials tell a compelling story of New Urban Arts and the Providence ecosystem where it was founded and has thrived. They reflect the vibrant history of our organization, our commitment to fostering creativity, and our role in the community. By preserving these documents, we ensure that future generations can explore and learn from our journey, values, and impact. This donation is not just a celebration of our past but a commitment to our future, as we continue to inspire and support young artists and creatives in Providence and beyond.

As we look ahead, we invite everyone to engage with our rich history through the Providence Public Library. Explore our archives, discover the stories of countless young artists who have passed through our doors, and witness the transformative power of creativity and community that defines New Urban Arts. This collection stands as a testament to the enduring spirit and vision that drive us forward.

Special thanks to Susan Smulyan, Kate Wells, and the 25th Anniversary Steering Committee for their inspiration and support!

NUA Volunteer Artist Mentor & Study Buddy Applications are now OPEN!

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

APPLICATION DEADLINE: August 26, 2025

We are now accepting applications for Volunteer Artist Mentors and Volunteer Study Buddies (academic tutors) for the 2024-2025 school year. We are seeking volunteers for both of our program sites: the NUA Storefront Studio and NUA Knights (located at Central High School). You must be over 18 years old to apply.

About Our Youth Mentorship Programs:

Our mission is to build a vital community that empowers young people as artists and leaders, to develop a creative practice they can sustain throughout their lives.

What to Expect:

Mentoring youth in the arts at New Urban Arts & NUA Knights is a volunteer position. This is a school-year-long commitment from October 7th – May 30th (with exceptions of holidays and school break weeks). Each volunteer contributes their time (specified by each site below) and also participates in a professional development program of monthly meetings, and a two-day orientation on September 26th & 27th. Mentors receive a small honorarium in appreciation for their contribution.

NUA Storefront Studio: Two sessions, totaling 4.5 hours per week (M-F 2:00-4:15 pm OR 4:00-6:15 pm)
NUA Knights: One or two sessions, totaling 2.5-5 hours per week (M-Th 2:30-5:00 pm)

Apply ONLINE, or download a PDF and email application and supporting materials with subject headline “Mentor Application” to dana@newurbanarts.org

NUA has been selected by the Stop & Shop Community Bag Program

Posted on July 25, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

We’re excited to share that, for the entire month of August, New Urban Arts has been selected by store leadership to benefit from Stop & Shop’s Community Bag Program. Whenever a $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at the Stop & Shop located at 850 Manton Ave, Providence, RI in August, $1 will be donated to NUA!

If you’re looking for a reusable grocery bag, head down to Stop & Shop on Manton Ave., grab one and help out New Urban Arts in the process. Thank you!

NUA’s New Sidewalk

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

Thanks to a grant from Providence’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Department, volunteer mentor and alum, Lizzy $our was able to spend April break instructing students on how to plan and execute public artworks. Together they devised and blocked out a mural for the sidewalk by the front entrance to NUA’s 705 Wesminster St. studio. Student Robbie Sena then spent over 60 hours in the following weeks completing the mural! Check out the gallery below for pics on how it all came together, and walk by sometime to see the finished piece in all its glory.

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Remembering Mary Lee Partington

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

Mary Lee Partington, who served on NUA’s board from 2012 to 2020, including three years (2017-2020) as our board chair, passed away on April 21, 2024. Mary Lee was a passionate and charismatic emissary for NUA’s mission. She spent many years teaching English at Burrillville High School, and from this experience, she developed a strong understanding of adolescence that allowed her to communicate authentically about our work. She frequently spoke to the importance of NUA in helping young people reach “threshold” realizations about the potential for art and creativity to change their lives. In other words, she believed that NUA helped young people gain insights that permanently changed their sense of possibility.

Mary Lee was incredibly dedicated to a variety of organizations and causes, but she was probably best known as a gifted singer-songwriter and steadfast preservationist of the culture and heritage of Irish-Americans in the Blackstone River Valley. She was a founding member of the music group Pendragon, one of the regions’ foremost presenters of Celtic and Celtic-inspired music. She was also a driving force behind the creation of the Blackstone River Theater (BRT). In December of 2023, she received the John H. Chafee Heritage Award from the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

Mary Lee will be dearly missed by the New Urban Arts community. Her complete obituary is available here.

April Break at NUA Knights

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

NUA Knights partnered with the Audubon Society StormWater Innovation Center over April Vacation to learn about water quality focusing on stormwater and runoff and how they affect the environment, including the people, plants, and animals that live in our local communities and neighborhoods. This year there was an increased focus on green infrastructure and green roofing. We had 16 Central youth attend this program! Youth were able to dive deep into the learning, get a walking tour at Roger Williams Park of the existing green infrastructure, spent the afternoon at the Zoo, and built and painted birdhouses to be installed in the community.

Pictures from April Break: Threads for a clereSTORY

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

Over April break, a small cohort of our students were busy in the studio designing a new clerestory. What is a clerestory? In our case, it’s the row of small windows above the main windows in the front of the studio. The goal of this program was to use sewing, embroidery, and other textile arts and techniques to adorn our windows, and students and mentors delved deep into our fashion & sewing area, brainstormed with collaborative drawing games, and visited the botanical gardens in Roger Williams Park for design inspiration and sketching. Check out the pictures below to see more about the pieces hanging inside NUA and how they came together:

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Sign Up For Summer Programs At NUA!

Posted on May 16, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

This summer, we’re offering three different summer programs—click here to sign up! All programs are paid internships.

Art Inquiry – Art in Nature July 8 thru August 9

Artist Mentors will lead students in exploring environmental art through various activities, culminating in a collaborative project installed in the pollinator garden at All Saints’ Memorial Church near New Urban Arts.

College Explorations July 16 thru August 9

College Explorations is for juniors and seniors, offering a head start on college applications while exploring personal interests through art. Students will engage with college life, visit campuses, and connect with current students. Open to all majors/careers.

Student Team Advisory Board (STAB) July 8 thru August 9

Join STAB to explore NUA’s history and the role of youth leaders and artists in our community. This summer, we’ll creatively tackle issues like relationships, identity, and power dynamics through art.

Thank you for an amazing 401 Gives and Birthday Bash!

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

April has been a busy month for the Development team at New Urban Arts and we are thrilled to share the highlights of our April fundraising events!

One of the standout moments of the month was our participation in 401Gives, an initiative that brought nonprofits across Rhode Island together for a day of giving. This year, we committed to a unique project: hosting a puppet-making livestream on YouTube. Despite the challenge of this project, our team rose to the occasion with lots of enthusiasm and creativity. Collaborating across departments, staff members who don’t typically work together joined forces to create a quirky and entertaining production – that even our community AND our students tuned in to watch. Together, we raised an impressive $6,028!

April also marked a milestone as we celebrated our 27th birthday and honored Daniel Schleifer’s remarkable 17 years of dedication to New Urban Arts. Our annual birthday bash was a resounding success, both in terms of fundraising and heartfelt celebration. Thanks to the overwhelming support of our community, we raised $28,852, making this our most successful birthday bash to date. Thank you for donating to our work, partying with us (because we all deserve to have fun amidst all the hard work we do!), and admiring Penelope the goat as much as we did (she was the most popular auction item of the night!) We are blown away by your support and grateful to each and every one of you who contributed to the success of these events.We feel lucky to be surrounded by a community that believes in our work as much as we do and sees the importance of access to creative spaces for young people. So thank you for your support and thank you for seeing why our work matters. We appreciate you and our students appreciate you!

A BIG thank you to our sponsors for supporting our Annual Birthday Bash:

Welcome Andy MacMannis to our Board of Directors

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

NUA is proud to announce that Andy MacMannis is the latest addition to our amazing Board of Directors. Andy has worked in Rhode Island’s education landscape since 2006, serving in a wide variety of roles: after school support staff for a neighborhood-based program, then special educator and founding charter school staff at Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (TAPA), where he eventually became the Assistant Head of School, and now serving as the Director of School Opportunities at the state-level for the Rhode Island Department of Education. During this time he earned degrees at Providence College and Brown University. While at TAPA, he was recognized in Providence Monthly as one of the ten “to watch” in the city in 2020, and led a team that gave the school the national designation as an XQ Super School. Now, at RIDE, his most exciting work centers around providing opportunities for collaboration across different education sectors. Andy lives in Warwick, RI with his amazing wife Katherine, his incredible son, and his wonderful dog.

17 Years of Daniel Schleifer: An Interview

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

To celebrate Dan’s tenure at NUA, we asked him to sit down with Jis Wilkins-Speaks, Multi-Disciplinary Artist, Classical High School Student class of ’25, STAB Member, and Frequent NUA Attendee. This interview was conducted in the study, and eventually in the rest of the studio, and was overseen by Development Associate, Rebecca Kerner, and transcribed by Communications Associate, Dean Sudarsky.

Jis: How did you hear about New Urban Arts?

Dan: I first heard about New Urban Arts in 2007 from my roommate at the time, Andrew Oesch, who was working here part-time in a role that we called Arts Mentoring Fellow. He told me “Hey, New Urban Arts is looking for people that can tutor in academic subjects but will be comfortable in a creative environment.” And he thought that I was somebody that fit that particular bill so he arranged for me to come by. I thought I was walking into a meeting with our program director at the time, Sarah Meyer, but in fact, it was a meeting with a bunch of students who were asking me all kinds of questions about why I wanted to show up in their space. So it was an ambush interview which we don’t do anymore.

Jis: Oh so you let them know it’s students that are interviewing them now?

Dan: Yeah we do… but nevertheless It seemed to work out pretty well and I got involved that fall, I started volunteering as what we called a “Studio Study Buddy” and been here in one way or another ever since.

Jis: Would you say you’ve outlived everyone you started working with?

Dan: Outlived? NO! Outlasted at New Urban Arts, yes.

Jis: You would say that you are the oldest person at New Urban Arts, right now, like right this second?

Dan: Uh… the longest running employee, yes, but not the person that has the longest history with the organization because that would have to be Tina or Dana who were students here before I ever walked in the door, or Ian who started volunteering before I did.

Jis: Do you have anybody you would like to thank?

Dan: Well I would like to start by thanking Rebecca Kerner and Jis Wilkins-Speaks. I mean yeah, it’s hard to even know where to start with that because everyone I’ve worked with here over the years has influenced me in some way, supported me in some way, made it possible for the organization to function, so I feel like if I start the list I will inadvertently leave someone out.

Jis: So you’re just going to give a big general thank you?
Dan: General Thank You reporting for duty [empty laughter]. I don’t know, I have to shout out, I mean Andrew Oesch got me involved, Sarah Meyer hired and shepherded me through as a volunteer for those first few years. Tamara Kaplan of course, NUA’s longest running employee ever, from 2001-2020.

Jis: That is very impressive!

Dan: It’s very impressive. Her imprint on this place is pretty indelible. I’d continue with all the founders, Marcus, Tyler, Malaika, Jullia. Obviously Jason Yoon who hired me in a development role for the first time and was a huge mentor for me. Emily Ustach who was my partner in crime… not crime, my partner in virtue? for basically my entire tenure. We got involved at almost exactly the same time—she was a couple months before
me as she had a temporary position the summer ahead of the year we both
volunteered.

Jis: So Emily’s who I have to kill to take the job then.

Rebecca: That position doesn’t exist anymore.

Jis: Dammit.

Dan: I’m holding you to this by the way, you have to take our jobs. But yeah, she worked elsewhere for a couple years but always remained involved and came back. And then she left a year ago. A year ago? A little over a year. Back to shout outs: Elia Gurna who followed Jason as executive director and believed in me that I could take on the Executive Director role after her. Honestly, also truly all the current staff for all the work to get us through the pandemic. It’s been huge, and really in that regard, especially the RAMs and Rebecca and Jeannie and Dana in particular.

Jis: …so everyone who ever stepped through the door here…

Dan: I mean yeah in a way, but getting everything through the pandemic, those people were really consistent throughout it. Okay I’m ready to move on. More questions.

Jis: Okay. Do you think NUA has changed? How has NUA changed?

Dan: That’s a really good question! There are some really big ways that it has changed but some ways that it still feels like the same place which is great. I think that the fundamental way in which it feels the same is that walking into the space you feel that sense of creative buzz that is maybe a little chaotic at times, but then you start to understand that chaos is an ecosystem and that ecosystems are natural and not always apparently super orderly, but then you see how everything fits together, you know?

In terms of the changes we’ve obviously just grown so much. We’ve added a second program site, NUA Knights at Central, where we serve hundreds of students as well. We’ve invested in our team so much, we now have this part-time team of our Resident Artist Mentors as educators. That’s so huge and the fact that we provide healthcare to those folks is something that feels really important, both as a thing to do for people and also a statement about how we value the work that we do here. The demographics of the staff have changed considerably. For most of the history of this organization we had a predominantly white staff and now we have a predominantly POC staff.

Jis: That’s why we had to get rid of you. The times are a-changin’ Dan.

Dan: I feel like I put in a lot of time and effort and energy into changing the staff over a slow period, hopefully without too much upheaval or losing continuity, really thinking about how we’re investing in people and who we’re investing in, and then having made those investments… I guess I’ve done my best to use my own privilege responsibly and then get the organization to the point where I can walk away.

Jis: …get the organization to the point where you are the minority?

Dan: Uhhhh in this very specific context, yes hahah, I am.

Jis: Would you say that NUA has changed your life, positively or negatively?

Dan: Yes. Absolutely.

Rebecca: [whispering] He’s leaving because he’s so miserable.

Dan: Yeah of course it’s changed my life positively! I’ve spent almost my entire career here at this point. I’ve learned everything I know about how to do… anything honestly, here. But also just seeing firsthand the potential and power of creativity in the lives of young people [Jis sighs]. I’ve been given, through this opportunity, this position, the chance to do something incredible that I can feel really proud of. So yeah, of course, it’s been
amazing.

Jis: Are you scared for what the future holds? Or pretty confident?

Dan: Hmmmmm. Of course I’m a little scared. A big change like this is always a little scary, but personally I feel super ready. To be really real, as much as I have loved the entire experience, trying to pull everything through the pandemic in relatively one piece has been remarkably exhausting. In January of 2020 I had hashed a plan with our Board of Directors that I would be leaving in summer of 2021, so it’s been about 3 years late, but I could not fathom compounding the crisis of the pandemic with an Executive Director transition. I really believe that was the right call, to stick around to get things through, but that said, it illustrates that I’ve been ready for this change for a while.

Jis: Okay, you’ve been sick of us for a while [Dan laughs]. But if you hadn’t not transitioned in 2021, you wouldn’t have met me, so…

Dan: Exactly.

Jis: That could have been the wrong choice for both of us, because then I’d be a bum, instead of the new Executive Director.

Dan: I don’t think you’d be a bum.

Jis: I’d be a bum sitting outside of NUA—you guys kicked me out the first time I came here. It was the first year after COVID.

Dan: We were trying to do “stable pods” and had a revolving enrollment system and we had to turn students away, yeah.

Jis: That’s why I didn’t come here until last year.

Dan: Yeah I’m sorry about that. It really underscores some of the particular challenges of the past couple years. Some of that feels so long ago and you think about it and it was only about two and a half years ago now that we were still really deep in the pandemic in this way that we were really thinking about making these fundamental changes to how the studio was open to young people. Every time we were turning these young people away in the back of our minds we were wondering if they would ever come back.

Jis: Well some of them did!

Dan: …and some of them did, yeah. But yeah, that took a toll—doing my best to keep up my morale during those moments as well as everyone else’s… it was hard. I’m really glad you came back.

Jis: Yayyy. Okay, so you’re old. Do you remember when Michelangelo died?

Dan: That’s very funny. That was a couple years before I was born.

Jis: Just kidding. Would you say… are you excited to leave? To finally get away from this place? Do you have any job opportunities lined up?

Dan: I don’t have any jobs lined up. I am going back to school actually. I am planning, as of this interview, to go get my Master’s…

Jis: …in Cosmetics?

Dan: …in Accounting.

Jis: Accounting?!

Dan: So one thing you might not know about me if you only know me through the context of New Urban Arts is that throughout high school, for a lot of my life, I was actually a big math and science guy [Jis groans]. And I still am to some extent, I crunch a lot of numbers in various ways for NUA. There is currently a national shortage of accountants, and it has hit the nonprofit sector particularly hard because nonprofit accounting is both more complex and less lucrative than other accounting subspecialties, so fewer people go into it. There have been various points over the past several years at New Urban Arts that we have been without an accountant, and Jeannie and I have had to teach ourselves nonprofit accounting, and I feel like I’ve learned it well and I’m going to make a career out of it.

Jis: That’s a lot of dedication.

Dan: Jis are you any good at math?

Jis: No. That’s my worst subject. In fact, I think that subject is the reason why my GPA is so low. The irony is that I can do math when it’s science math, like physics, but I can’t do it when it’s math math.

Dan: So Applied Math? That’s all accounting is, do you want to join me in the accounting field?

Jis: NO, Dan! NO!

Dan: It’s really cool!

Rebecca: Jis that way you really could come be our accountant.

Jis: I don’t wanna be your accountant!… Do you think that New Urban Arts will continue to be afloat without your influence?

Dan: Yes. Absolutely.

Jis: Even if you’re busy being an accountant, will you come back and visit? You know this question is legally binding, so we have to see you at least twice every year.

Dan: Yes definitely. At least twice, probably a lot more.

Rebecca: Dan gets to have a break from us too.

Dan: I’m actually really excited to see how things change after I’m gone, to see people taking new ownership. That said, one of the things about an ED transition is that whoever is my successor, I’m looking forward to introducing them to partners and making sure that donors and funders and partners and stuff, that those relationships that have helped us grow and succeed are maintained.

Jis: You want the new ED to feel about New Urban Arts and its partners how YOU feel about New Urban Arts and its partners? You want to pass on that love?

Dan: Yeah, exactly, that’s a great way of saying it.

Jis: So if you were to have one final meal, before, let’s say, you’re euthanized, what would it be?

Dan: That’s a really good question, a really hard one. Probably just a big bowl of pho, with all the fixins, yeah. What would you have?

Jis: I would have enough food to last me at least two days, so I could postpone the euthanasia of course. Do you have any thoughts for your going away party? A dress code?

Rebecca: Have you seen his outfits?

Dan: I would rather not have a big fanfare, but if that’s what people want to do, I try not to be the kind of person who makes things more awkward by being so weird about their birthday or whatever.

Rebecca: What’s the most memorable moment you have from working here, and what’s the most NUA moment you have? Those can be different moments.

Dan: I’m not sure, maybe they’re the same, but for some reason one that comes to mind recently is one time when I was still Development Director, there was this student who was learning how to cut hair, and she kept asking me, “Can I cut your hair? Can I cut your hair?” and I kept on telling her “Not today, but at some point,” because I always had something going on that day. I think she thought that I was trying to gently say no and not be real about it, but then there was one day when she was like, “Can I cut your hair? Can I cut your hair?” and I was like, “Actually, wait let me look at my schedule… yes!” and she said, “Wait are you serious?” and I was like, “Yeah let’s do it.” The thing about this memory that really sticks out in my mind is that she had some peers in the studio who didn’t… believe that she would be any good at cutting hair, and they were all like, “Don’t do it Dan!” or, “You don’t have go through with this!” and I was like, “No, I’m sure that she wouldn’t be offering if she didn’t know what she was doing,” and we went outside and I got a great haircut and it looked really good. I don’t know, there are so many moments, but it just epitomized the relationship building piece, the fact that we allow young people to try things and take risks, and we even take risks with them ourselves in order to model the trust that we have in young people here.

Rebecca: Was it just a buzzcut?

Dan: No it was just like my haircut that I usually have! She knew what she was doing. And also modeling for her peers who maybe didn’t have as much confidence in her, like, “No, I’m gonna trust in this student, and I hope you all know that if you had some wacky idea that you came to me with, I would also trust in you, her peers,” you know?

Jis: What are your plans for your next birthday?

Dan: I actually want to do something kind of big because my past couple birthdays it seems like there’s always been this big deadline looming for some grant and I haven’t gotten to celebrate properly. So this coming year, I’m gonna do something big, for my 43rd birthday.

Jis: You’re only 43? Genuine question.

Dan: Well I’m 42 now. But maybe I’ll go to New York City or something… “take in a show.” Or maybe if the Philadelphia 76ers are playing that night somewhere on the east coast, maybe I’ll go see them.

Jis: You’re a sports guy?

Dan: Just basketball. I think basketball is the greatest.

Jis: What do you do for your creative practice?

Dan: I’m a musician. I have played in a couple of bands over the years, but my real passion is Eastern European folk music.

Jis: Ohhhhh my godddddd.

Dan: What???

Jis: That’s just the most Dan answer ever. Let’s get out of this room and ask other people: How would you describe Dan in three words?

Ian Cozzens (Printmaking RAM): I would descibe Dan as Ethical, Committed, and Hilarious.

Sissy Rossó (Student Support Specialist): Dad. Cool dad. Cool creative dad.

Sherly Torres (Painting and Drawing RAM, MET Art Academy Instructor): Dominican, very musical, oh, and flexible, like he crouches on seats when he’s really into something [Dan: Editor’s note, I’m not actually Dominican, but I’m grateful that Sherly has dubbed me an honorary Dominican.]

Teresa Conchas (ALAS Program Coordinator): Silly-goofy that’s one word. Curious. And I don’t want to say dependable, even though he is dependable, I feel like steady. Dan is steady.

Dana Heng (Manager of Artist Mentors): Devoted, silly, and spicy.

Jeannie Castillo-LaPierre (Studio Director): I think he’s intellectual, I think he’s a mentor, and I think he’s fun!

New Urban Prints

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

The printmaking conference SGC International came to Providence earlier this April, and our own Printmaking Resident Artist Mentor, Ian organized a pop-up gallery show in the studio titled, “New Urban Prints,” which gathered print-based work by NUA students, alumni, and current and former mentors & staff. NUA has maintained a silkscreen studio since 2004, and adult mentors & teenagers have worked together here on realizing young people’s visions in exuberantly various screenprinted form since then. Click through the gallery below for a sample of the works exhibited.

Thank you to SGC International, Ian Cozzens for organizing, and Rachel Turner for photographing the exhibition.

[Show slideshow]

Alumni Spotlight: Jobanny Cabrera

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

After being a frequent New Urban Arts student, a Volunteer Artist Mentor, and NUA staff member, Jobanny Cabrera moved last year to New York City to continue working on music production, community service, and design. We caught up with Jobanny to see what he’s been up to and ask him about his time at NUA in light of his new experiences.

Tell us about your history with New Urban Arts.

Jobanny: A friend brought me to NUA randomly when I was 16, like how most kids find out about it. I didn’t start really going on my own for a while, but then I built a relationship with Ashley [former Studio Director], Aneudy [former Youth Engagement Associate], and Ian [Printmaking Volunteer Mentor, now Resident Artist Mentor] and they helped ground me in the space through lots of conversations and screenprinting, which is a big thing for me. After that point I spent every day at NUA, making music, screenprinting, etc. Like every student, I had to go through the heartbreak phase after high school when I couldn’t go to the studio anymore and I would visit as much as possible. I waited the mandatory year, and then I volunteered with Ian as a screenprinting mentor. And that taught me so much. I learned how to mentor, how to facilitate spaces, and everything Ian taught me about process made it into how I make my own music and stuff like that. I got a job working at a bank through Year Up and learned a lot about what I didn’t want to do, which is just as important. It doesn’t take a lot for me to try something, I’m curious, so I end up learning a lot both ways.

The pandemic came around, I was still in Year Up, and I made so many friends but I hated the work so much. NUA posted a job and I realized I didn’t want to go into the corporate world, and so I went all in for that application and got the job as Youth Programs Coordinator. It felt serendipitous. Those three years I was on staff at NUA, I was able to learn a lot about the workings of nonprofits because I saw the other side of the places I went to as a child. It taught me a lot about what a healthy workplace looks like and how to spot that.

And then you left staff last year to go to New York – what are you up to?

Jobanny: I’m currently an employee at Henry Street Settlement, it provides social services and art and healthcare programs in the Lower East Side and the greater New York area. I’m an Employment Coordinator here, so I help people get jobs and fix their resumes and stuff. When I first moved to New York I was just looking for something to get started, and I was looking for places that had NUA-type energy and the people here really get it. It’s a very similar vibe workwise and was the exact kind of thing I was seeking out.

I got accepted into D&AD Shift with Google. It’s a night program to get people into the advertising agency world that only takes about 20 students a year. I go to class every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and they help me develop my creative portfolio and practice. It has me rethinking my practice a lot, and puts me in touch with people very high up at cool businesses and those are my teachers. Group Creative Director of YouTube gave a lecture last week, and Spotify was like 3 weeks ago, which was cool for me as a musician. I get to connect with all these people and learn from them.

How did that happen?

Jobanny: Shout out to Sherly [Painting and Drawing Mentor], she sent me the info for D&AD Shift many months ago—it’s for self taught creatives who didn’t go to college who are interested in that kind of work, which I had already started doing on my own, so she forwarded it to me. I applied and got accepted later, on the same day I signed a lease for my new apartment in Brooklyn, it was so exciting.

The program is only 4 months, so I’ll graduate in May. The type of jobs people seem to get after they finish are all over the place, social media, 3D design, but it’s definitely ad/marketing focused. Everybody in the program has been so good to me, and it really feels like they see where I want to go.

What are you hoping to do?

Jobanny: What I’d really like to do is Creative Direction at a music company like Spotify or something. I want to oversee creative projects and come up with the mood boards and the direction, find the talent, come up with the ideas, etc. My ideal situation is that I’m in a position to help other people get into these big jobs, people like me, people of color that have the creative drive but get picked over because they don’t have the same access, etc. I told my teachers when I started I wanted to open up my own nonprofit and teach kids like me this stuff because you can’t learn this without going to college but I know, I’ve seen how the youth can definitely do this. These are skills that are adding a lot of value to my life and that doesn’t mean I want to work for a big conglomerate or anything, but they’re good for my work and also helping my career.

So eventually I do want to go back to RI—I’d like to own a house one day and it’s not going to happen in New York haha—I just needed to leave for now to grow, there are other experiences I wanted to have for now. I want to build a community, I have friends and family in New York, but I want to meet people and build a real community. I want to make a livable wage, which is always increasing. I’d like for once in my life to really be able to sustain myself. But the connection to RI is still there. One of my classmates’ younger siblings just got into RISD and was asking me questions and I told her to connect with NUA to learn about being an artist in Providence.

Were there things you learned from NUA that are helping you with your art and career?

Jobanny: It feels like my whole time at NUA prepped me for this. Both as a student and as a staff member, NUA gave me space to operate on my own so I could learn things the way I want. I could breathe. I’ve always been a musician, but I was only a musician. NUA was where I learned how to screenprint, how to sew, how to design and all that stuff. The interdisciplinary approach is really central to what I’m doing here at D&AD Shift and what I want to do with Creative Directing. On the challenge day before I was accepted into the program, my group’s brief was to sell candles to musicians haha. We had an hour or two to figure it out and it felt like I could see how everything came together from different areas because I had been doing everything myself already at NUA.

As for art, I’m pretty short on time right now if I’m being honest, but I’m looking forward to doing more of that in May when the program ends. But I’m so excited about what I’m learning and I’m reevaluating my portfolio and reexamining my own work and how to frame it and pitch it. I’m getting back into what made me want to do my old projects. The program encourages us to look back on how we’re developing ourselves and how we communicate ourselves.

I guess I did just get featured in PAPER magazine the other day! Shout out to NUA for that, that job gave me the time and resources to work on my own music—while I was working there I was asked to feature on Ms. Boogie’s album. We connected through a mutual friend—I don’t generally send beats to people, and she really understood that and so she wanted to meet in person to talk about music. Then she invited me out to the Hamptons for a week and that’s when we worked on those tracks. The album got featured in PAPER and they wanted to interview everyone who was a part of it. Other magazines talk about the album, but they really went in depth. It was so cool to be a part of.

illustration by Terrell Villiers

I Love Book: February Break Recap

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

During this February Break, 10 students got together for I Love Book, our one week program about book-making. Along with mentors Ian, Jess, Filipa, and Teresa, students visited the RISD library, Binch Press, and other special collections, experimented with different methods of binding, worked on a collaborative zine, printed copies on a risograph, and finally, assembled and bound copies for everyone to take home! There was even a surprise visit from a special feline guest. Check out the photo gallery below to see what they got up to.

[Show slideshow]

NUA Knights’ Book Club visits PPL

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

The NUA Knights Book Club spent some time at the Providence Public Library these past weeks before they dive into their next book. Book Club students were able to get their own library cards, explore all the amazing books (especially in the teen space), and even check out their special collections! They were also able to play around in the maker space and design their own t-shirts. Shoutout to the staff at PPL for being such amazing hosts to our Book Club! This semester Book Club will be reading Solit: A Memoir by Javier Zamora if you’d like to read along.

[Show slideshow]

A New Year at NUA Knights

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

NUA Knights is kicking off a new year of programs over at Central High School. This year we are introducing several new programs based on feedback from students. Here are some we’re really excited:

Digital Media
Screen Printing (starting back from last year)
Dance (in the works)
Music Production/Beat Making (in the works)
Boxing (in the works)

NEA awards New Urban Arts $25,000

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

We are excited to announce that the National Endowment for the Arts has approved New Urban Arts for a grant in the amount of $25,000. We look forward to working with the NEA to finalize the grant paperwork and appreciate the agency’s support for this project. Specifically, this grant will support our resident artist mentors, the core educators in our afterschool Youth Mentorship in the Arts Program, NUA’s longest-running program, which the NEA has supported for many years.

“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to New Urban Arts, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”

We’re grateful to the NEA and their continued support of community arts programming for Providence youth.

Happy New Year from our Studio Programs!

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Dean Sudarsky

Over the winter break, our team immersed themselves in dynamic team-building projects and collaborated on innovative program planning initiatives. The MET mentors, in particular, delved into the creative process, setting the stage for the successful MET Art Academy’s Messy Maker’s Exhibition last week on Thursday, January 25th. Currently, we are diligently preparing both the space and students for the upcoming Mid-Year Makings Exhibition scheduled for Friday, February 16th.

Adding to the excitement, we are actively coordinating February Break week with a special theme: “I <3 Book – A Special Week of Libraries, Collections, and DIY Makings.” This week promises to be filled with engaging activities, including explorations into drawing, writing, printing, and captivating field trips!

Our First Mentor Show Since 2019

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Dean Sudarsky

On November 17th, the New Urban Arts studio hosted Sharing is Embarrassing, our first staff and mentor art show since 2019. This is the first year since before the pandemic that we’ve been able to field a full roster of volunteer artist mentors, and one of the exciting results, aside from being able to accommodate growing student attendance and interest across a variety of artistic mediums, was a stellar exhibition. Every inch of the studio was covered in art: paintings, drawings, etchings, ceramics, wallpaper, textiles, photographs, prints, felt pieces, sculptures, animations, videos, hand-made paper, culinary installations, and other mixed media experiences adorned the walls, floors, shelves, and computer screens of the gallery. Following snacks, three music mentors performed for us in their own unique styles. Thank you to everyone who came out and helped make the evening special, and thank you to our incredibly talented mentors and staff for sharing your skills with us in a different way.

Click here for more photos of work from the show.

$83,955 raised for FY24!

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Dean Sudarsky

We have reached the middle of our fiscal year and while we still have donations coming in during these last couple weeks of 2023, we are excited to share that we have raised $83,955 so far! We appreciate our community for the support you all have given us. Each dollar donated helps sustain the work that we are doing and allows us to continue providing free access to the arts for high school students. And if you know us, you know this means more than just providing young people with the opportunity to make art.

The work we do gives students the space to feel comfortable in expressing who they are and exploring who they want to be. It supports students in their weirdness and ability to start, finish, and abandon projects. It reminds students that they are allowed to just be, and that is enough. So thank you for supporting our work and this space that we are able to give young people. Our goal is to raise $200,000 by June 30, 2023 and we hope you can continue helping us reach our goal!

705 Westminster Studio Fall Wrap-Up

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Dean Sudarsky

Exciting news in the NUA studio: We’ve surpassed last year’s enrollment! Currently, 232 youths actively participate, with an impressive weekly attendance of 118. This outstanding achievement is a testament to the collective efforts and the positive impact of our various initiatives.

Youth Mentorship: This fall, Dana, our Manager of Artist Mentors, and the Student Team Advisory Board teamed up to hire 11 Volunteer Artist Mentors and welcomed two Brown University Bonner Fellows. This marks the first year post-COVID where we’ve been able to commence programs with a full cohort of Artist Mentors. The student recruiting efforts of our team, including Student Support Specialist, Sissy, significantly contributed to our enrollment success.

A Life After School: Teresa Conchas, our ALAS coordinator, guided students through the college process with in person and virtual college recruitment visits as well as workshops on topics like finding colleges, the common application, and time management.

Met Art Academy: Our second-year art internship with The Met continues, where NUA Painting & Drawing RAM Sherly Torres and co-mentor Alexis Gordon support 14 MET student interns.

This success is a result of our community’s combined efforts and passion. Let’s keep working together to provide creative and enriching experiences for our youths as we celebrate this achievement!

NUA Knights Fall Wrap-Up

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Dean Sudarsky

We had a successful seventh fall session with NUA Knights this year! With a total of 11 programs including some youth favorites like Book Club, Cooking, eSports and Fashion & Design, and two new programs: Student Community Engagement and Art Club run by our very own NUA and Central alum Sherly Torres. At the beginning of this month we had a total of 175 youth participating in at least one program (many of our students participate in multiple programs), with an average weekly attendance of 96 youth.

A major highlight this fall was the Cooking Club. Youth get to choose what they learn to cook each week and recently they decided on a full on seafood boil, complete with andouille sausage, potatoes, corn, snow crab and jumbo shrimp. We’re grateful for All Saints Episcopal Church for opening their fantastic kitchen space for us each week to cook in!

Interview with the MET Art Academy Mentors

Posted on October 27, 2023 by Dean Sudarsky

Last spring, New Urban Arts launched its newest program, a collaboration with the MET High School. We talked to Sherly Torres, NUA’s Painting and Drawing Resident Artist Mentor and one of the creators of the program, and Alexis Gordon, our new MET Art Academy Artist Mentor to get a sense of how it’s been going.

What is the MET Art Academy?

Sherly: The MET Art Academy it is a semester long internship where MET high school students are welcome into the NUA studio/environment and work on drawing and painting skills in a structured environment. The program started last school year, January 2023 with me and Jori Ketten (former Artist Mentor). I worked with Emily Ustach (former Deputy Director) and Joselina Fay (former Studio Director) to develop the first semester of the program, and Jori and I updated the lesson plan as we went through it.

Alexis: We’re offering a foundational 2D art course with a focus on drawing, painting, and printmaking. The goal is everything from exposing students who have little experience with art-making and helping them develop a studio practice to helping students who are more experienced or have a more solidified idea of how art fits into their life develop their portfolios and have a dedicated practice. The course is taught by the two of us, Ian Cozzens (Printmaking RAM) is helping with screenprinting. Studio Director Jeannie Castillo-Pierre and Kim Reall (the Real World Learning and Pathways Manager at the MET), help us organize everything and I’m so grateful to them for it.

It’s an internship as opposed to an arts course?

Alexis: It’s a little bit of both. MET students are required to have an internship, and we wanted this experience to qualify for that. Their definition is broad, sometimes it looks like learning a trade, cutting lumber on a mill, and sometimes it’s closer to a workshop, like they offer at other youth art programs across Providence.

Sherly: Their efforts will culminate in an exhibition at the NUA studio, so they are required to produce a lot of work. We also have agreements we’ve developed as a community that we are all expected to adhere to, and all of these things were up front as things they should expect — those are the internship requirements, but the main expectation as artists is that they have to try. They have to try new mediums and think about building a portfolio.

How do students get involved?

Alexis: We sent out a description of the class to MET students. 26 applied, and we had group interviews of the students to narrow it down to a group of 14, which is four more than last year. The original description of the program was both as a foundational elements course AND a portfolio development class, so we wanted to merge those two things. NUA has so many resources and the MET isn’t as integrated at NUA as Classical or Central, so it’s also a way to bring MET students into the fold and offer our resources at critical junctures for youth artists.

Sherly: We were looking for a balance of students who had some experience and no experience, and we wanted to see what they were looking for, what goals they had. We especially wanted to save spots for those who had no experience. I think the diverse class better reflects how exposure to the arts can be.

What does a typical day in the program look like?

Sherly: A typical day looks like students coming into the 705 Westminster studio at 9AM, going over our agenda for the day, reflecting on the day before and doing some energy-building activities [Alexis: a game or at least a stretch]. Before we start assignments or activities, we also do a demonstration to introduce a project. Then we have lunches provided and then maybe another demo or project or both. Hopefully there’s space for a reflection on the day or some sort of time together to close out.

What projects are you working on now and what do you have planned?

Alexis: Right now we’re working on still life work, line and shading. From here we want to start incorporating tone and color and eventually paint, and THEN printmaking.

Sherly: Last semester’s internship we noticed printmaking takes a lot more time management and setup. And in the fall there are a lot more school breaks and we want the printmaking sessions to feel continuous, so we scheduled it a little later in the semester. For the spring, we are hoping to extend this cohort’s session into the next semester. We’re waiting on the greenlight for that. But the main thing I look forward to is always the student exhibition. It’s exciting to see them organize their art and get ready for the show and feel proud.

Alexis: Yeah it’s great to see them develop a creative practice and bring their goals to fruition in a place where people can see what they’ve done.

What would you like to see in this program in the future?

Sherly: Cubbies. Vertical painting/paper storage. I think a lot about storage haha. But I’d like to dive into sculpture! I think there’s so much besides 2D painting and drawing. A lot of students come to NUA for music and photography, for example.

Alexis: Yes, I would love to see different offerings and internships. A foundational course, a more deliberate portfolio development course that can also focus on grants/residencies/school applications, etc. A whole dedicated space would be amazing, or something more integrated at the MET. Having in-school programming for schools that aren’t the MET—so many of the art programs in our public schools have been gutted.

Sherly: And I’d like to be able to accomodate travel for students outside of RI, I would love to take them to the ICA in Boston, or maybe Paris haha.

We’re looking for Volunteer Artist Mentors!

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Dean Sudarsky

We are now taking applications for Artist Mentors for our 2022-23 Youth Mentorship in the Arts program. Mentors commit to volunteering 4 hours a week from October through May, building healthy relationships with high school students through the exploration of art media. Mentors help New Urban Arts create a safe and healthy environment, participate in year-long professional development and become important members of the New Urban Arts community.

Click here to fill out the form to apply, or you can download a paper application here.

Applications are due September 11, 2023.

2023 Summer Programs are Here!

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Dean Sudarsky

We are excited to offer three programs for Providence youth this upcoming season. NUA Summer Programs offer a suite of summer enrichment programs that are designed to be accessible to low-income high school students. Students collaborate with Artist Mentors and visiting artists on a range of projects, from one-time group activities to long-term, highly-conceptual independent work. The programs‘ themes are explored through dialogue, art-making, research, writing, reflective activities, and field trips outside the studio. Click here to read more about each program and reserve a spot today!

The Story of NUA’s New Language

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

In our most recent strategic plan, we articulated a desire to re-examine our organization’s core documents. In 2022, NUA refreshed our purpose, mission, and values statements to better reflect our community as we look toward the next 25 years. Providence artist-educator MJ Robinson facilitated this collective effort. Here’s how we did it!

CHAPTER 1: Data Gathering
October 2021–April 2022

We found fun and engaging ways to collect thoughts, feelings, and ideas about NUA from stakeholders in our community: students, alumni, staff, board members, former staff, former volunteers, and the general public.

Story-ified surveys
We created sculptures that doubled as receptacles where students could respond to various prompts. Students from NUA Knights at Central High School fed their thoughts to an oversize rubber ducky, while students at NUA’s studio shared their responses with a fuzzy orange feedback monster. Many people also responded to an open online survey told from the perspective of the feedback monster.

Group Workshops
MJ facilitated several hands-on workshops with Studio Team Advisory Board (STAB) members, recent alumni, staff members, board members, and the 25th anniversary committee.

One-on-one conversations
MJ interviewed several key members of NUA’s community. Most were identified by staff leadership, while some reached out for further discussion after participating in other parts of the process..

Reviewing past language
MJ looked at our existing language, including products of our most recent strategic planning process (such as our core practices), with fresh eyes and encouraged others to mark up our previous mission.

CHAPTER 2: Data Analysis and Drafting
April 2022–August 2022

Co-writing
A team of staff plus one board member collaborated with MJ to review community feedback and draft language, prioritizing current student and recent alumni voices in our writing process. STAB met to revise the working draft.

CHAPTER 3: Approving and Celebrating
September–October 2022

STAB, staff, and board members met in September and voted to officially approve the new purpose, mission, and values. We partied with the new language at the 25th Gala celebration in October!

Alumni Spotlight

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. Alumni stay connected to New Urban Arts in a variety of ways from staying in touch with the ALAS program, volunteering, joining our staff and board, and becoming donors. For our eleventh month we asked five alumni to share what they’re up to, and how NUA has influenced them since graduation.

Emely Barroso Madé, class of 2010
Currently involved with NUA as a Volunteer Artist Mentor.

NUA has been like a home base that I could always come back to since becoming an alum. My life has changed in so many ways after graduation, none of which I could have foreseen. Coming to the studio felt like a reward after a grueling hurdle of the school day. Then after college didn’t work out & I moved out of the New England area, I lost a lot of myself for a long time. As my life kept changing, so did NUA! We both had big moves, so many new faces have come in & out of our lives, we would look so wildly different than we did back when I was a student. Yet that feeling I had during open house all those years ago has never changed. I’ve always felt welcomed here. Whether it’s someone who’s known me since I was a teen or someone I’ve met a handful of times from a studio meeting now as an adult, that feeling of warmth, comfort & acceptance is the same. I feel really blessed & grateful to still have this connection. Now being a part of the new volunteer mentors has been a dream come true that I never thought would come true. But it did! That’s something NUA’s also offered me through all these years. Whether it’s been with art or in my personal life, being a part of NUA has given me these chances to make something I couldn’t see or believe happening come to reality.

I’ve learned a lot about myself since moving back to Rhode Island. All these challenging lessons & changes that have come with this move keep happening whether I’m ready or not so it’s been good to have one constant in my life. I’m looking forward to seeing how NUA & I keep changing & how we continue to grow together. I want to thank everyone who’s been a part of NUA, past & present, who’ve all helped shape me into who I am today. I’m glad we could build this home together & congrats on 25 years. I hope to pass that feeling on to the next generation of students & being a part of cultivating this space they can always be excited to come back to for the next 25 years. I’m still drawing & working on making comics. It’s funny how much I reflected on all these huge life changes but I still feel like the same kid who came to NUA to work with the then comics mentor. I’m also working on going back to school to pursue art education or graphic & web design. I took a long break from making art so it’s exciting to think about the possibilities of what my art can be or look like getting back into it. I still love cartooning, painting, making books & zines but now that I’m older I’ve also come to love film & sculpting also one of the resident mentors, Ian Cozzens, put me on to sewing these cute plush toys so I’d love to see how I can learn from & mix up a little of everything from all these mediums.

Angella Nakasagga, class of 2019
Currently involved with NUA through A Life After School.

First, I want to say that NUA has been a constant string in my life that has catalyzed my successful achievements outside and inside the classroom through highschool to my current day in college. Engaging in a co-creative/academic space like NUA has truly made me appreciate the meaning of aligning passion and purpose. So many lessons learned from Mara [former ALAS Coordinator], and the check-ins with Addy [the current ALAS coordinator] have been a shining star guiding me through admission processes, dissecting career and academic choices, and always-needed words of (life) wisdom. Now I am currently a junior at the University of Miami studying Public Health and Economics. All my personal projects are to do with economics research, and I hope to continue a life of learning through later-life post-grad studies. I really like to paint and since my start in NUA, I have engaged in the practice more deeply creating a few canvases that are dear to my heart.

MJ, class of 2021
Currently involved with NUA through A Life After School.

Since I graduated, New Urban Arts has supported me academically and financially, which I greatly appreciate as a low-income, first-generation student. In addition, Addy has been incredibly helpful and supportive when I have questions about FAFSA or scholarships. In 2020, I participated in a virtual summer program focused on discovering different styles of art. I really enjoyed learning the different media and started writing poems as a form of storytelling and journaling.

Adrienne Adeyemi, class of 2006
Currently involved with NUA on the Board of Directors

New Urban Arts has been very instrumental in my personal and professional development. Participating in New Urban Arts’ programming as a high school student, and other like nonprofit organizations, inspired my career in the non-profit field. I kept in touch with NUA leadership – leaning on them as mentors as I found my own path, and I’ve now come to see them as close colleagues and friends. I had the privilege of serving as New Urban Art’s state grant officer during my time at the RI State Council on the Arts. I am now serving in my second term as a New Urban Arts Board Member, having recently been appointed as the Chair of the Development Committee. New Urban Arts has a funny and magical way of bringing its own back into the fold for our time, treasures, and talents. It’s been an honor to serve in various capacities over the years and to watch New Urban Arts’ evolution over time as I’ve evolved into the adult that I am today.

Dana Heng, class of 2011
Currently involved with NUA as a Resident Artist Mentor

When I moved back to Providence after college, even after my immediate family moved away, I knew I wanted to come back to NUA to be a volunteer artist mentor. I started mentoring in film photography in 2016, which happened to be the first medium I tried at NUA while I was a student under the mentorship of Erik Gould back in 2007. After that year in photography, I was hired to co-teach the 2017 Summer Art Inquiry, and then I was hired onto year-long staff as a Resident Artist Mentor later that autumn. Since then I’ve participated in several professional development trainings, including ones in Painting with Mediums, Youth Development, and Restorative Justice.

As artist mentors, we are trained in NUA’s core practices, one of which is “[Youth] Agency and Freedom of Expression.” It has taken me my lifetime to instill this practice within myself, even as I’ve navigated higher education and the art world as a young adult. As an employee of NUA, I’ve felt like my coworkers have all mentored me at varying degrees. My coworkers and supervisors asked the right questions to guide me in a direction of my choosing, whether it was a vague goal I needed help working through for professional/career development, or a specific desire to create a studio system for student works-in-progress. It feels both collaborative and supportive. Whenever I tell friends outside the org that I’m never told what to do at my job, they are confused! It has been an empowering experience to feel supported by such a flexible workplace. Of course we instill structures that make sense for everyone, but we are ready to change when needed. The people here really define the studio, not the other way around. I am still currently employed at NUA. I work part-time, so I have flexible time for my own creative practice–which is all over the place!

Before the pandemic, I was doing a lot of fun installation collaborations with friends in unconventional spaces. We threw weird installation art parties called Ice Floe to help fund DIY projects, such as the first two Queer/Trans Zine Fests. In 2018 I co-founded Binch Press with some friends, with the idealistic dream of creating a radical community space for meetings, events, art, and publishing. In 2019 I was the RISD Museum Artist Fellow, and collaborated in a museum intervention with a socially-engaged art project, Look At Art, Get Paid. In that year, I also tried out a solo studio practice, which was unusual for me, but I learned a lot about myself and how I want to be a creative person. I’ve always been interested in the culinary arts, and the pandemic times really let me lean into it even more. I was doing caregiving work with my grandma, helped her cook, and documented many of her traditional Khmer home recipes. I’ve done a couple food pop ups, and I also just let myself get really creative at dinner time for a private audience. I’ve taken a couple clay hand building classes during the pandemic too–and that’s been a nice steady speed for creativity. Rediscovering my creative practice after March 2020 has been a slow process, but I am not too worried! I still think a lot about gender, labor, domesticity, mundanity, food heritage, and social and natural worlds when making (or not making) artwork.

Thanks for coming to our 25th anniversary gala!

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

Thank you for helping make our celebration a success! It was an amazing evening to share with our extended NUA community. Over 200 people attended in their best creative couture and, between our sponsors and guests, we were able to raise over $40,000 to kick off the next 25 years of New Urban Arts. Check out these photos of the evening courtesy of our friend Tracy Jacques. It was great to see you all and we hope to see you again soon!

Program Spotlight: NUA Knights

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. For our ninth month, we are highlighting NUA Knights with an interview with the Site Director there, Kelly Harlow, and the new NUA Knights Program Coordinator, Sherly Torres.

In 2017, New Urban Arts (NUA) and Central High School (CHS) teamed together to expand the after school programming for Central students. The NUA Knights expansion program is funded by a 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) grant awarded to NUA and CHS by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). NUA Knights offers comprehensive after school programming that strives to create a greater sense of community and personalization for students centering on Academics, Arts, Intramural Sports, Leadership and Social/Emotional Learning.

What is NUA Knights?

Kelly: NUA knights is a space for Central High School students to explore their interests and passions after school. We’re a partnership that NUA and Central started in 2017, so we are starting our 6th year of programs!

What is the relationship between NUA Knights and the 705 Westminster Studio?

Kelly: It’s like a bridge to me—it really brings over a lot of the feeling of the NUA space right into the school.

Sherly: It’s a 50-50 relationship in that we help NUA reach out to more Central students who need after school opportunities in the school (and who don’t want to walk all the way over to the studio), and we send students over to NUA and share some of the way we run programs.

Are the programs similar?

Kelly: We do have more structured programs students can sign up for, but it’s still drop-in, they don’t have to go to every single guitar club meeting, etc. And the programs are run by teachers and other staff at Central, but there’s also our office space where students can hang out with us, which is much less structured.

Sherly: Instructors have freedom in how they plan their program, and attendance isn’t mandatory, so students can come and go as they please. There’s time and space for teachers and students to connect in ways they might not in class.

Why is NUA Knights important for students at Central?

Kelly: I think without NUA Knights there would be so many kids that aren’t doing anything afterschool, just going home or hanging around. Allowing them to have connections with teachers/community partners after school is so valuable.

Sherly: I consider it a place to let them breathe a little, a space for them to make executive decisions for themselves, and recognize that they are making executive decisions for themselves. Whether that decision is “do nothing at all,” or practice some kind of craft or art, this is a space where we acknowledge the students’ wants and needs and work with that rather than the other way around.

What is your favorite program that you run?

Kelly: Our office space is called “Hanging With NUA Knights,” which is a lot of fun. Students can break out a canvas or make bracelets or start a huge game of UNO, it’s just a place to be and hang out with people.

Sherly: I like the activities that are beyond normal academic fields. They took out the music program during the school day, so we’re offering that now after school, and we have a cooking class now, which is really cool!

You just organized an Opportunities Fair for the students—can you tell me a little more about that?

Kelly: Yeah! NUA Knights wanted not only to highlight our program opportunities but the opportunities of community organizations around Providence to the young people of Central, Classical, and PCTA. We invited 15 youth-serving orgs to table and promote their fantastic programs. In total, we had about 250 youth walk through to check out what was out there for them!

What are your hopes for the year?

Kelly: Being able to provide our programs to as many students as possible.

Sherly: I hope that it can actually encourage some productivity for students. A lot of them are seniors coming back from COVID-world and they struggle with hopelessness in thinking about what to do after school. I think sometimes coming here helps them understand that they do have hobbies and maybe motivates them to think about that in the future.

What are your dreams for the future?

Kelly: A student being able to walk in and say, ‘I’m interested in X,’ and we can say, ‘We can do that!’ or if not, then, ‘Let’s make it happen!’ I want to build on what we have and offer a wide variety.

Sherly: I hope to extend this program to other schools if possible… and more field trips haha. Something out of state would be really cool.

Kelly: Yeah just more exposure for the students, getting out a little more.

Any words of wisdom for Central students as you gear up for the start of the year?

Kelly: Come spend an afternoon with us! We’ll be here, and if you show up and you realize none of these programs actually interest you, you can tell us what does interest you, and we can act as a hub and get you connected to a place where you can do that.

Shely: We start programs on October 11th!

Kelly: We have a guitar program (which includes electric and bass! We’re getting a drum set and keyboard, we’re going to have a full band!), book club, fitness/weight club and training is maybe our most popular program, and chess team, which has won statewide awards. We’re gonna have a cooking program again which is very exciting, and a fashion/design program. We also have some planned partnerships for the future with groups like Farm Fresh RI in the spring. Sojourner House is gonna come in and talk about healthy relationships, and Young Voices will come in to talk about activism with the students.

Program Spotlight: Summer Programs

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. For our eighth month, we are highlighting our Summer programs with an interview with our Youth Programs Assistant, Jobanny Cabrera, who worked with STAB and helped facilitate Summer Open Studio and other programs.

What summer programs did New Urban Arts run this year?

Jobanny: Let’s see, there was STAB, Waterways, and College Explorations. STAB is the Student Team Advisory Board where we went into deep deep details about what is a nonprofit, what is NUA, what is a board of directors, what does hierarchy mean—we talked about power dynamics and structure with our student leaders. Waterways was a partnership with MEO [Movement Education Outdoors] to explore what the relationship between water and humans here in Rhode Island is like. They asked questions like, ‘How do we affect the water and how does it affect us?’ and made art about it. College Explorations went in hard on colleges: students as early as 10th grade were looking at the process, took field trips to different campuses, explored options outside of college, and looked at all the different things about different schools to think about. We also had Summer Open Studio, which was our drop-in time for students to use the space however they saw fit. Students came in who weren’t in our summer programs and our summer students sometimes stayed late to finish projects. STAB was working on a video project and that took extra time during open studio, for example.

Can you talk a little bit about how NUA programs and NUA Knights programs worked together this year?

Jobanny: At NUA Knights, Andres, the music mentor here in the studio during the year, co-taught a music summer program at Central High School, and taught led a small group of students in a film-making project. At the end of the summer, they performed a live soundtrack over the film, which was amazing.

STAB and Heroes of the Knights (NUA Knights’ student leadership group, brand new this summer!) got together and did a few games and exercises together to explore leadership and different leadership styles. We went on a field trip to the ICA in Boston to see their teen summer program and that was really awesome. It was cool for them all to see how different programs were run and learn more from that. We were all jealous of their building at the ICA.

What was your fav project you saw being made in the studio this summer?

Jobanny: There were two: as I mentioned, STAB made a video for NUA because we haven’t had a “commercial” in a long time that really described what the space is. They went really deep into it by looking at the older videos and figuring out what they didn’t like, what didn’t accurately describe NUA from the students’ perspective, and decided what they wanted in a new video. They put that together and I helped edit it. Stay tuned it will be live in a few weeks.

Andres’s students also showed their film and played a live soundtrack over it which was really cool—it was such a cool commitment. I heard them talking about it before the school year ended, and they actually followed through and made it. It was great to see.

What would you like to see in next year’s summer programs?

Jobanny: More student-lead programs, more of what students want and less of what we, as adults, want to do over the summer. Not that there weren’t really great things happening, but I think a lot of the students who weren’t in Waterways wanted to do more outside and were interested in those activities. It’s summer!

What would you like to see for NUA’s summer programs in a perfect world?

Jobanny: More field trips would be cool, maybe an international arts program, being able to get out of Rhode Island and see the world. A majority of our students don’t have access or time to travel outside of the US. Even something like the Tennessee field trip [our partnership with Crafting the Future] was really awesome to see, and I would like more students to be able to get out of their box like that, but even further.

Become an Artist Mentor at New Urban Arts!

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

You can apply online through this form: https://forms.gle/d4JZ3wZuF9YBCf7G8

Or download a paper form here

Applications are due September 6, 2022.

Program Spotlight: Music – An Interview with Andres Bonilla

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. For our sixth month, we are highlighting our Music program with an interview with our Music Resident Artist Mentor, Andres Bonilla, who started his first year at NUA this last fall, in 2021.

This was your first year at NUA. How’s it feel in the music room? What has been surprising?

Andres: It was very surprising the environment, the vibe. I used to be a professor, there were specific hours, a schedule, but here it is an open studio. That was very surprising – to be in a space that I could be with the students in a different way every single day.

The other thing that shocked me from the beginning was the number of different instruments we have – the synthesizers, the drums, the guitar pedals, the MIDI controllers, it’s awesome. It gives us a lot of opportunities to create, we don’t have the usual limitations, it’s not just one guitar, we have 3, and 3 amplifiers!

Why do you think music is important to students and the studio?

Andres: I think that music is one artform that you used to do with more people. It’s not like writing, for example: usually you write, you paint alone, not always, but often that’s the culture. Music is one where, yes you can do it alone, but usually you need more people to create your music – you need a bass player, a singer, a drummer, it’s a social activity. In the studio, it’s the most social activity. The students that play music in the studio, they work together and they stick together. You can spot them in the rest of the studio because they cluster together with each other–not because they are jerks, but because they learn and express together and it makes them close. I think it’s important to have that space. Sometimes music can be a way to overcome loneliness.

I know that you weren’t here pre-covid, but do you think that loneliness is more pronounced, are students more hesitant to play together now in the pandemic era?

Andres: My feeling when I arrived here was that the students were very isolated, each one in their own space creating their own thing. It was cool to see how the desire to make music made them socialize with others slowly. The desire to create music was stronger than their anxieties. Making music was the path and the tool at the same time: they wanted to play together to create music and so they were socializing and then creating music together. A lot of them came in with their own ideas, but I think they all slowly realized that they needed others to make music and a lot of friendships came out of it.

What is your background in music? What do you think you bring to the music programs at NUA?

Andres: I started to play when I was 13 years old, but my family always played guitars and folk instruments, so I have this Latin American, Colombian, folk background in one hand, and then eventually I picked up electric guitar and started playing Pink Floyd and Metallica and stuff. Then I went to university and studied jazz, salsa, a lot of classical of course. And then I went to Italy to study film scoring and I had this amazing experience that allowed me to compare my Colombian background against a European one. I brought something different than the other students and it helped me reconsider my own work in a new way that I am still exploring, the overlap of those two cultures. That is also what I bring to NUA, my background as an immigrant, as a Latin American musician. At NUA it’s cool, there’s all this diversity and it’s important for the students to see someone who is not from here, for our immigrant students as well, to help them see they can draw from their own cultures as well, whatever they are.

What are your hopes for music going forward (immediate future)?

Andres: There are some people who seem interested in pursuing a career in music. I want to help them achieve their goals, going to university for composition or learning how to produce their own songs. This last year felt more like an opener: people came here for the first time since the pandemic and they had to figure out how to use the space. Now that they have seen the studio, some of them want to develop more of their own projects. I always love helping people get started with a new instrument and am looking for new tools to assist with that, maybe host some writing or production workshops, etc.

What are your dreams for music at NUA over the next 25 years (long term/fantasy)?

Andres: I would like there to be different options for mentors within music, a violin mentor, a drum mentor, a cello mentor, with different rooms, and to start working with kids who are maybe a little bit younger since it really helps so much to start with an instrument and then maybe have a festival! There could be so many different kinds of music it would be great.

Any tips/words for students who have never tried music at NUA?

Andres: It’s important to know that talent is just the art of repetition. There is not some magical formula. Music has this particular quality, it is one of the most performatic arts. When someone is playing you see that instant, those two minutes. You think ‘Wow, that person is awesome, so talented, I could not do something so hard,’ but that person was practicing in their room for who knows how many hours per day. Just for fun. If you want to try, if you want to play some music, don’t worry about whether or not it’s good. Expose yourself to new things, ask around for help, play, and don’t worry. This is especially true for singers, people think ‘I don’t have a good voice,’ but that’s an instrument that can be practiced too. There’s also making music on the computer, where you don’t have to be an amazing instrumentalist. It’s another way of expressing yourself that is available now, that anyone can take advantage of.

Program Spotlight: A.L.A.S.

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. For our fifth month, we are highlighting our ALAS program with an interview with Addy, our ALAS Coordinator, and Lateefat, a graduating senior who can often be found sitting across from Addy and talking about life after high school.

What is ALAS at NUA?

Addy: It stands for A Life After School and it is NUA’s post-secondary support program. I’m the coordinator and I help students plan for their life after high school: college, job support, learning new trades, etc.

Why is it important for a place like NUA to have ALAS?

Lateefat: A lot of times in school there is a lack of that support, especially at a bigger school where there are 4 counselors for 1,000 students. That’s like 250 students per counselor and that’s a lot for them to do! There’s only so much we can do on our own so it’s nice to have one-on-one support to keep me accountable.

What are some highlights from this last year in the ALAS program?

Lateefat: It helped me not just apply to college, but do so in a way that I was able to apply to all of the colleges I was interested in early-action. It made a scary impossible thing feel more manageable. Senior year is so stressful and I was burnt out from APs and scholarship applications and so many other things. It made me feel like I could actually do it—I think without that support, I wouldn’t have been able to apply to half those things. Sometimes I felt so tired I didn’t want to hold a pencil, but I wanted to make sure for each ALAS meeting that I always had one thing to show so that kept me motivated to keep checking off a few boxes.

Addy: A lot has happened this year. In the fall we had college visits from admissions officers from a variety of different colleges. We had a bunch of workshops on topics like financial aid, scholarships, résumés, and alternatives for students who don’t want college. We also had a series of financial literacy workshops for the first time… we collaborated with the FLY Initiative. A NEACAC grant helped us be able to pay students to attend those workshops which was really great. We’ve also been partnering with Crafting the Future to provide opportunities for our BIPOC students and alums to attend art workshops around the country. We’ve really been trying to boost our alumni support so we’ve got a newsletter going and are keeping in touch with all of them a lot more.

What have you utilized ALAS services for and how has ALAS played a role in your high school life?

Lateefat: I used it mainly to keep me on pace to set those deadlines and hit them. It was like having a gym buddy: this person is going to be there at this time. It helped me get things done a lot earlier and motivated me to do it. Then during school breaks I got to take an actual break instead of stressing on all the stuff I would have been behind on.

Addy: Lateefat was very proactive which was awesome.

Lateefat: Some of it is so daunting. I heard about the common app a million times but no one actually told me what it was. Addy and I looked through it together and we broke it down into manageable pieces and made it approachable. It’s not that bad! Tedious maybe, but not that bad—especially compared to scholarships haha.

What advice would you give your self-from-last-year?

Lateefat: I would tell myself to slow down a little bit. It did work out, but I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to get things in at the earliest date. Scholarships was another one: researching them before they open would have been helpful because they don’t give you much time to get everything together.

What would you tell students who have not yet utilized ALAS services?

Lateefat: Just do it, even if you might not go to college, Addy can help you do whatever you’re thinking about doing. The financial literacy workshop was a bunch of stuff I didn’t know and it was great. Even one meeting can make a big difference. I feel like not utilizing ALAS is like not picking up $20 off the floor.

Addy: Or $1000 sometimes, haha. ALAS can be for whatever you want it for. It’s really just about you and your goals and whatever you’re trying to navigate in life. I think of myself as a connector so I just want to plug you in to resources or cool programs.

Lateefat, you also participated in the summer College Explorations program with Addy, what was that like?

Lateefat: It helped me break down aspects of colleges I was interested in and make sense of them because there are so many details. I was college-bound crazy, so I watched a lot of videos and it was so much information.

Is college everything ALAS does?

Addy: No! College is only one part of what we do, we support students who don’t want to go to college or aren’t sure—it might just not be a good fit! We have hosted a variety of career exploration workshops including “Careers in the Arts” which brought in a lot of professionals working in the arts, some of whom have gone to college, some not, to give examples of what different paths after high school might look like.

Lateefat: I would just say if there are any students wondering if they should bother making a meeting with Addy, even if you don’t want to go to college or even know what you want to talk about, it’s so great to talk to someone who isn’t your parents to help you understand what you want, even if it’s just what you want to do right now or this summer. Addy can connect you to painting programs and help you even if that’s not your career. I was into fashion but I was afraid because I also want financial stability and Addy helped me find that there are programs like fashion marketing or business programs that can apply to fashion that made me feel more comfortable pursuing those dreams. And they helped me make my first résumé!

Addy: What’s gratifying for me is seeing how knowledge and education changes people’s lives. Even a small thing can make a big impact.

25th Anniversary Book—Call For Submissions

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:
Art & experiences from 25 years of NUA community
**Submit by July 31st 2022**

Dearest NUA alumni and students, former and current mentors, staff, supporters and friends!

The 25th Anniversary Steering Committee is curating a collection and art book to celebrate 25 years of NUA community. We’re talking big, dope, coffee-table, museum-worthy art book that just says, “Wow, look at that awesome thing!” And we want you to be a part of it.

We want this book to showcase the impression NUA has created in the world. It’s a souvenir! A yearbook! A community art history! A casebook of how we make NUA happen! A fundraising tool! A manifesto! It’s a chance to create a snapshot of everything that we were, are, and could become — a communal book for a now-global community.

For anyone previously or currently involved with NUA, you are invited to submit any (or several) of the following:

Your NUA story or timeline or history
1-2 pieces of art, creative writing, or any work that represents your creative practice
A short statement (<20 lines) on how NUA has affected your life and your creative practice
An interview or discussion with another member of the NUA community
A special memory you have of NUA or interactions with NUA people in the wider world
A meditation on, or description of, something that someone made at NUA
A NUA How To (How to make a T-shirt. How to make a self-portrait. How to stop time. How to collaborate, etc.)
A critical piece exploring some of the issues or problems you think NUA addresses in the world
A studio tour
A love poem to NUA
Any other expression of what NUA means to you <3

For sponsors, friends, and extended community members, we invite you to write in or share with us creatively:

What is NUA?
What did you witness at NUA?
What inspires you about NUA?
What made you want to support NUA over the years?
What influence does NUA have on Providence, the community, or the world?

Do you want to be involved but can’t think of what to write or make? Let us know, and we’ll make suggestions! Submit digitally or by mail! Please include your name, contact information, and your relationship to NUA (including alum year if applicable). Optional: Send a selfie too if you’d like.

Submit digitally to: submissions@newurbanarts.org

Share visual art as high-quality image (.jpg, .psd, .tiff) or vector files. Share written work as a word document.

Submit physical items via mail to:
New Urban Arts
    ATTN: 25th Book
    705 Westminster St
    Providence, RI 02903

No restrictions on size or medium, but if you mail it and it’s small enough we might be able collage it in — no promises!

Just so you know: by submitting, you are consenting for your work to be printed in what we hope will be a lovely book. We can’t guarantee that everything submitted will make it into the book — but we will find a creative way to use all submissions.

We will put out the word when this book is available — we would love to get a copy into your hands, and for you to be able to share it with your friends!

With much love,
The NUA 25th Steering Committee

Abel Hernandez, Alumni & Former Artist Mentor
Alice Costas, Former Artist Mentor
Adrienne Adeyemi, Alumni & Current Board Member
Daniel Schleifer, Executive Director & Former Artist Mentor
Emily Ustach, Deputy Director & Former Artist Mentor
Jane Androski, Former Artist Mentor & Former Board Member
Jennifer Recinos, Alumni & Former Artist Mentor
Kath Connolly, Former Board Member
Marcus Civin, Founding Staff Member
Maya Lehrer, Alumni
Michael Fournier, Former Board Member
Tamara Kaplan, Former Staff Member

New Urban Arts Summer Programs Are Here!

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

Are you a high school student or do you know someone who is interested in being involved with New Urban Arts this summer?

New Urban Arts is accepting applications for 25 paid summer apprenticeships in three programs, Art Inquiry: Water Ways; the STAB Leadership Project; and College Explorations. Click for more information on these programs in English or in Spanish.

Youth receive $400 stipends for their participation.

Lunch, snacks and bus passes are provided to students at no cost.

Summer Internships at New Urban Arts is open to students entering 10-12^th Grades.

Students can apply online here: https://forms.gle/a2SCrkUkAqxC9eLm9

or by downloading an application here.

For more information, call 401-751-4556.

Program Spotlight: S.T.A.B.

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. For our fourth month, we are highlighting our STAB program with an interview with three of our current student members, Edwin, Katrina, and Brent.

What is STAB?

Edwin: Studio Team Advisory Board

Katrina: Sexy Teenagers A-broad… We represent the students at NUA.

Edwin: We make decisions for the studio that revolve around students.

Brent: It’s an attempt to provide student representation in the governance of this organization. We are more here to give student perspective than to mastermind anything.

Edwin: We get to help hire people.

Why did you join STAB?

Katrina: I like knowing what goes on behind the scenes and I wanted to be more involved in this place because I think it’s cool.

Brent: Because I’m a control freak

Edwin: Ashley [former Studio Director] asked me if I was interested in STAB because I have strong opinions.

Why is STAB important to the studio?

Edwin: I think we have insight that mentors might not have. I think we do a good job representing the student body because we have a diverse committee. We cover all corners of the spectrum of NUA people.

Katrina: So far we, as a group, have cultivated some good relationships, we get along I think. I enjoy hanging out with the STAB group.

Edwin: Mentors are not as personal as the students.There’s always going to be a difference between mentor and student and students can represent their own needs better.

Brent: There’s also a financial component, students are the ones receiving the services that NUA provides, so we have the perspective on how to improve it and how to make it more accurately serve our needs.

What are some projects STAB has worked on this year?

Edwin: We hired the new studio director!

Katrina: We interviewed the studio advocate.

Brent: We discussed how students eat in regard to what is safe and comfortable given COVID safety stuff. When the guidelines were changing we gave input into what was working and what wasn’t.

What are your hopes and dreams for STAB in the future?

Edwin: I would like to see NUA expand in size to serve more students.

Brent: I’d like to see a yearly recruitment drive so we can have a constant influx of new students.

Katrina: All of the STAB members will be seniors next year, so we will need more students to join for the future.

Edwin: I think it would be cool to have the walls painted something other than white, student paintings/murals on the walls. For example, that wall is just blue, you can do better than that Dean. [note from the editor: Sorry Edwin!]

Katrina: Definitely the podcast.

Edwin: We’re starting a podcast.

Katrina: It’s called New Urban Farts, and it’s conversations with students, uncensored! It’s going to be launched on the NUA website and youtube channel. We are mostly going to discuss amongst STAB and it will be a resource for community members, future students/STAB members for what the studio culture is like.

Program Spotlight: Painting and Drawing

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. For our third month, we are highlighting our Painting and Drawing program with an interview with our Painting and Drawing Resident Artist Mentors, Dana and Sherly, and a current NUA student that has been very involved in painting this year, Geany.

Why is Painting and Drawing important to students and the studio?

Dana: Painting and drawing is the gateway medium to a greater artistic practice–it’s what people first encounter normally, what they understand as art.

Geany: It’s the most important thing in your life. When you’re little you paint a flower, your mom or your dad or whatever, it makes you feel happy. If we didn’t have that… it makes you feel less stressed. The paper, the brushes, you can make whatever you want.

What’s going on in the studio for you right now?

Sherly: We are coming back from February break and installed all our findings and nature art on our walls. Some students are completing their art that was left before we closed for break, others are starting from scratch. At the same time, I’m encouraging students to exhibit their art for the upcoming show in April.

What are your hopes for Painting and Drawing going forward (immediate future)?

Dana: I wanna go 3D! I’ve been talking with Sherly about wanting to do a papier-mâché workshop, maybe make masks. More sculpture and painting the sculptures, of course.

Sherly: I hope for students to dive into charcoal or ink drawing at least once. Also, we are running out of acrylic paint, haha.

Geany: There’s already everything, you can do it all. You have your hands, the brushes the paint, you can do anything. More brushes, more colors of paint, I guess, high quality stuff. And more canvasses! And more space to store the paint and the paintings.

What are your dreams for painting and drawing at NUA over the next 25 years?

Dana: I mean it would be cool to do another mural somewhere in the city. Maybe a big summer project and a big mural.

Sherly: One of my studio goals is for students to feel encouraged to pin their art on the walls without having mentors to ask them to. I want them to embrace the studio as their space not only for creation but also for personal exhibition.

There are two mentors in this media area. What does that look like, how does it work?

Dana: It’s pretty fluid, there’s usually a lot of students in our zones so we can spread ourselves a lot more and we both have different areas of expertise which is pretty cool, and Sherly speaks Spanish which is great because we have a lot of students who prefer Spanish, and she has a lot more technical practice in painting and drawing, whereas I’m a little more head in the clouds, conceptual, mixed-media oriented. I’m more of a big ideas first, medium comes after type person.

Sherly: My approach is more academic. I believe Dana has a more expressive approach. I tend to focus on the practices of color theory, proportional drawing, and the overall elements and principles of art. I find it important to have two different minds work together to mentor because it will remind students that there is no one way of making art; and that art making is really down to personal choice.

How did you start painting or drawing at NUA?

Geany: Everything about art has my attention, and I see all this paint and brushes and I think I need to do something. I did my first painting, I haven’t finished it yet, but I will. I was really excited about it, but I needed to do something else and then another one and another one and I haven’t finished any of them, but I will! I can do a lot of things, I can express my feelings in painting, or a situation. And there’s something about art where I can express myself. If you’re angry, and you paint, then you will do something horrible! That will express your feelings. In music you can hear it too.

Dana and Sherly, you were both students at NUA before you were mentors, did those experiences influence your mentoring? How so?

Dana: Having an adult to talk to that’s not someone in my family and not someone who is an authority figure has been a big influence. That experience has informed a lot about how I mentor and think about power dynamics—I’m a mentor, not an expert, and I make sure the students know that, and I think that evens the playing field a little. Also, in my experience as a young person, looking back, I was told to do a lot of things and I just listened because I didn’t understand I could be the driving force of my life. So when I mentor, I really emphasize the agency part of our core values and make sure student know they can make decisions on their own and it doesn’t have to do with getting good grades or impressing anyone.

Sherly: During high school I struggled to focus on a lot of things but when it came to art my focus was on the compositions and details I was creating with painting and drawing. It felt like for the first time I had control of what I wanted to do and make. I figured that I wasn’t the only person that went through that and despite them being a different generation, some youths are also going through the same mental process like I did. I want to guide them through it.

How has painting and drawing at NUA changed since you were students?

Dana: When I was a student there was a little more structure to each medium. I remember coming in and my mentor Julia saying I’ll be here Mondays and Wednesdays doing block printing on the press, which felt more like a drop-in class. Our capacity pre-pandemic was much bigger than when I was a student, so it feels more open. I’m not necessarily being sought out as a painting mentor, but when I see someone interested in painting I approach them, just because there are so many students now and it’s so accessible: you see a canvas and you see a paintbrush and you know what to do, it’s intuitive to want to put those together.

Anything tips for students who have never done painting and drawing at NUA?

Geany: You can do whatever you want, everybody has different eyes and sees things differently.

Program Spotlight: Printmaking

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. For our second month, we are highlighting our Printmaking program with an interview with our Printmaking Resident Artist Mentor, Ian, and two current NUA students that have been making regular use of the printmaking facilities, Pax and Sophia.

How did you start printmaking at NUA?

Sophia: My sister was a part of Spanish Club, that’s how I found out about screenprinting. She was doing it a lot and I wanted to try it, so I decided to come to NUA. It excited me and it was super fun, and I kept wanting to start new projects and I just love doing it!

Pax: I just really wanted to make a t-shirt, so I asked Ian about how.

Ian [RAM]: I’ve been screenprinting in Providence since the year 2000! I volunteered at New Urban Arts as a mentor from 2005-2008, then in 2015 I was part of the initial crew of Resident Artist Mentors on NUA’s staff. I am the Printmaking mentor which means I build and maintain the screenprinting facility at NUA, and I introduce students to printmaking and what the possibilities are in silkscreen and blockprinting, which are the main print media we offer.

Why do you like screenprinting/printmaking?

Sophia: I like the freedom that NUA gives me to organize it all myself. From the start I learned to do everything and then from there I got better and more comfortable in my skill. I could do things more efficiently and got better and it felt cool to switch from one color to another or from one project to another. It’s exciting, even if that sounds silly. It’s fun to know that a good product is coming out of it.

Pax: I have always wanted to make my own clothes, I used to paint straight onto t-shrits because I didn’t know screen printing existed. I’m not sure why, I really like the t-shirts that have cute little pictures on them and I want to put my own on there.

Why do you think screenprinting is important for the NUA studio?

Sophia: I definitely think it’s important. For me it’s where I am all the time at NUA. It’s fun because you can get something you can wear out of it. And you can make prints. Whatever we make in the rest of the studio can be brought to life on something you’d wear. It’s also really fun to teach other people how to go through it.

Pax: It takes up a lot of space for sure so it’s a big part of the studio. I think it’s really fun, you can print on your own stuff and make your own designs and it easily bleeds over into other stuff at the studio which is cool.

Ian [RAM]: NUA students seem to really love screenprinting for the chance to print T-shirts and garments with their own designs, that they can wear, give to friends, or sell! Some students print posters or prints on paper or sticker paper as well, and some have printed on fabric and then used that fabric to create garments. Screenprinting is great cause once you make a design and expose your screens, you can print as many things as you have time and patience for… use different colors… experiment and try new things. At the NUA studio, it’s always great to see people making multiples of their images… to see students wearing each others’ designs… and young people sharing and spreading their ideas and art through printing. Also it adds color and chaos to the visual backdrop of the studio…. it wouldn’t be NUA without the visual chaos!

What else would you like to see in the screenprinting area at NUA? What do you imagine for printmaking at NUA going forward?

Sophia: Maybe like more student creations. There’s that really cool dress and those testers, but maybe more of those around. It’s inspiring to see all of the colors and prints. It would be cool to see what everyone’s working on.

Pax: I’m not sure, maybe another box to stand on in the printing area since we only have one. Maybe a slide?

Ian [RAM]: I’m hoping that we can make some more prints on fabric and sew those fabrics into things — before COVID, students and mentors had started designing repeating patterns to print on fabric and that was really compelling. I’d love to make tiny wallpapers (dollhouse scale?) and big wallpapers (human scale). Some students have been telling me about complicated project ideas and I really hope we can make those projects happen before the end of the year. I’m always excited to see more prints on paper and people experimenting with what can be done in that realm. And — I’m psyched about sharing student work in a show open to the public in April!

What would you say to students who have never tried screenprinting before? Do you have any tips?

Sophia: At first it’s really intimidating, because there are so many steps and in order for it to be a really nice print you have to follow a certain criteria. But once you get used to it it’s super fun and you can get really into it and it’s super rewarding because you get a really cool print. As for tips… don’t question Ian!!!! Ian knows what he’s talking about. Even though he can be OCD and want everything clean clean and perfect you will thank him in the end because any crusty paint left over you won’t want that on the squeegee the next day, so stick with Ian.

Pax: It’s a lot harder than it looks. When they explain it, it doesn’t sound like something that would be really complicated or hard to do, but it actually is. You put in a lot more effort than you would imagine. But it’s worth it, it’s very fun. My tip is to keep your first print simple so it’s easier to do the whole thing. Mine was kinda complicated and it made the whole process a lot harder.

What are your dreams for printmaking at NUA over the next 25 years?

Ian [RAM]: Oh boy… that’s so far in the future! I am not planning to work at NUA infinitely, so one goal of mine is that someone who loves screenprinting and is psyched about helping students realize their projects and goals can take my place as the printmaking resident artist mentor at some point. I think this job involves a lot of listening to students and asking students really substantive questions to get to the heart of their hopes and their ideas, so it’s not a grown-up just dictating to teenagers what their projects should look or be like. Not every adult artist is ready to do that listening, so it will have to be a special person! I’m hoping that the technical and organizational systems that I’ve created and put into place will continue to serve the studio usefully, both while I’m still here and for whoever comes after me. I would also love to see a formal archive of students’ print projects: there have been so many and I’ve saved copies of lots of them, I would love to see them archived and cataloged in a way that will be part of NUA history for a long time. And of course the main dream is that people just keep printing, keep making cool stuff, keep having access to the tools and materials and facilities here at NUA, and then keep going on out in the world to explore more printing and art forms, and to share their art with everyone.

Community Notification: New Urban Arts is applying for 21st Century Community Learning Center Funds

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

New Urban Arts plans to submit an application to the Rhode Island Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program in partnership with Central High School, Classical High School and Trinity Academy for Performing Arts.

Founded in 1997, New Urban Arts is a nationally-recognized community art studio for high school students located at 705 Westminster Street in Providence, RI. Our mission is to build a vital community that empowers young people as artists and leaders to develop a creative practice they can sustain throughout their lives. Our free programs include after school programming from October through May and a five week summer program.

The application and any waiver request will be available for public review after submission on March 25, 2022.

Say Hello To Two New Staff Members

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

New Urban Arts is very excited to welcome Andy Goodman and Kelly Harlow to our team!

Andy is taking over as Studio Director at our 705 Westminster Studio. They are a painter, artist, community activist, trouble-maker, and animal lover—read more about them here.

Kelly first joined our family as an intern at Central High School for NUA Knights’ earliest years! Now she has returned as the Site Director. You can find out more about her here.

Welcome (back) to New Urban Arts Andy and Kelly.

Programs Spotlight: Literary Arts

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

As part of New Urban Art’s 25th Anniversary, we will be spotlighting current programs and initiatives across the organization. Kicking off our first month is a spotlight on our Literary Arts program with an interview with our Literary Arts Resident Artist Mentor.

Q: Who are you and what do you do at New Urban Arts?

My name is Dean Sudarsky, and I’m the Literary Arts Resident Artist Mentor (LARAM)—I work with students who want to practice creative writing and help with writing-related school work and college essays.

Q: Why are the Literary Arts important to students and the New Urban Arts Studio?

The Literary Arts enjoy a kind of strange reputation when it comes to access. On one hand, it can be the artform in the studio that is the most personal and the closest to the heart—many of our students write for themselves in their notebooks or keep dedicated journals, whether they think of that as creative writing or not. On the other hand, the way poetry and creative writing is taught in school can make it seem difficult, strict, or out of date. The typewriter we have in the studio is an amazing transformative tool that I think represents the experience our students sometimes have with writing. Students are curious about it as an unfamiliar machine and want to play with it. They’re not sure what to write so they just start pressing keys and when they see their own words become a live artifact, something clicks and the first piece of realizing “anybody can do this” comes into place. A lot of my job is to demystify poetry or writing and help students see that they have been talking for most of their lives and already know how to express themselves with words. Once students understand they can express themselves with words, writing becomes their most versatile and private art—they write in the margins of their notebooks, on their phones—and even as a way of thinking and brainstorming for other mediums.

Q: What’s going on in the studio for you right now?

Right before winter break I was working with a couple students on their applications to RISD precollege summer programs, helping a few other students with college admissions and financial aid essays, and working closely with a handful of students on their personal poems and short stories. A couple of them like to hash out their ideas on the studio typewriter and then we photocopy them and go over them together and mark them up. Another student just submitted a short story to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Since coming back from Winter Break, we’ve been hosting virtual open studio while the Omicron variant is spiking in Rhode Island, and even though virtual studio has its drawbacks compared to being in the NUA space, writing is one artform that translates very well to online programs—there’s a particular activity where we look at a collection of photos from a recent high-fashion runway shoot, everyone picks a particular photo or outfit, we spend a few minutes trying to write a description of the person without making reference to plainly identifiable aspects of the clothing (e.g. “You are a butterfly,” rather than, “You have a colorful dress that features two large wings”), and then read them aloud and guess which picture matches which description. It’s really fun and one of a few activities that work much better in virtual programs than in the studio.

Q: What are your hopes for Literary Arts going forward?

Although the LARAM position is relatively new to New Urban Arts, one of my favorite longstanding parts of NUA culture is that every piece of student work presented in a show has to be accompanied by an artist statement in the student’s own words. Artist statements are an opportunity for students to think critically about their work, to reflect on what they expressed and what the piece means to them. It also helps introduce them to the practice of writing about their own work, which artists of all ages and skills find to be a challenging part of the process. We provide them with a questionnaire to inspire them, but ultimately what they have to say about their art is up to them. I am always amazed by what they come up with. Since the start of the pandemic, we have not been able to host public exhibitions. My hope is that by the end of this year, we are able to showcase student work, bring back artist statements and see what this year’s students have to say.

Q: What are your dreams for the Literary Arts at New Urban Arts in the next 25 years?

Poetry and creative writing seems like something that comes in waves in terms of student interest at NUA. Looking through our collection of books and zines, I have found some really amazing anthologies of student poetry from NUA as well as thematic or directed collections. My hope is that with a dedicated Literary Arts RAM, we can build and sustain a writing community in the studio. Over the next 25 years I hope to see more of those collections on our shelves.

NUA invites BIPOC alumni to apply for 2-week full scholarship residency at renowned craft school

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Dean Sudarsky

Crafting the Future x New Urban Arts Summer 2022 BIPOC Scholarships

New Urban Arts is excited to announce our second year of partnership with Crafting the Future (CTF). CTF works to diversify the fields of art, craft, and design by connecting BIPOC artists with opportunities that will help them thrive.

For Summer 2022, CTF and NUA are providing 3 FULL scholarships for BIPOC alumni to take a 2-week residential workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, an internationally- renowned craft school in Deer Isle, Maine. We are excited to invite NUA’s BIPOC alumni to apply!

Scholarships will cover all expenses to attend the program, including tuition, travel, housing & food, and materials. Participants will also have access to support from both NUA and CTF before, during, and after the program.

APPLY HERE by Friday, January 21st at 11:59pm EST

Program Details:

This scholarship provides a residential, intensive arts experience. Participants will select a workshop of their choice and participate in that workshop Monday-Friday during their 2 week program, with breaks for meals and personal work/leisure time. Live on “campus,” meet other artists and students, spend time in nature and in community, and explore your creative practice. You will also not be going alone! Participants will attend their session with 2 other NUA alumni AND a NUA staff member.

The School and Workshops:

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is located on the Atlantic Ocean in Deer Isle, Maine. Haystack offers workshops in blacksmithing, ceramics, fibers/textiles, glass, graphics (paper, printmaking, painting), metals, wood, and writing. Most workshops are designed for all levels of experience.

Check out Haystack’s course catalogue for descriptions of specific workshops. Once we have determined which session our NUA group will attend, participants are guaranteed their first or second choice of workshop for that session.

Requirements to participate:

Identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or POC
18+ years old at the time of the program. This scholarship is intended for younger alumni (~18-25 years old), but we will consider all applicants.
Alum of NUA’s youth programs
Have not previously received this CTF scholarship
Available to participate in a 2-week program this summer 2022

Timeline of Application and Program:

Friday, Jan. 21th: Application due
Friday, Jan. 28th: NUA will notify all applicants if they have been chosen to participate
Friday, Feb 15th: Accepted participants submit their registration information to Haystack, including their first and second choice for workshops
Feb-June: Register for workshop, arrange travel with NUA support, prepare for program
June-August (Exact dates TBD): Participate in 2-week program!

Choosing Participants:

With only 3 scholarships available, we recognize that there might be more applicants than available spots. We welcome applicants of all creative abilities and experience. We will be selecting participants based on their availability to participate and their access to arts programming. If you are not able to participate this year, we plan to provide more opportunities in future years.

COVID-19

If you are selected to participate, there will be travel involved (train, rideshare, etc). You as the participant will be responsible for the risks associated with traveling during COVID-19. New Urban Arts is happy to help provide protective gear if necessary, but we are unable to mitigate all risks associated with traveling and attending your program. Haystack also requires that all workshop attendees are fully vaccinated.

Questions or concerns?

Email Addy, NUA’s A Life After School (ALAS) Coordinator

addy@newurbanarts.org

Our Staff’s List For This Year’s Giving Tuesday

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Dean Sudarsky

“We take care of ourselves, we take care of each other, we take care of the studio.”

Amenity Aid	Amenity Aid’s mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations by creating access to essential hygiene products. We are addressing hygiene poverty by acquiring toiletry necessities and distributing them to Rhode Islanders in need.
AMOR	AMOR (Alliance to Mobilize our Resistance) is an alliance of grassroots organizations, providing community support in Rhode Island and southern New England for victims of hate crimes and state-sponsored violence.
Amnesty International	Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all.
ARISE	ARISE (Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education) mobilizes policy, programs, and partnerships to prepare, promote and empower Rhode Island’s Southeast Asian students for educational and career success.
AS220 Youth	AS220 Youth is an after-school educational program and creative incubator for young people, serving young people ages 14-21 with a special focus on those in the care and custody of the state.
A Leadership Journey	A Leadership Journey provides BIPOC youth ages 13-18 from marginalized identities equitable access to international & domestic cultural exploration through travel, utilizing travel as the vehicle to discuss the importance of Mental & Emotional wellness Global Citizenship, Self-awareness, Leadership, and Ubuntu.
Boys and Girls Club Foxpoint	To enable and inspire youth, especially those from diverse or difficult circumstances to:Reach their full potential; Become productive, responsible, and healthy members of society; Develop into givers, and not takers; Make their community, State, and the world a better place for all.
Breakthrough Providence	Our mission at Breakthrough Providence is to increase academic opportunity for highly motivated, undeserved students and get them into college ready to succeed; and inspire and develop the next generation of teachers and educational leaders.
College Visions	College Visions empowers low-income and first-generation college students to achieve the promises of higher education, while leading the way for innovative college planning and advising.
DARE	DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality) organizes Providence communities for social, political, and economic justice since 1986.
East Greenwich Free Library	The mission of the East Greenwich Free Library is to provide comprehensive library service to enhance the cultural, educational, recreational and professional life of the residents of East Greenwich, RI and surrounding communities.
FANG Community Bail Fund	The FANG Community Bail Fund helps free people who are being held on bail in local jails in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The Gordon School	Child by child, the Gordon School community cultivates successful students by inspiring joyful learning, encouraging intellectual leadership, fostering an empathic spirit and stimulating a drive for positive societal impact.
George Wiley Center	For 40 years, The George Wiley Center has been a grassroots agency that organizes members of the low-income community to advocate for systematic changes aimed at alleviating problems associated with poverty.
Habitat for Humanity	The benefits that safe and affordable shelter can have on families and communities who partner with Habitat for Humaninty can be long-lasting and life-changing.
Haus of Codec	Based in the creative capital, Haus of Codec is committed to ensuring an end to transition-aged youth homelessness in Providence through the arts and workforce development … Now, the goal of Haus of Codec is to house LGBTQ+ youth in Providence.
The Heifer Project	Ending poverty begins with agriculture. We’re on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way by supporting and investing alongside local farmers and their communities.
Inspiring Minds	Inspiring Minds empowers students for success in school and life by supporting them with trusted relationships, tutoring and mentoring form inspired community members.
Island Institute	The Island Institute works to sustain Maine’s island and coastal communities, and exchanges ideas and experiences to further the sustainability of communities here and elsewhere.
Manton Avenue Project	MAP’s mission is to nurture the unique potential of young people in Olneyville by unleashing their creative voices and uniting them with professional artists to create original theatre.
Médecins sans Frontiéres / Doctors without Borders	Providing lifesaving medical humanitarian care, and speaking out about what we see.
Movement Education Outdoors	Movement Education Outdoors (MEO) provides outdoor experiences and curriculum for community-based organizations serving youth of color and of limited economic resources. We teach youth to become mindful of their body, aware of indigenous history and engaged in the natural world.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society	The Society’s mission is: we will cure MS while empowering people affected by MS to live their best lives.
New Leaders Council RI	NLC Rhode Island trains cross-sector leaders who are committed to moving the communities they serve and our state forward. We connect inclusive leaders who have the expertise to implement change, and provide the skills and network to make that progress a reality.
Pan-Mass Challenge	The PMC’s mission is to raise funds for cnacer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 100% of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to Dana-Farber.
PrYSM	PrYSM mobilizes queer Southeast Asian youth, families, and allies to build grassroots power and organize collectively for social justice.
Providence Public Library	Providence Public Library inspires Rhode Islanders to be lifelong learners by engaging their curiosity and offering access to extraordinary experiences, resources, and ideas. Engage. Learn. Thrive.
Providence Student Union	PSU builds student power to improve education and well-being.
Protect Our Winters	POW helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change. We are a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.
Refri PVD	Refri_PVD is a community fridge on the West End of Providence, now currently located in front of Urban Greens
Rhode Island Food Bank	RI Food Bank’s mission is to improve the quality of life for all Rhode Islanders by advancing solutions ot the problem,. of hunger. The Rhode Island Community Food Bank embodies diversity, serving every part of our state and engaging people froma ll communities and backgrounds in our work.
RI Latino Arts	RI Latino Arts promotes, encourages and preserves the art, history, heritage and cultures of the Spanish-speaking people of Rhode Island.
Save the Bay	Save The Bay®-Narragansett Bay is a member-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving Narragansett Bay and all the waters that flow into it.
Sista Fire	Sista Fire is co-creating a network of women of color aged 18 to 30 years old to build our collective power for social, economic and political transformation.
The RI Solidarity Fund	The Solidarity Fund is a coalition of six community organizations that have come together to offer a one-stop option for community members and foundations seeking to contribute directly to frontline relief during the Coronavirus crisis.
Sojourner House	The mission of Sojourner House is to promote healthy relationships by providing culturally sensitive support, advocacy, housing, and education for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking; and to effect systems change.
Southern Poverty Law Center	The SPLC was founded in 1971 to ensure that the promise of the civil rights movement became a reality for all.
Southside Community Land Trust	Our mission is to provide access to land, education and other resources so people in Rhode Island can grow food in environmentally sustainable ways and create community food systems where locally produced, affordable and healthy food is available to all.
Southside Cultural Center	Southside Cultural Center of Rhode Island connects, cultivates and engages community through the arts.
The Steel Yard	The Steel Yard’s historic campus is a platform for professional artists, makers, and the community to practice and learn the industrial arts. The organization fosters creative and economic opportunities, by providing workspace, tools, training, and education while forging lasting links to a local tradition of craftsmanship.
Summer on the Hill	Summer on the Hill’s mission is to enrich the education of promising, low-income public school students from The Bronx, Washintgon Heights, and Harlem. We prepare our students for selective schools and colleges, and offer guidance to them and their parents. Summer on the Hill (SOH) provides educational opportunities to accepted students for as long as ten years, form the end of 2nd grade through high school.
Tomaquag Museum	The Tomaquag Museum is Rhode Island’s only indigenous museum, dedicated to sharing the culture, arts, and history of tribal communities in Southern New England from a first-person perspective.
Turn90 (formerly Turning Leaf)	Working with men at the highest risk of re-arrest, Turn90 combines cognitive behavioral classes, case management, transitional work, and job placement to create an opportunity for success after prison where one doesn’t currently exist.
United Way of Rhode Island	Uniting our community and resources to build racial equity and opportunities.
Ucross Foundation	The mission of Ucross Foundation is to foster the creative spirit of deeply committed artists and groups by providing uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations, and the experience of the majestic High Plains while serving as a responsible steward of its historic 20,000-acre ranch.
Wyoming Food Bank	Food Bank of Wyoming provides food and necessities to people in need through signature programs and by teaming up with over 160 Hunger Relief Partners to serve communities across the state. WE believe that for a community to thrive, every member must have the resources they need to flourish, and we strive to provide equitable access to proper nourishment for all.
Young Voices	Young Voices transforms urban youth into powerful advocates who have a voice in every aspect of their lives.
Youth In Action	Youth In Action creates opportunities for youth to become agents of change through transformative youth leadership programming.
Youth Pride, Inc.	Youth Pride, Inc. is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of youth and young adults impacted by sexual orientation and gender identity/expression while working to end the homophobic and transphobic environments in which they live, work and play.

New Urban Arts Seeks Director For NUA Knights

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Dean Sudarsky

We are no longer accepting applications for this position.

New Urban Arts seeks a Site Director for its partner program at Central High School, NUA Knights. The Site Director designs, manages, and oversees afterschool and summer programs for Central High School students and their families under a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. They connect with the community, including students, teachers, parents and administrators, to create a learning environment that conveys a sense of belonging and responsibility. They work closely with Central High School administration to assess the effectiveness and ensure the feasibility of programs. They strive to foster a program that is stimulating, trusting, and results–oriented. The Director is supervised by the Deputy Director at New Urban Arts and has daily, on–site accountability to the administration at Central High School.

Click here for the full job description, or read on:

Responsibilities

Ensure that the NUA Knights programs and services are designed and delivered to meet the highest standard.

Program Operations:

Operate the day–to–day activities of the 21st Century program leading to established outcomes, including supervision of staff, partners, and volunteers.
Manage program budget composed of funds from 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant with New Urban Arts and Central High School’s Title I Funds.
Work with teachers to ensure linkages among programs and with school day instruction.
Work with the mental health team at Central to ensure linkages to school day wellness strategies.
Facilitate regular, consistent meetings with school leadership to provide updates on progress made and plan for upcoming work.
Participate in quarterly governance meetings, including reporting out on program progress, successes and challenges.
Facilitate other necessary meetings between stakeholders. Recurring meeting times will be negotiated and set in advance.
Implement youth leadership programming and support youth–led activities.
Infuse NUA Knights with the best practices of positive youth development, and youth–centered programming.
Design and facilitate community building efforts, and celebrations, to further develop
meaningful relationships between high school students and adult program providers.
Oversee and ensure student and staff safety in compliance with the RI Program Quality Assessment (RIPQA).
Participate and attend occasional meetings, trainings and other organizational efforts at New Urban Arts as necessary.
Build partnerships and opportunities that are beneficial to programs and students.
Oversee the ongoing recruitment and engagement of high school students and families.
Provide technical assistance and resources to program providers as needed.
Attend monthly 21st Century Community Learning Centers meeting.

Supervising Program Providers, Staff and Partnerships:

Manage and implement the recruitment, professional development, and evaluation of teachers and program providers.
Cultivate existing and new partnerships that will maximize resources and opportunities for
Central’s youth.
Support and supervise program staff, including AmeriCorps*VISTA member(s).
Support and participate in the Community Partner meetings at Central High School.
Attend and participate in partnership meetings with the Providence Public School Department.

Evaluation and Planning:

Oversee program evaluation, including measuring the diversity of the student body, attendance and impact.
Oversee and ensure successful data tracking and reporting in compliance with 21st Century Community Learning Center’s reporting requirements and in relation to Central’s schoolwide improvement efforts.
Set annual program plan, including goals, outcomes, indicators, and calendar.
Develop and pilot new programs.
Work with Central High School Principal, New Urban Arts, and service providers to implement RIPQA and make adjustments to ensure program implementation is coordinated and reflects the changing needs of participants.
Report on feedback to steering committee, program service providers, school administration, students, parents, and the school improvement team.
Collaborate with New Urban Arts’ Fund Development staff to identify and apply for funds for sustainability of programs and services.

Qualifications

Five years of experience in a director–level position with similar responsibilities OR an advanced degree in education, arts management or related field and three years of experience.
Experience working in a public school, building relationships with teachers and administrators.
Experience supervising and supporting team members, volunteers, AmeriCorps, and contractors.
Minimum three years in a management role.
Strong project management skills and experience with complex, multifaceted projects.
Strength in retaining individuals and teams, empowering them to grow levels of responsibility.
Flexible, inclusive, responsive, and solutions focused.
Excellent communication skills, including computer and interpersonal skills.
Ability to translate youth development theory into practice.

Unsure if your qualifications exactly match what we are looking for? We encourage you to apply! The application is not overly burdensome and we would love to know what makes you excited about this opportunity!

To apply

E–mail resume, and cover letter (two pages max) to Business Manager Jeannie Castillo–LaPierre, jeannie@newurbanarts.org, subject: NUA Knights Director. No calls please. Send your resume and cover letter as two separate attachments; do not include them in the body of your email. PDF is the preferred file format.

New Urban Arts is an equal opportunity employer;
BIPOC candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

A Letter from Ashley Paniagua

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Dean Sudarsky

September 2021.

It’s with so much love that I share this news with you all. I will be leaving New Urban Arts at the end of this calendar year. I am grateful and humbled to have worked with incredible people at an organization that has been in my life for 20 years. New Urban Arts has shaped who I am and has consistently given me hope during the roughest of times. I have learned so much about making space for art, awkwardness, emotion, humanity and love through the last 8 ½ years. The NUA community is vital and Providence is lucky to have it.

To my colleagues through the years, thank you for showing up, doing the work and thank you for everything you’ve taught me. When I think about living in love and abundance, I think about all of you. Your friendship means the world to me.

To all the young people that have walked through the doors, thank you. Thank you for trusting us, thank you for sharing space with me and most importantly thank you for being you. No matter what, please remember that there is so much space in this world, so take it. Also, don’t forget that you are loved just as you are. Just as I will take NUA everywhere I go, NUA will always be for you.

New Urban Arts is the best place I have worked and the best work I’ve done in this world. Thank you for letting me in.

Take Magazine: “New Urban Arts: Bigger and Better”

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Dean Sudarsky

Take Magazine Article on New Urban Arts’ Expansion, coverage on our newly renovated studio space. The basement expansion at New Urban Arts brings new opportunities to students and emerging artists at a time when the organization is focusing on innovative ways to serve the ever-diversifying Providence community.

TAKE MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 10, 2016 | JOHN ARVANITIS

The folks at New Urban Arts are very very busy. On top of their rigorous, year-round educational arts programming and workshops for young and emerging artists, they’re celebrating their 20th anniversary AND expanding their space. New Urban Arts’ diverse audience, staff, and programming is poised to greatly benefit from this new expansion.

New Urban Arts’ basement addition to their building in downtown Providence is the product of many individual and organizational efforts. After receiving a grant from the state of Rhode Island through the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts in 2015, and matching funds from local and regional donors, New Urban Arts was able to plan and begin their expansion. Daniel Schleifer, executive director of New Urban Arts, pointed out that all stakeholders were involved in the design process of the new space, “…[we received] feedback from students, volunteer artist mentors, staff, the board of directors and key organizational partners.”

The basement expansion at New Urban Arts brings new opportunities to students and emerging artists at a time when the organization is focusing on innovative ways to serve the ever-diversifying Providence community. In addition to their new digital media lab, “The biggest thing is that we now have a dedicated space in the building for music. Music and music production has been a huge area of interest for our students for years, but we’ve never had a place where we could meaningfully offer that educational experience.”

According to Daniel, this new expansion will be pivotal for the continuation of the New Urban Arts mission, “We’re helping to cultivate an atmosphere in Providence where younger artists of color feel more ownership of the arts scene and are more likely to approach cultural gatekeepers with proposals for shows or work. On the other side, hopefully, we’re creating circumstances where those kind of gatekeepers are going to be more open to those young people.”

New Urban Arts will celebrate their 20th anniversary and grand opening of the new expansion October 7 at 705 Westminster Street.

Original Article
PDF

Call for Artist Mentors

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Dean Sudarsky

Become An Artist Mentor at New Urban Arts

Each fall, New Urban Arts selects 20 Artist Mentors to participate in our interdisciplinary art studio on Westminster Street, across from Classical and Central High schools. Artist Mentors volunteer October 2015 through May 2016 to mentor high school students in developing a creative practice they can sustain throughout their lives. Arts mentoring at New Urban Arts is a wonderful opportunity for artists and educators to learn how to effectively work with high school students in a community setting. In 2009, New Urban Arts was honored as one of the top youth arts programs in the country on behalf of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, receiving the nation’s highest honor for the field of out-of-school time arts and humanities programs.

Mentor Applications can be downloaded here.

In the past, Artist Mentors have been college students, graduate students, and artists from the community. Because New Urban Arts emphasizes peer-to-peer and participatory learning in our studio, Artist Mentors must be able to connect on a personal and artistic level with teenagers.

Artist Mentors are nurturing, resourceful, flexible under pressure, open to taking risks, willing to learn, and able to commit 6 hours per week during an entire school year. Artist Mentors participate in a yearlong professional development program to support their growth as an artist and educator and are required to attend two weekend retreats held in the Fall and Winter.

We also offer Artist Mentor positions through off-site work-study programs for eligible university students.

This year, New Urban Arts is looking for artist mentors in the following disciplines: drawing, painting, fashion design, sewing, printmaking, screen printing, sculpture, installation, film/animation, graphic design, web design, song writing, music, sound recording, radio, painting, drawing, poetry, mixed media, spoken word performance, digital and darkroom photography, dance, yoga, mixed media, bookmaking and textiles. We are not limited to these media and are open to accommodate other media in our studio.

2015-16 Artist Mentor Applications now available at www.newurbanarts.org. To have an application mailed to you, please contact New Urban Arts at 401.751.4556 or info@newurbanarts.org. Applications are due September 4,2015.

“I first came to the studio to share what I know about making comics. Now it feels like a second home. I have a new understanding of what it means to be a creative person.” – Melissa Mendes, Artist Mentor, 2006-2008

Friday, May 16th: Art Party

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Dean Sudarsky

Art Party: A Year-End Celebration Event

Join us in celebrating the creative voices of Providence youth!
Art Party marks the end of a yearlong collaboration between Providence artists and high school students at New Urban Arts. Hear a moving tribute ceremony for graduating seniors and volunteer artist mentors at 4pm. The festivities culminate with a parade of puppets, fashion and music (by the What Cheer? Brigade!)

4-6pm
End of Year Celebration: A Tribute Ceremony

6-8pm.
Art Party: An Interactive Exhibition & Parade

Spring 2014 Conversations on Creative Practice

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Dean Sudarsky

New Urban Arts is excited to announce the Spring 2014 series of Conversations on Creative Practice, organized and curated by Arts Mentoring Fellows Rick Benjamin and Eli Nixon. The seventh annual series will be held at our art studio, located at 705 Westminster Street in Providence. All events are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Thursday, April 17th: Moving Architecture, Simultaneous “Real” and “Staged” Performance with Megan & Murray McMillian, facilitated by Eli Nixon.
7:00pm.
Find this event on Facebook.

Wednesday, April 23rd: Conformity, Deformity and Change: Finding the Beat and the Beast with Michelle Bach-Coulibaly & Erminio Pinque, facilitated by Rick Benjamin.
6:00pm.
Find this event on Facebook.

Monday, April 28th: The Politics of Trouble Making, Pushing and Getting Pushed Back with Ian Cozzens & CJ Jimenez, facilitated by Eli Nixon.
7:00pm.
Find this event on Facebook.

Conversations are made possible through funding support from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

supporter_2

2014 Sandra Olson Award – Call for Nominations

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Dean Sudarsky

New Urban Arts is now collecting Sandra Olson award nominations. New Urban Arts introduced this annual award in 2002 to recognize individuals and organizations who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to New Urban Arts. Board members, staff, artist mentors and students can nominate candidates, people who share extraordinary contributions of time, expertise, money, energy or support—often without solicitation—going beyond what is asked of them in support of New Urban Arts and its mission.

New Urban Arts has grouped the candidates as follows:
1. Individual Volunteers: board members, volunteers, consultants, etc.
2. Organizations & Businesses: corporations, small businesses, foundations, community organizations
3. Full-time staff, artist mentors, students, and/or alumni

Each year, New Urban Arts gives a Sandra Olson Award to one individual or organization in each category. Under special circumstances as determined by the review panel, more than one Sandra Olson Award in each category may be given.
Awards will be given at the Annual Campaign Event, April 10, 2014.

Sandra Olson Award Nominations are due Monday March 14, 2014 to Tamara Kaplan via email, tamara@newurbanarts.org
Subject “Sandra Olson Award”

Please submit the following:
· Name and category (see above) for the candidate you are nominating;
· Your name;
· The reasons why you are nominating this candidate;
· Additional information that the review panel should know.

Nominations will be kept anonymous.

Past Winners of the Sandra Olsen Awards include:
2002 – Peter Hocking, Jephry Floral Studio, Marly Louis, Echoing Green Foundation
2003 – Kathleen Connolly, Jason Yoon, Gasbarro’s Wines
2004 – Jesse Banks III, White Electric, Craftland
2005 – Michael Fournier, Kedrin Frias, Jennifer Rice, Cornish Associates
2006 – Priscilla Carrion, White Whale Web Services, Tamara Kaplan, Judy Vilmain
2007- John Tabor Jacobson, Mary Adewusi, Esther Chak, Simon Moore, Jack Richter
2008 – Sarah Meyer, Myrth York, Aneudy Alba, Andrew Oesch
2009 – Deborah Obalil, Mathias Arling, Vilmain Inc., Erik Gould
2010 – Rosalia Velis, Angelo Manioudakis, Andy Cutler
2011 – CJ Jimenez, Jane Androski, Susan Smulyan, Jay Glasson, Virginia Branch
2012 – Sara Bergman, Emily Ustach, Site Specific, Emmy Bright, Noel Puello
2013- Daniel Schliefer, Adrienne Adeyemi, John Risica & Family, Holly Ewald, Caitlin Cali

Friday, February 14th, 5pm – 7pm Mid-Year Makings Opening Event

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Dean Sudarsky

Join us for an interactive art exhibition featuring new works by students at New Urban Arts, a nationally recognized community art studio and gallery where emerging artists and high school students practice powerful mentoring relationships. Witness brainstorms, beginnings, and the bloomings of mid-year makings.

RSVP to our Facebook Event.

Conversation on Creative Practice

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

Organized and curated by Arts Mentoring Fellows Emmy Bright and Kedrin Frias, the Spring 2012 Conversation on Creative Practice Series concludes on Thursday, April 26 from 7-9pm with True Language, featuring writers Mary-Kim Arnold and Matthew Derby talking about balancing art, family and redefining notions of success.

This event is free and open to the public. Snacks and refreshments will be served. For more information read Mary-Kim’s blog here or visit our website.

Conversation Series on Creative Practice

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

Join us for the second Conversation in the 2012 series of Conversations on Creative Practice: A Reading and Conversation with Al Burian, of the zine Burn Collector on “How to be a Famous Writer Without Making Any Money or Having Anyone Know Who You Are” Al Burian is the author of the long-running personal zine Burn Collector. His work has garnered praise from such legitimate institutions as the Utne Reader and McSweeneys Best Nonrequired Reading. Beginning in the mid-nineties, Burian has distributed his work through the tight-knit network of the DIY punk music/art scene. He has published 16 issues of the zine, two anthologies, and a book of comics. He has been doing reading/speaking performances since the year 2000. Burn Collector #16 (April 2012) is sub-titled “Music and Mania,” and examines the intersection between creativity and losing your marbles. Street musicians, arena rock, classical vs. computers, Little Richard vs. Elvis, and a wide variety of other topics are discussed as Burian contends that “the modern musician is essentially a maniac, living on a delusional dream, whose basic project– putting forth a unique voice into the general din and calamity of the oversaturated information age– has so little chance of success as to make it an act of ultimate, incredible optimism.” The zine contains comics, essays, reviews, and interviews with musician Tim Remis and radical mental health activist Sascha DuBrul.

Author bio:
Born 1971 in New Hampshire (state motto: “live free or die”); grew up in North Carolina (state motto: “to be and not to seem”); was an iconoclastic character at an early age. In his early twenties he began touring incessantly with bands, simultaneously producing small-run photocopied pamphlets (“zines”). He has published two collections of his zine output, Burn Collector (2000) and Natural Disaster (2007), as well as a book of comics, Things Are Meaning Less (2003).
He lives in Berlin.

Sandra Olson Winners

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

For the past ten years, New Urban Arts has recognized individuals and organizations that demonstrate extraordinary commitment to New Urban Arts through the Sandra Olson Awards. Extraordinary contributions of time, expertise, money, energy, or support – often given without solicitation – qualify recipients. The award’s namesake, Sandra Olson, once mailed New Urban Arts a $2 check each week over the course of two years. Her gifts totaled over $250.

This year’s awards will be presented at New Urban Arts’ Annual Campaign fundraiser on Thursday, April 12, 7PM as we celebrate New Urban Arts’ fifteenth birthday. Please join us in our celebration and help us congratulate the 2012 Sandra Olson Award winners!

2012 SANDRA OLSON WINNERS

Sara Bergman, alumni artist mentor and volunteer
Sara has continued to stay involved as a volunteer, donor and friend since being an artist mentor. She launched the Bergman Fund, an endowment to support RISD artist mentors at New Urban Arts and has been a dedicated volunteer leader in our capital campaign.

Emily Ustach, alumni artist mentor and volunteer
Emily has played a variety of roles at New Urban Arts, volunteer, artist mentor, and staff member. Last year, she voluntarily led a committee of advisors to help New Urban Arts prepare its programming for a new space and manage our rising youth enrollment.

Site Specific, business
The Site Specific team went above and beyond in renovating New Urban Arts’ new home, finishing under budget, securing in-kind donations from vendors, and most importantly, building a beautiful and inspiring permanent space for our youth and artists. www.sitespecificllc.com

Emmy Bright, Arts Mentoring Fellow
Emmy has contributed an extraordinary number of hours, far more than expected, to our students and artist mentors. She invests deeply in the organization and the people in it. She asks more of herself than we ever could.

Noel Puello, student
Noel is a graduating senior admitted to several colleges including Parsons School of Art and Design and Massachusetts College of Art.

Noel has been an active student for several years and one of our most dedicated ambassadors. “Noel has made contributions to both New Urban Arts and Providence that I have never seen before in a high-school student. Noel is possibly the most courageous person I know.” -Nominee

Past winners are:
2002 – Peter Hocking, Jephry Floral Studio, Marly Louis, Echoing Green Foundation
2003 – Kathleen Connolly, Jason Yoon, Gasbarro’s Wines
2004 – Jesse Banks III, White Electric, Craftland
2005 – Michael Fournier, Kedrin Frias, Jennifer Rice, Cornish Associates
2006 – Priscilla Carrion, White Whale Web Services, Tamara Kaplan, Judy Vilmain
2007 – John Tabor Jacobson, Mary Adewusi, Esther Chak, Simon Moore, Jack Richter
2008 – Sarah Meyer, Myrth York, Aneudy Alba, Andrew Oesch
2009 – Deborah Obalil, Mathias Arling, Vilmain Inc., Erik Gould
2010 – Angelo Manioudakis, Andy Cutler, Rosalia Velis
2011 – Jane Androski , Virginia Branch, Jay Glasson, CJ Jimenez, Susan Smulyan

Congratulations to Sara, Emily, Site Specific, Emmy and Noel! We are so grateful for all of your work!

Interested in being an Arts Mentoring Fellow?

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

Attend Fellowship Information Sessions to learn more about this opportunity on Monday April 16, 2012 from 7-8pm or Wednesday April 25 from 6:00 – 7:00pm, located at 705 Westminster Street in Providence, RI.

New Urban Arts will award 2012-13 fellowships to two established artists and educators in a yearlong position to (1) support artist mentors who volunteer to mentor high school students in the arts; (2) bring their creative practice to our community art studio as an artist in residence, and (3) explore and share intersections and ideas across creative practice and community practice as a reflective practitioner and active presence in the New Urban Arts studio. The fellows jointly curate New Urban Arts Conversations, a public series in which diverse individuals share how they integrate creativity into their personal and professional lives.

The fellowship is a yearlong commitment of approximately 15-20 hours per week that begins October 1 and ends June 1, with an opportunity for a one-year renewal.Fellows receive a financial stipend, studio space and the opportunity to investigate and explore the intersection of creative practice and community practice within a nationally recognized community art studio.

Click here for the RFP due May 1, 2012.

Click here for details on Fellow roles and responsibilities.

Announcing the Spring 2012 Conversations Series!

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

Organized and curated by Arts Mentoring Fellows, Emmy Bright and Kedrin Frias, New Urban Arts is excited to announce the Spring 2012 Conversation Series on Creative Practice.

Our annual series of public Conversations are held in March and April from 7:00-9:00pm at our art studio, located at 705 Westminster Street in Providence. Free and Open to the Public. Refreshments served.

Wed March 28: From the Page to the Stage: Shedding a Light on Spoken Word and Improv Performance Artwith Jorge Vargas and Rudy Cabrera.

Thurs April 5: How to be a Famous Writer Without Making Any Money or Having Anyone Know Who You Arewith Berlin-based writer, musician and comic book artist, Al Burian, most known for his long-running zine, Burn Collector. Also featuring Cafe Intelligencia!

Thurs April 26: True Language with writers Mary-Kim Arnold and Matthew Derby about balancing art, family and redefining notions of success.

New Urban Arts Studio Oath

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

THE MANIFESTO OF CONTINUAL REBIRTH

I AM ALIVE! I AM AN ARTIST!

THIS IS MY OATH:

I WILL TREAT THOSE AROUND ME
WITH THE SAME RESPECT
THAT I WISH TO RECEIVE

I WILL MEET NEW PEOPLE
I WILL MAKE NEW FRIENDS
I WILL BE BRAVE
I WILL TAKE RISKS
I WILL EMBRACE FAILURE!

I WILL OFFER MY HELP TO THOSE WHO NEED IT
I WILL ASK FOR HELP WHEN I NEED IT

AS I STAND HERE I SEE THAT THIS IS STUDIO IS OUR HOME
AND LIKE THE EARTH IT PROVIDES A BOUNTY OF RESOURCES
BUT I KNOW THESE RESOURCES ARE LIMITED
AND THAT I MUST SHARE THEM WITH OTHERS

AND I WILL NOT WASTE THEM!

I WILL TAKE ONLY WHAT I NEED AS I NEED IT
AND NOTHING MORE!

I WILL CLEAN UP AFTER MYSELF! (3X)

I WILL HELP OTHERS TO DO THE SAME
WE WILL HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE
IN TAKING CARE OF THIS, OUR NEW HOME

FINALLY AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL
I WILL MAKE AS MUCH ART AS POSSIBLE!

I WILL EXHAUST MY MUSE!
AND THEN MAKE MORE!

THIS IS MY OATH!

I AM AN ARTIST!
I AM ALIVE!
WE ARE NEW URBAN ARTS!

Studio Challenge Day-We made a beautiful mess!

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

Mid Year Makings opens this Friday!

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

Don’t miss our annual mid-year show of student artwork, Mid Year Makings, opening on Friday, Feb. 17, 5-8pm. Witness brainstorms, beginnings, and the blooming of mid-year makings in this interactive exhibition of student artwork. This event is free and open to the public.

New Urban Arts presents another new publication!!

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Dean Sudarsky

“Encounter” is a program resource guide based on New Urban Arts’ Summer 2010 Art Inquiry with artist mentors Jane Androski and Alice Costas as well as artist/scholar in residence Laurencia Strauss.

The 86 page paperback book (7.44″ x 9.68″) with saddle-stitch binding and full-color interior ink costs $22.70. To purchase a copy of the book, visit our Lulu store here. The resource guide can be downloaded as a pdf at no cost.

This publication is one of a series produced annually. The program model reflects research from the National Summer Learning Association, which describes that the most effective summer learning environments allow students “freedom to digress from a prescribed curriculum” through project based learning and encourages sustained in-depth exploration of one theme.

We hope you find this resource guide useful in sparking new ideas for your own creative practice, individually, collaboratively or even in the classroom. The publication’s format allows readers to adapt, combine or alter the activities to your liking to best meet the needs of your specific environment.

Math and my creative practice

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Dean Sudarsky

In 2009, I was one of the first math and science Studio Study Buddies at New Urban Arts.

At first, it was hard to find my place in an art studio. But New Urban Arts helped me to see that the math I’d been doing for fun was actually part of my “life-long creative practice.” In third grade, I invented “Fibbly,” a set of rules that generates short sequences of numbers. Over the years, I’d made drawings and music based on those sequences. The staff here encouraged me to show it in the Fall 2009 mentor exhibition:

Talking with students at New Urban Arts about the project helped me see Fibbly’s potential as a teaching tool. Two years later, I shared it again at an elementary school in Maine. Seeing a classroom full of fourth-graders excited about math was an incredible feeling.

I owe that experience to New Urban Arts. As a former mentor, you know firsthand how special this place is, both for the students and for us adults. This year, I’m making a personal gift to New Urban Arts’ annual campaign and I hope you’ll join me.

Thank you. I’m proud to be part of a community of talented and passionate people (you!) who are working to empower youth and improve our world.

Cardboard Pancakes!

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Dean Sudarsky

A winter-time studio sale.

December 17th, 11AM-4PM at New Urban Arts 705 Westminster St, Providence.

Cardboard Pancakes will play host to an awesome group of all-star local artists, craftspeople, and makers, in a somewhat-commercial-yet-also-sociable context at the new NUA studio. Art, crafts, prints & posters, cards, comics & zines, ceramics, tapes, joolry, objects & curios, foodstuffs, and clothings will all be findable there, made by really great people.

Last-minute presents, things your friends make that you would rather buy from them in person than over the internet, unique objects, messy multiples, cheap art as well as fancy stufffff…. it’s all gonna be here. We hope you will be here too!

This year, Cardboard Pancakes is hosted by New Urban Arts, and we’re psyched that a portion of the sale’s proceeds will go to supporting NUA’s Arts Mentoring Programs for High School Students in Providence.

Artography Convening

Posted on November 6, 2010 by Dean Sudarsky

I spent last week in El Paso TX (from the littlest big of Rhody to the biggest continental big of Texas!) at the second annual Artography convening. New Urban Arts is very proud to be one of nine arts organizations across the country recognized by LINC and the Ford Foundation for exemplary artistic practice and community responsiveness. I attended with an amazing team from our studio: Arts Mentoring Fellows Emmy Bright and Kedrin Frias and youth alumnus and STAB chair CJ. Kedrin shared some of the work we did with our inaugural Institute of Other Significant Pursuits, our three-day leadership institute dedicated to supporting alumni artist mentors working to apply what they learned at New Urban Arts in diverse “other significant pursuits.” Emmy shared our contribution to the X-treme Studio exhibition at Columbia College in Chicago and CJ shared her piece from the 2010 Art Party and discussed the independent study she is currently pursuing post high-school. It was inspiring to have the chance to learn and share with our peers.

You can read more about the program here. These are some of my (scattered) notes from the convening and workshops. By no means is this an exhaustive record or documentation of the convening, this is only some of the pearls of wisdom I remembered to jot down during the conversations and workshops and that I am taking away as I continue to do this work.

Feel free to comment or correct (or demand to be credited for your quotes!). If this is on facebook, I tagged you for feedback/comments and very likely because I [mis]quoted you. If this is on the blog, comment away please.

Big, big thanks to the entire staff at Leveraging Investments in Creativity, the Artography documentation team, the Ford Foundation, and everyone at La Mujer Obrera for putting this together and hosting us. Thank you to our peer organizations in the 2009 Artography cohort for your inspiring work.

Thanks and enjoy,

Jason

Border Identities Panel

“Identity” is an academic term, if you strip it away, its about your grandfather, it’s personal, it’s about your stories. What foods do you eat, what are your memories? The stories that humanize who we are.

Are you Mexican or American?

We are contributing to the American identity. Of course America is Latino!

What are those values that make us Mexican, and how do we make that Mexican American?

I have danced in every night-club in Waikiki for tourists, but I have never compromised our cultural traditions.

Storytelling Workshop with CityLore

When you make films about pop culture, its easy/dangerous to get whoever’s famous, how hard do you want to work to get a complete story? And w/people not used to being interviewed-they need to be led a little bit more. . [but their contributions and stories can be richer and more insightful!]

We do long-term projects in long-term relationships with a community. The secret of this is relationships and trust.

How do you tell a collective story?

Not just tell the story through the really famous people, the really “camera-ready” people. There are thousands of people and thousands of ways that people have contributed to mambo and hip-hop. [reference to the documentary From Mambo to Hip Hop]

On interviewing: “you want it to feel like a conversation but you want to do most of the listening.”

We’re making all kinds of decisions when we tell someone else’s stories-its an important responsibility. The feedback piece is a big one doing community storytelling. “Here’s what I heard-is there something I missed, misinterpreted…?”

Space for Change. Arts Spaces and Community Development.

“Cultural kitchens in communities” are a central part of what a community is supposed to have.

[We focus so much on bringing people together but not enough on giving people home space, “kitchens” to conduct/express their culture/evolve it. It’s one thing to have diverse potlucks but the quality and depth and richness of what people bring to the multi-cultural potluck will be stronger if we invest in cultural kitchens where people can make and experiment with the dishes they are going to bring.]

Our physical space is an embodiment of our values. Sometimes those values are explicitly stated, in other cases we know them organically.

We are not going into communities saying “we have what you need”.

Doing work in the community, we consider home to be the foundation for doing work anywhere else.”

Our values are on the wall. Someone scratched into a desk “we got wings”, [our space] is very welcoming to young people, very accessible, very malleable space. The space transforms for and by young people.

Kids are attached to tradition, whether we give them credit for it or not.

So much of our work is creating the container anywhere we are…how do we build on the strengths we have to build a [our own] safe space, a creative space?

It is important to take an asset-based approach to arts-centered community development. Your space, everything from location, to colors, to layout, to your culture and attitude can encourage participation or discourage it. We are not about the service-delivery model of art and culture. Our participants don’t come to our organizations to “receive” culture from us, but come to be participants, authors of their own stories, cultural “producers”. Space can make that real or not.

LitArts RI supports Rhode Island writers through community events, workshops, writing groups, and shared creative workspace. Our mission is to build Rhode Island’s arts community by supporting the state’s creative writers and enriching the lives of readers.

El Refugio accompanies immigrants at Stewart Detention Center and their loved ones through hospitality, visitation, support, and advocacy.

We envision a world without immigration detention.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: August 25, 2025

About Our Youth Mentorship Programs:

What to Expect:

Art Inquiry – Art in Nature July 8 thru August 9

College Explorations July 16 thru August 9

Student Team Advisory Board (STAB) July 8 thru August 9

Crafting the Future x New Urban Arts Summer 2022 BIPOC Scholarships

Program Details:

The School and Workshops:

Requirements to participate:

Timeline of Application and Program:

Choosing Participants:

**COVID-19**

Questions or concerns?

TAKE MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 10, 2016 | JOHN ARVANITIS

Attend Fellowship Information Sessions to learn more about this opportunity on Monday April 16, 2012 from 7-8pm or Wednesday April 25 from 6:00 – 7:00pm, located at 705 Westminster Street in Providence, RI.

Organized and curated by Arts Mentoring Fellows, Emmy Bright and Kedrin Frias, New Urban Arts is excited to announce the Spring 2012 Conversation Series on Creative Practice.

THE MANIFESTO OF CONTINUAL REBIRTH

In 2009, I was one of the first math and science Studio Study Buddies at New Urban Arts.

COVID-19