UPDATE: As of March 23, 2024, we are no longer accepting applications for this position.

New Urban Arts’ Executive Director Daniel Schleifer will be stepping down this summer. As a result, we are searching for a new Executive Director! Read on for details, or download a pdf here.

About New Urban Arts
New Urban Arts (NUA) is a welcoming community of high school students and adult mentors in Providence sharing space, skills, and resources to inspire creative expression. Since 1997, we have served over 7,000 Providence teens and 200 artists. Each year, our public programs reach over 2,000 visitors and participants. We provide programs at our storefront art studio and nearby Central High School. Our core program, Youth Mentorship in the Arts, brings Providence public high school students together with local artists, building powerful mentoring relationships through the arts in our storefront studio. Notably, the program is open-door, drop-in, and student-driven. At NUA Knights, our program site at Central High School, we offer a suite of afterschool programs, in the arts and beyond. Other programs include summer programs and post-secondary advising.

To learn more about NUA, our history, impact, and our staff, visit www.newurbanarts.org.

To get a sense of our programs in action, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tePJRZyB9EI

NUA’s programs respond to historic disinvestment in arts and enrichment programs and a shortage of flexible learning spaces for public high school students. Most of our students are low-income youth of color attending public schools.

Overview
New Urban Arts is looking for a new Executive Director to:

• Lead the organization’s vision
• Develop and manage the immense talent on our team
• Oversee programs in collaboration with our program directors
• Manage fundraising and finances
• Liaise with the Board of Directors

We’re looking for a visionary partner. This job description intentionally does not include every responsibility the Executive Director will manage. Instead, this posting is intended to invite you to see yourself as the steward who can bring new life and energy to NUA.

The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for consistently achieving its mission and financial objectives. They are responsible for the overall administration and management of NUA, including programs, fundraising, and business operations, as well as providing leadership and professional development to talented and committed staff. The Executive Director will be expected to give participatory leadership to NUA’s diverse staff, students, their families, its partners, and other stakeholders. The Executive Director will directly supervise a Director of Development, a Director of Finance and Operations, and two program directors: The Studio Director and the NUA Knights Director.

Responsibilities
Leadership

• Continue and deepen the organization’s vision while partnering with the Board of Directors and staff in implementing the organization’s strategic plan, vision, and growth goals. NUA’s current strategic plan expires at the end of 2024, so one of the Executive The Director’s first duties will be to create a new one.
• Model and facilitate inclusive decision-making and transparency.

Talent Development and Management

• Support and maintain a work environment in which staff expects excellence and investment in their professional growth and in which they can thrive.
• Conduct reviews with staff at routine intervals throughout the year to ensure that staff and the Executive Director have open lines of communication and commonly established expectations for their work and for the direction of the organization.

Program Oversight

• Cultivate and maintain partnerships with institutional and community partners to support NUA’s students and their families.
• Establish and maintain metrics and best-practice data analytics to monitor and assess the effectiveness of NUA’s programs.
• Develop and establish new areas of work and revenue for the organization, including identifying and cultivating relationships with new funding partners and serving as the lead facilitator for business development that fits NUA’s mission.

Development/Communications

• Work closely with the Director of Development in managing relationships with major donors, including prospect research, stewardship, solicitation, and acknowledgment.
• Establish good working relationships and collaborative arrangements with community groups, funders, politicians, and other organizations to help achieve the organization’s goals.
• Oversee all marketing and public relations strategies.
• Cultivate the support of the program team for the organization’s fundraising and communications efforts.

Financial Management

• Provide for and supervise all fiscal reporting, including grant reports, IRS filings, and other required documents.
• Ensure effective audit trails.

Board of Directors

• In partnership with the Executive Committee and Board Chair, prepare board meeting agendas, related materials, information, and reports.
• Support Board efforts in fundraising.
• Staff Board committees as appropriate.

Who We Are Looking For
In order to meet the above responsibilities, we expect an incoming Executive Director to possess at least five years of meaningful experience in high organizational leadership, plus strong management, finance, and fundraising skills. Beyond these, we are looking for:

• A collaborative and inclusive leader with a participatory leadership style that can use those skills to develop and guide NUA’s vision and mission.
• A commitment to serving NUA’s students and families, a dedication to low-income communities and communities of color, and a deep belief in the rights of those communities to have spaces for imagination and creativity.
• A commitment to bringing racial and economic justice awareness to the organization’s work.
• Someone who has demonstrated leadership experience in communities and institutions with high diversity.
• A dynamic and engaging leader who attracts talented staff and values time spent motivating and mentoring them to deliver consistently high performance and realize their professional and personal goals.
• A strong, organized, and disciplined operating executive who can demonstrate a track record of delivering on strategy and organizational goals while carefully adhering to the mission and values of an organization engaged in improving the circumstances of others.
• Someone with superb communication skills, including written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Someone who has routinely spoken in public and on behalf of a company or organization to promote its agenda.
• Someone with a track record in building long-term partnerships and effective relationships with outside organizations or companies.
• An experienced fundraiser with demonstrated success raising money for non-profit organizations from diverse funding sources: individuals, foundations, government, and corporations.
• Someone with experience collecting, assembling, and utilizing data to establish metrics to drive decision-making.
• Someone with experience working with and managing multiple stakeholders, including a Board of Directors.
• Someone with knowledge and understanding of current thought leadership, federal and state policies, and social policies connected to art, arts education, youth development, afterschool programs, and summer learning.
• Someone with a demonstrated passion for the arts and creative expression, particularly for populations historically excluded from cultural institutions.

Details
Time: Full-time
Compensation Range: $85,000-$95,000
Benefits: NUA provides medical, dental, and retirement benefits to full-and part-time staff.
Application Due Date: March 22, 2024
Start Date: Summer 2024

To Apply
Email a resume and cover letter to edsearch@newurbanarts.org, subject: “Executive Director.” In your cover letter, please tell us why you want this position and why you’d be a good fit. No calls, please. Send your resume and cover letter as two separate PDF attachments. Do not include them in the body of your email.

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

I’m writing to ask you to support New Urban Arts today.

I often tell people, “Think of New Urban Arts as a big building full of creative resources and carefully trained adult artists who can teach you how to use those resources; then young people walk in, and we say, ‘use it all however you want.’”

This approach has made us the largest afterschool arts provider in Providence. Last year, we again reached an all-time high level of participation, with 783 students enrolling. I want to share a story with you about one of them:

David is a Providence Public School student who learned about New Urban Arts from a friend. He came to our studio because he heard that we provide RIPTA bus tickets. On his first day, he requested a bus ticket; we provided it and asked that he return with a completed enrollment form. The next time he came back, he brought his enrollment form and requested another bus ticket. We could tell he was interested, but he didn’t stay or participate.

We felt that he was testing us; clearly, he wasn’t sure whether this space was safe or trustworthy. We didn’t know why he felt this way, but we didn’t pry and kept giving him bus tickets. Eventually, David stayed a little bit longer. He discovered that we had paint that he could use to customize his shoes. He started coming more frequently to paint, have a snack, and get a bus ticket.

Eventually, we learned that, before finding New Urban Arts, he was accused of stealing a snack from another program, and he didn’t feel welcome back there. Now, it made sense; when you feel like you’ve been judged by an institution in the past—simply for seeking resources that are supposed to be free—it’s hard to trust other institutions. He wanted to know if New Urban Arts was really free.

Last year, one of David’s peers was shot near his school. Like many students, he was impacted in ways that we do not fully comprehend. In the days after the shooting, New Urban Arts opened our doors for extra hours to provide a safe space for students to process or just hang out. David spent several hours at New Urban Arts—longer than he’d ever stayed, and longer than many of his classmates—making art and hanging out. He also got a bus ticket. Now in his junior year, David comes two or three times a week.

New Urban Arts’ approach is unique. Other programs might have had more requirements for David to meet before receiving a service he needed. However, at New Urban Arts, we treat young people’s trust as something we need to earn—not something that we deserve. This meant that, on his first few visits, our actions had to tell David, “If you need that bus ticket more than you need to make art right now, we believe you, and you have agency in how you use the resources we offer.”

___

I wish you could see New Urban Arts right now; as I write this, there’s a quiet buzz, occasionally punctuated by loud laughter. Groups of students and mentors are clustered around the studio, drawing, painting, printing, sewing, and making music.

It’s a beautiful scene, a vital reminder of what’s possible in education—especially at this moment of uncertainty. You may have read the dire report on the Providence Public School District released by Johns Hopkins this summer. It paints a bleak picture, and it makes clear how much students need New Urban Arts. And donors like you allow us to provide this consistent, safe haven for our community’s young people.

Spurred by the report and ensuing investigations, the state began its takeover of the Providence Schools last week. We’re hopeful that this is an opportunity for the district’s educators and administrators, along with students, parents, community partners, and state officials, to turn things around. However, change will not come overnight, so young people need a place like New Urban Arts—now more than ever.

The Johns Hopkins report mentioned school culture and safety as particular concerns, and at New Urban Arts, we create an uncommonly supportive culture and a safe space. One of the key ways we do this is by prioritizing young people’s agency. David’s story is what this looks like in practice.

I am often asked how we’re able to do the work we do and how we’re able to keep our programs free to young people, particularly amidst growing enrollment. My answer is this: we have community members, like you, who believe in our young people and believe in what we do. Our approach endures because you share our vision of a world where educational spaces are safe, fun, supportive, and joyful, and where such spaces are available to ALL young people.

Please support New Urban Arts with a year-end gift today.

With gratitude,

Daniel Schleifer, Executive Director

New Urban Arts is hiring a part-time Development Associate to assist our Director of Development with grant writing, our annual campaign, and database administration. Download the full job description here or read on:

Development Associate Position Description

Start Date: July or August 2018
Time: 20 hours per week
Salary Range: $20,800
Benefits: Healthcare and vacation time; contact for details
Reports To: Director of Development
Application Due: July 15, 2018

Overview
The Development Associate is a part-time position that works in close collaboration with the Director of Development to execute New Urban Arts’ fundraising strategies, including grant writing, the annual campaign, and CRM database management. The position supports other fund development activities as needed, including fundraising events and special campaigns.

About New Urban Arts
New Urban Arts is a nationally recognized community-based art studio and gallery for high school students and emerging artists. Since 1997, we have served over 4,000 Providence teens and 200 artists. Each year, our public programs reach over 2,000 visitors and participants. 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 core program, Youth Mentorship in the Arts, brings Providence public high school students together with local artists, building powerful mentoring relationships through the arts. We also offer summer programs and post-secondary advising.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
Grant Writing and Reporting

• Maintaining grants calendar to ensure timely submission of letters of inquire, grant proposal deadlines, and reports.
• Developing and writing grant proposals to foundations and other grant-making organizations (particularly those that regularly support New Urban Arts), effectively communicating the organization’s mission and programs.
• Assembling and submitting grant requests, including letters of support, proposals, budgets, artwork samples, and other necessary documents.
• Writing and submitting grant reports (again, particularly to those funders that regularly support New Urban Arts).

Annual Campaign and Database Management

• Promptly and accurately entering donations into database.
• Promptly and accurately generating donor acknowledgment letters.
• Working with supervisor to identify, document, and properly acknowledge rarer types of donations, such as matching gifts and gifts from donor-advised funds.
• Performing regular quality control tasks.
• Assisting supervisor in reporting on the progress of the annual campaign.
• Conducting prospect research.

Other Duties:

• Assisting with fundraising events.
• Assisting with any special fundraising campaigns.
• Assisting with other fundraising activities as needed.

Experience and Qualifications

• The successful candidate will be able to craft funding proposals in a clear and compelling manner.
• Excellent writing, analytical, and research skills are essential; attention to detail is a must.
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and highly organized.
• A high level of computer literacy required; experience working with donor databases preferred.
• Ability to seek and synthesize information and communicate in a compelling and succinct fashion.
• Strong mentoring, relational, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability and willingness to work collaboratively in an open studio environment.
• Organized and community-minded thinker and communicator, able to balance interpersonal needs with administrative deadlines.
• Ability to handle donor and personal information with sensitivity and confidentiality.

To Apply
Please submit cover letter, resume, and two writing samples to info@newurbanarts.org, with “Development Associate Position” as the subject. No phone calls please.

Become An Artist Mentor at New Urban Arts

Each fall, New Urban Arts selects 15 Artist Mentors to participate in our interdisciplinary art studio on Westminster Street, across from Classical and Central High schools. Artist Mentors volunteer October 2016 through May 2017 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 4 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. 

2016-17 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 2,  2016.

“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

Please give to New Urban Arts before our fiscal year ends on June 30. In the words of one of our students, Lia, here’s why your gift matters:

“New Urban Arts displays a tremendous amount of empathy and support for all who enter, and after experiencing what is possible, I am dissatisfied with the lack of thoughtfulness and kindness outside of this place.”

Your gift will help sustain this place where young people can experience that empathy, support, thoughtfulness, and kindness.

In a space like this, young people who are constantly told that they don’t matter learn to see their own potential. Lia continued, “It is a place where I learn about social issues and question myself and others consciously. Here I can actually improve myself as a person and an artist, not just as a grade. If it were not for NUA showing me that my ideas as an individual actually matter, then I wouldn’t be fueled with the knowledge that I could make a change.”

Lia just successfully finished her first year of college, where she is studying public policy, and she remains committed to changing the world.

I say it often: art draws young people into New Urban Arts, but the biggest impacts are a result of the safe space that we provide.

You can ensure that caring adults are here to welcome students, to take them seriously, to ask them what they want to learn and what kind of support they need.

We were able to help Lia launch her life after high school, but our enrollment has grown. That means more young people than ever want this to be the place where they plan for the future.

That’s why we’re planning to hire a full-time post-secondary advisor. This is something our students have been asking for and we’ve wanted to provide for a long time.

Please give today to help us make it happen and to ensure that this space is here for the young people who need it.

Sincerely,
Daniel Schleifer
Executive Director

PS Please consider becoming a sustaining donor to support us every month at j.mp/SustainNUA

I’m writing this open letter to ask for your support as we head into the summer. Please give by June 30, the end of our fiscal year. Your gift will allow us to provide our summer programs and create a vital new position, a full-time post-secondary advisor to help students with the college process or create an alternative plan for life after high school.

Your support will change students’ lives. At our recent fundraiser, a student named Lily shared her story:

New Urban Arts has been a part of my life for five years. In middle school, I had very limited opportunities to make art…. I often found myself stuck in the cafeteria with sheets of copy paper and a pencil, all by myself.

You’ll find way too many public school students in this predicament, and since Lily was in middle school, the number of art teachers has dropped even lower. It’s unacceptable. Art is how we develop identity and work through emotions, not to mention the fact that the arts improve academic learning. And for some youth, creativity is the key to their future; they can’t succeed without it. Your gift will ensure that New Urban Arts is here for them.

I remember the first time I walked into NUA…. I was completely amazed by all the art supplies that were available, there was so much more than copy paper and pencils. And not only that, it was all free. I was so relieved knowing that it wouldn’t pose a financial burden on my family. Ever since that first day, I have been a constant part of the studio, and the studio has been a constant part of my life.

Free arts education draws young people to New Urban Arts. Once they’re here, the relationships they build—the relationships that your gift will help them build—allow them to overcome tough challenges:

This place became a home, and it quickly became my number one support system. I have attended three different high schools over the past five years, two of which caused me to think about dropping out of high school. At the second school I had no control of my education, and felt like none of the adults at the school were listening to me or had my interest in mind. In a time when I felt like all the adults in my life were not on my side, NUA staff was there for me. They were heavily involved in helping me choose the educational path that was right for me. They attended and advocated for me at meetings with school and district administrators.

Too many vulnerable youth are stuck in the wrong learning environments. Please make sure they can find New Urban Arts, as Lily did. New Urban Arts is so vital, particularly for youth who can’t thrive in traditional educational spaces—students who you’d picture doing well in a private alternative school, if their parents could afford it.

Instead of telling young people what to do, we ask them, “What do you want to learn?” We trust them, and in turn, they trust us. And when you earn their trust, young people will ask for the help they need. Then, together, you can do great things:

I don’t know where I would be if NUA wasn’t here—I probably would have dropped out of high school. I’m so grateful to have this be a part of my life…. I’m happy to say, I’ve been accepted to a few colleges and I look forward to graduating.

Your gift to New Urban Arts by June 30 will support our summer programs and allow us, for the first time, to hire a full-time post-secondary advisor.

Summer students spend four hours a day with mentors, building the relationships that are central success stories like Lily’s. As you may know, we are renovating this summer, so we must temporarily relocate our offices and run programs at partner organizations, driving the cost of summer programs higher than ever. However, with your support, we will still be able to offer a full range of summer learning programs.

Meanwhile, more young people than ever are asking for the kind of post-secondary advising we provided to Lily. New Urban Arts is their home, and they want it to be the place where they plan their futures. Right now, we’re not in a position to provide this for every student who asks, but you can get us there.

Frankly, some funders question our approach. Perhaps they don’t think our students can handle the freedom of being asked, “What do you want to learn?” But over 19 years, hundreds of youth like Lily have shown us that it works. That’s why we need people like you—people who believe that all youth, regardless of background, deserve a space they can trust and that trusts them.

We can’t do it without it you. Please give today.

Sincerely,
Daniel Schleifer
Executive Director

On June 24, our beloved Director of Development, Connie Colvin, will be moving on to new opportunities in New York City. New Urban Arts is now looking for a new Director of Development. In addition, we are hiring for two new positions: a Life After School Coordinator to serve as a post-secondary advisor to our students, and a Resident Artist Mentor in Music Production.

On June 24, our beloved Director of Development, Connie Colvin, will be moving on to new opportunities in New York City. New Urban Arts is now looking for a new Director of Development.

Download the full job description here, or read on:

Director of Development
Position Description

Start Date: August 15, 2016 
Time: 40 hours per week
Salary Range: $48,000 – $52,000, dependent on experience
Benefits: Excellent healthcare and dental plan.
Reports To: Executive Director
Application Due: July 8, 2016

Overview
New Urban Arts seeks a candidate with fundraising experience to work closely with our executive director and board of directors to design and implement robust fund development strategies. The ideal candidate is passionate about equity in education, youth development, arts education, and innovative pedagogy.

About New Urban Arts
New Urban Arts is a nationally recognized community-based art studio and gallery for high school students and emerging artists. Since 1997, we have served over 3,000 Providence teens and 175 artists. Each year, our public programs reach over 2,000 visitors and participants. 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 core program, Youth Mentorship in the Arts, brings Providence public high school students together with local artists, building powerful mentoring relationships through the arts. We also offer summer programs and post-secondary advising.

Responsibilities:
Fundraising Strategy:

• Work with board and executive director to develop New Urban Arts’ annual fund development plan, including annual fund appeal, special campaigns, events, earned income, grants, and sponsorships.

Fundraising Campaigns and Events:

• Work to ensure that New Urban Arts meets its fundraising goals from our large base of annual individual donors.
• Cultivation of new donors and growth of our donor base.
• Work with the board of directors and the executive director to coordinate the Annual Fund Campaign, including mailings, personal asks of major donors, and other practices.
• Manage relationships with New Urban Arts’ donors ensuring that donors are promptly and appropriately acknowledged, informed of the impact of their donations, and provided frequent opportunities to experience first-hand the impact of their gifts.
• Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with major donors.
• Coordination and promotion of fundraising events and other events connected to fundraising, such as cultivation events.
• Manage the implementation of the fundraising features of our Salesforce database and supervise the staff member responsible for data entry and gift processing.
• Regularly reporting to the board and executive director on the progress of fundraising efforts.

Foundation Grants, Corporate Relationships, and Sponsorships:

• Work to ensure that New Urban Arts develops and maintains strong relationships with funders locally and nationally.
• Track due dates of proposals and reports for grants.
• Support management of ongoing relationships with institutional funders including, but not limited, progress reports and site visits.

 Communications:

• Work with the communications committee of the board of directors to support our communications strategies.
• Work with staff, board, youth, and other members of the New Urban Arts community to coordinate the design and distribution of marketing materials.
• Supervise the staff member responsible for New Urban Arts’ web presence, including e-news and website.
• Contribute to New Urban Arts’ social media presence.

New Urban Arts is a collaborative work environment, and all staff should expect to support each other’s work and participate in high level conversations about New Urban Arts’ mission, vision, values, and pedagogy, as well as trends in youth development and arts education.

 Qualifications:

• A commitment to New Urban Arts’ mission and values.
• An interest in working in a shared office space where staff are accessible to the high school students on whose behalf we work.
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of five years fundraising experience, including donor development, relationship cultivation, and making personal asks, or comparable experience.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to independently manage complex, multifaceted projects and meet deadlines.
• Supervisory experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Flexibility, inclusiveness, and strong collaborative skills.
• Experience with databases, email marketing platforms, Microsoft Office, and WordPress.

TO APPLY
E-mail resume, cover letter (two pages maximum), and writing sample (two pages maximum)  to info@newurbanarts.org, subject: Director of Development. No calls please. Send your resume, cover letter, and writing sample as three separate attachments; do not include them in the body of your email. PDF is the preferred file format.

New Urban Arts has been awarded a grant by United Way of Rhode Island in the amount of $100,000 to support our core after-school program, Youth Mentorship in the Arts, and our post-secondary advising program, A Life After School. We are particularly excited about the opportunity to turn the Life After School Mentor into a full-time position, allowing us to provide more comprehensive support than ever to our young people as they prepare to graduate from high school.

Check out more info on the United Way website here.

Are you a high school student or do you know one who is interested in being involved with New Urban Arts this summer? New Urban Arts is accepting applications for our Summer Art Internships. Youth receive a $400 stipend for their participation as well as lunch, snacks, and Riptiks. Applications are due Tuesday, May 17, so download one now!

For a complete overview of the summer programs, check out our 2016 Summer Program Menu. Blow are brief descriptions of our programs:

PLEASE NOTE, THERE IS A MANDATORY ORIENTATION FOR ALL SUMMER PROGRAMS ON FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016.

ART INQUIRY
1:00-5:00pm; Monday-Thursday July 11 – August 12 
Working with artist mentors Kah Yangani and Vuthy Lay, create new work around this summer’s theme: Dislocation

UNTITLEMENT PROJECT
1:00-5:00pm; Monday-Friday, July 11 – August 12
Work with artist mentors Diane Exavier and Eric Axelman to explore inequities around language, privilege, and power.

METALWORKING STUDIO AT THE STEEL YARD 
10:00-3:00pm, Monday -Thursday July 11 – July 22 
This Metalworking Course will be an introduction to creative industrial skills including welding, oxy-acetylene torch cutting, fabrication, blacksmithing, and grinding. After completing team exercises and samples demonstrating aptitude with each tool, participants will group design and fabricate elements of NUA’s new stairwell railing.

Check out Providence Community Acupuncture!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Health and Wellness Sponsor, Award Winner

Providence Community Acupuncture is receiving the Founders’ Award, which recognizes organizations and businesses who maintain an ongoing commitment to both New Urban Arts and youth arts education.  Providence Community Acupuncture is part of the community acupuncture movement.  The organization treats multiple people in a communal setting, making low-cost treatments possible for all Rhode Island residents.

We interviewed Cris Monteiro from PCA and asked her to share with us how she got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what she said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I first heard about NUA around the time I moved here in 2000. I met this really great couple (jack and Sandy Richter) who invited me to a fund raiser at the old train station building. That was a long time ago, and I’m glad to be just down the street from NUA now, and to be meeting many of the staff and mentors and kids.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
PCA’s (and my) involvement has really just been active since we moved up here last fall. I have known about NUA and followed some of the growth and changes that have happened. Being just down the street has already helped to bring closer connection to NUA. I’m excited about building community in general and with NUA specifically.

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
NUA’s core values as a youth program includes risk; which seems to be not just about risking with the creative process, or in being outside your comfort zone, but in connecting with others and being part of a group process. Risk taking in all of these ways I think pushes people to really learn about who they are and how to grow.  I love that the programming is year round and free. 

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
The last adventure I chose to go on started about 9 years ago when I decided that boutique acupuncture practice wasn’t what I wanted to do. I’m still on that adventure which has resulted in a lot more affordable acupuncture happening here in Rhode Island, as well as around the North America. The adventure has included growing a big damn clinic together with amazing people, including all of our patients, starting an international multistakeholder cooperative that has more patient members than acu-punks or clinics! starting an affordableacupuncture school, putting on national conferences every year, and being part of what has been dubbed the “quietest revolution.” Acupuncture can (and IS changing) the world!

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
I really dig NUA’s focus on creativity, leadership, inclusion, community and youth. When you step into their space you can feel a really feel life buzzing around; when you talk to people involved with the programs at NUA they’re excited. NUA is doing great work.

Meet Doug Best!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Board Member, Award Winner

With a long career in retail loss prevention management, Doug Best has worked for Borders, Barnes & Noble, T. J. Maxx, and B. Dalton Booksellers. He graduated from Boston College (BA in history and secondary education); was a member of the CVS Highlander School Board; and currently serves on the School One Board of Trustees. He and his wife Maureen Reddy live in Providence where they raised two children. He worked as a security consulting firm that provided loss prevention training and structure for small businesses.

We interviewed Doug and asked them to share with us how they got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what they said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I was first invited to a fundraiser held by Susan Smulyan many years ago, maybe 6 or 7 years ago. We went to that event and found out about New Urban arts, what they were doing, and met some of the people involved there, But after that I didn’t get involved however for a couple of years.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
Since the middle of 2011, I got invited to apply for a position on the board. I thought that it worked well with the kinds of other volunteering that I do. I work on other boards that involve HS aged kids, and I thought the mission was important, especially with the lack of funding for HS art programs, I thought that this was something I should support.

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
Well there’s a certain community. People seem to be very happy here. It’s a very diverse community, both age, gender, racially diverse. It really represents the City of Providence where I chose to live and raise my kids, so I feel really good about that. The people that work and volunteer here just seem to do it so effortlessly and willingly that it was just fun.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
I don’t really go on too many adventure at this stage in my life. I guess every day I get out of my house is an adventure in some way. But in terms of heading out on a mission, I guess it would be my last vacation. We went out to California and toured Big Sur, a coastal community famous for San Simeon which the home of the Hearst Mansion. It has breathtaking views and shorelines, cliffs, rocks, winding roads, changing weather patterns, so it’s a lot like Rhode Island, only much bigger.

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
I support NUA for all those reasons I mentioned before. I felt that it was something that was really something good for me to do. I had the time, the energy, and I actually like meeting the people that I’ve met here. Met some friends, new and old that are also involved in this. It’s been a good experience. I really think that this fits with living within the city of Providence, and being involved in the arts community.

What do you think about when you hear the words “New Urban Art”?
Now I think about the Studio space, because the building I here, it’s so permanent and we put a lot of effort into it. I always think about the kids and the different projects they’re working on.

If you were in High School, What Projects would you work on while at New Urban Arts?
In high school I was a real jock. I didn’t do very many art projects at all and at some point in my life I decided that I wasn’t any good at art so I didn’t do it any longer. I think that if I was in high school now and at NUA I think that I might have a different attitude and I would try to do things that I enjoyed, but wasn’t very good at. I probably would be involved in sewing, because there are a lot of seamstresses in my family.

Meet Paul Tavarez!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Alumni, Former Mentor, Current Board Member, Award Winner

Paul grew up in Providence living in most neighborhoods in the city. He attended after school programs such as SummerBridge (now Breakthrough Providence) and New Urban Arts. These programs helped him excel and eventually led him to pursue education outside of the state. After living in China for a year and a half he returned to Providence in 2013. In the past couple of years he has involved himself with various movements from ending police brutality to prison abolition. He currently works for the Providence Student Union as an organizer and is a recent addition to the New Urban Arts board. As a member of the New Urban Arts alumni community he has worked with his peers to create spaces for alumni engagement. He continues his creative practice in dance, poetry, and performance. 

We interviewed Paul and asked him to share with us how he got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what he said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
My friend Ricky and I went to the open house because Ricky’s sister was a student at the time and we were interested. It was a fall open house in 2003, there were candles in white paper bags lining the side walk, edible arrangements were passing out chocolate covered strawberries, and Jessie was taking pictures of people posing in the display window from the sidewalk. I remember walking in and signing up for pretty much every medium in the building.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
It would be 13 years this fall. Although I wasn’t living in Providence as a permanent resident for a decade so involved is a loose term. I like to think I float in and out as needed. 

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
I think its the understanding and practice of treating young people like anyone else you’re trying to help. There is this soul to the organization that lacks all pretenses and in that moment of walking into the studio and realizing there are no grades or classes, no artificial structure,  that everyone there is trying to get better at whatever it is there doing. For me it’s a mixture of familiarity and mystery. I always feel welcome but there is always something new on the wall or a new member of the community. And this feeling of comfortable risk taking it seems like the walls were painted with it.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
My last adventure was to the corner store. Now I had just moved into the neighborhood and it was the first good day in a while so I walked. On my way through the side street I notice a cat was following me. Cute, short-haired, black with white paws, really friendly, it rubs its face on me and as we’re walking it meows. Being a cat loving person, I knew this cat wanted food. So I’m like, okay you want something to eat you have to follow me to the store. With the store not being far I wasn’t surprised it followed me. I walk in and Bodega bro #1 didn’t say anything about the cat coming in so I went with. Went over to the snack section got my Little Debbie’s, walked around looking for cat food….there was no cat food so I got my homie Charles (the cat) a variety of snacking options. There was jerky, crackers, cheese, the works. I was really feeling my generosity and Charles was a stray so why not? Anyway I’m buying our snacks and Bodega bro #2 comes out the shadows as soon as Charles lets out the most annoying “I-want-food-right-now meow” ever. Bro #2 starts yelling about no pets in the store and I’ve already abandoned Charles thrice by the time he walks over to me. Bodega bro #1 is just snickering while I’m paying and Charles straight up jumps from the floor to the counter onto my shoulder and licks Bodega bro #2’s face. He lost it, punches Charles in the face, but like a smooth criminal he just switches shoulders and hops off me. I grab my snacks and just walk out as the be-licked merchant whines about allergies. On the way back home I stop where I met up with Charles to give him his just rewards and as soon as I put my snacks down about thirty other cats showed up and started begging for food. I look down at Charles and he’s eating my honey bun

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
I support New Urban Arts because for all the years I have known the organization it has supported and fed my soul, body and mind. I’ve made friends and lost friends in this space. Felt joy and sorrow, created beauty and have trashed many a project within the walls of this organization. At this point it feels less like supporting an organization and more like feeding a part of myself.

Meet Elia Gurna!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Former Executive Director (2013-2014), Award Winner

Elia is an an artist, an activist, a youth worker and a mother. She was born in Queens, NY and is of mixed heritage – her mother immigrated from Austria and her father from Pakistan. Elia grew up in Queens, Vienna, and Karachi.

Elia’s work has been included in exhibitions annually since 2001, including galleries and other spaces in New York City, Beacon, NY and Philadelphia, as well as the Queens Museum of Art. She is part of the music and poetry performance collaboration einLab, which was featured on Columbia University’s WKCR’s Live Constructions radio program and has performed live in various gallery and museum settings.

As part of her mission to create youth led social change art projects, Elia participated in Theater of the Oppressed trainings and became a Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory facilitator in 2011. She has since facilitated this work for Occupy activists and others.

Elia has worked in youth programs for over 15 years in both the United States and Europe. In New York, she founded and directed Art Without Limits, a program of Development Without Limits (DWL), which provided out of school time art experiences for young people. As part of her work with DWL, Elia also facilitated dozens of professional development workshops on onsite coaching for youth workers and educators on a range of topics including positive discipline and child and youth development.

In addition to her work in art, activism, and youth work Elia has taught German language courses at the university level. Her favorite job yet was being a bike messenger in Vienna, Austria.

Elia holds a B.A. in German and Visual Arts from Columbia University and an MFA in Painting and Sculpture from Queens College, CUNY. 

We interviewed Elia and asked her to share with us how she got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what she said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I first heard about New Urban Arts through my husband Eric, when he came to visit the program in 2009. New Urban Arts was included in a report on best practices in 21st century afterschool programs. As a teaching artist, I had often dreamt out loud about a storefront community art studio for young people that exemplified my vision of art as the practice of freedom. Eric called me from Providence and said – “that place you talk about – it exists!”

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
I didn’t really become deeply involved with New Urban Arts until I came on as Executive Director in 2013. Before that my relationship had been virtual – visiting the “exchange” section of the website to use some of the guides and activities with kids and educators and artists I was working with in New York, and then in 2012 my husband Eric interviewed the Executive Director Jason Yoon and the Director of Programs Sarah Meyer for his podcast “Please speak Freely” and we made a trip to Providence to do that. So in a sense I was learning from this community of artists before I had even really met them personally!

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
New Urban Arts stands out to me as a place created by youth for youth and as an organization that embodies its founding principles, vision, and values.  While firm in content, New Urban Arts is flexible in form – new young people join the studio every year and get to engage democratically in creating the environment that is best for their development.

The Bauhaus painter and artist Paul Klee said, “Art makes the invisible visible.” And this is what I love about New Urban Arts the most – with just a little creative space and freedom, young people show us how wonderful, smart, and capable they already are, and we as adults are able to take heart and appreciate how much we need them, their good ideas and their energy to create the just and beautiful world we all want.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
The great adventure I am currently on involves navigating Los Angeles (which is the size of Rhode Island!) – so there is a lot to see and learn and take in – and the other great adventure is raising two kids while trying to make art! Ha! Lately though, reading about the refugee crisis and all the war and displacement and destruction in the world, I have been grateful for just how unadventurous my life is, and that I can go on adventures by reading books! My latest book adventure has led me to the Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh – wondering how to create peace in the world by living mindfully. I recommend his book: Peace is Every Step. I think that peace is an adventure worth going on.

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
I support New Urban Arts

– Because it gives me hope for a cooperative, kind, beautiful world,
– Because I believe in art as the practice of freedom,
– Because I believe that everyone is an artist,
– Because I am counting on the community of young people to say what it needs and wants better than one person (in this case me, but really I mean any one person who happens to have the means or power to take the microphone), – and because no one should ever feel invisible or alone.

So I will end with the words of someone else who says it better than me
– Josef Beuys, whose idea of social sculpture has been a big influence:

“Here my idea is to declare that art is the only possibility for evolution, the only possibility to change the situation in the world. But then you have to enlarge the idea of art to include the whole creativity. And if you do that, it follows logically that every living being is an artist – an artist in the sense that he can develop his own capacity. And therefore it’s necessary at first that society cares about the educational system, that equality of opportunity for self-realization is guaranteed.”

On Friday, April 15, 2016, New Urban Arts is hosting our 19th annual fundraiser! At New Urban Arts, young people have the flexibility to choose their own adventure. Now its your turn; choose to help us provide arts education for the youth of Providence by joining us for fun, food, music, and art.

PRICE: 
In Advance: $30. 
At the Door: $35 cash, $40 credit. 

Bring your checkbook or debit/credit card for the silent art auction!

To purchase tickets visit: bit.ly/2016eventtix

Cost includes entry, open bar, and food featuring all of your favorite local restaurants. Click on “See More” for more information about our sponsors!

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS:

Meet Daniel Schleifer!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Executive Director

Daniel Schleifer received his B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Brown University in 2004. He joined the New Urban Arts community in the fall of 2007 to pilot our Studio Study Buddy program, which combines academic tutoring with the structure and values of New Urban Arts’ Youth Mentorship in the Arts Program. Daniel is also a founding member, Sousaphone player, and composer in the What Cheer? Brigade, an 18-member brass band that tours internationally while remaining a local institution. In 2011, he received the prestigious MacColl Johnson fellowship in music composition from the Rhode Island Foundation.

Before coming on staff at New Urban Arts, Daniel worked as a policy researcher, organizer, grant writer, and lobbyist for Open Doors RI (formally the RI Family Life Center). In 2006, he served as field director of the Rhode Island Right to Vote Campaign (a project of Open Doors), a successful effort to amend by referendum, the Rhode Island Constitution, to extend voting rights to individuals on probation and parole.

We interviewed Daniel and asked them to share with us how they got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what they said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I first heard about NUA from Andrew Oesch who was my roommate at the time and he told me that there was a place where education was happening for young people and that they had a say in the education they were getting.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
I have been involved in the 2007-2008 school year when I was the first Studio Buddy.

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
To me the biggest thing is, we work so hard to create an environment that is safe and yet gives young people as much freedom as possible to determine their own educational experience.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
I’ll talk about the adventure I’ll be going on later today! I’m going to New York City to play some new horn parts for the band Blondie which is a pretty crazy and exciting opportunity. The thing that makes this an adventure is that we’ve been communicating with them a lot leading up to this but they haven’t really given us much clarity about exactly what they want from us when we get out there. They sent us a track, and some ideas then said “But really just come up with whatever you want, we’ll just figure it out in the studio!” But the way that I’m used to working in the studio is to have a very clear plan, because “What Cheer” (Dan’s band) is such a huge band we can end up wasting a lot of time and money, because in the studio time is literally money in the studio.

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
There aren’t enough places in the world where anyone gets to feel free. In particular young people of low income, and more specifically young people of color. NUA is an important exception to that dynamic. That’s why I support NUA. It’s not just about what we provide and what it does for young people. I consider it a real privilege to be here because I learn so much about how the world could be or should be and about dynamics between people and about how people learn particularly young people.

If you were in High School, What Projects would you work on while at New Urban Arts?
Thinking back on my own High School experience, I think I would be in the sewing area patching up clothes, making new clothes, and making giant shark costumes. I would also be making a lot of friends. It’s funny because a lot of the friends I still have from High School are people that I was creative with in some kind of way, and New Urban Arts would have likely been the center of my High School career as tit is for a lot of the kids who come here.

Meet Deb DeCarlo!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Vital Community Member

Deb DeCarlo was born and raised in Providence, RI. Deb received a BS from the University of Rhode Island and a MA in Administration from Providence College. Since then, Deb has worked in the Providence Public School Department for 29 years as a teacher and then the principal of Carl. G Lauro Elementary School and Central High School. Having retired from the Providence Public School Department, Deb went on to Fall River and was the principal of a chronically underperforming middle school for 4 years. For the past 6 years Deb has worked as an Educational Consultant in New London, New Bedford and for the Mass DESE.

We interviewed Deb and asked her to share with us how she got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what she said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
Through Carole Harman who was working with NUA. While I was the principal at Carl G. Lauro she arranged for us to have an Art Show in their space. 

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
Indirectly and directly through Carole’s involvement since their inception. Many students over the years have attended NUA 

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
Everyone that has ever become involved there has a great passion for the work this organization does. Students tend to give back or speak of how NUA has changed their lives.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
Trip to Italy. Although we had traveled to Italy many times, it was always an adventure because we would visit and explore a new part of the country. The art, food and the architecture and the people are phenomenal, not to mention the wine!! 

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
Because of the work it does but more importantly it was Carole’s passion and this is a way for me to continue to honor and celebrate her through the arts and young people.

Meet Mary Lee Partington!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Vice Chair of the Board of Directors 

Mary Lee is a founding member of Pendragon and the programs of The Blackstone River Theater. She built her performing arts life by creating original songs based on stories of the Blackstone River Valley. Immigrants and exiles take center stage in musical dramas that tell the story of the making of America. Partington twice gained “Best Female Vocalist” honors in the Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll identifying her voice as a powerful vehicle for songs old and new that represent tradition in the making. Passionate about the work of schools, she was honored in 2002 by the National Council of Teachers of English as one of the top 12 secondary English teachers in the U.S. Having retired from the classroom, Partington continues her arts and education efforts through the RI Arts Learning Network, the Pawtucket Arts Festival and the Labor & Ethnic Heritage Festival. Her most recent service in the cultural community was to the RI Council for the Humanities (RICH) Board of Directors.

We interviewed Mary Lee and asked them to share with us how they got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what they said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I first heard about New Urban Arts several years ago while working on a project for the RI Arts Learning Network called “Arts Passport.”  The goal of Arts Passport was to welcome high school students and their teachers to attend Rhode Island’s professional arts events as a part of meeting educational standards in the arts for high school graduation in RI.  New Urban Arts captured my interest because students and artist mentors create an experience that immerses them in making and living an art-filled life.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
I’ve been involved with New Urban Arts for four years as a member of the Board of Directors. I come from a secondary education and Board service background, and I knew that New Urban Arts was making strong organizational strides while staying true to a mission dear to my heart..”the young at art.”

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
Young New Urban Arts artists-in the making are primary stakeholders and drivers of their experience; they are not just “served” by a mission.  I think that’s why the “New Urban Arts Effect” has extended impact beyond students’ years in the Studio.  Creativity is not just some measurable outcome associated with a standard.  New Urban Arts guides the setting and the situation that lead to a powerful enactment of the young capacity to create and to organize one’s own learning. 

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
I went to London at the end of January to see “Celts:  Art & Identity,” a major show of international Celtic art at the British Museum, and the 28th Annual London Art Fair in Islington. 

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
When I went to Cumberland High School, my interests in writing, traditional music, literature/theatre and history were supported by teachers who encouraged me to enjoy and employ a capacity to create.  I used what I was studying as the inspiration for plays, concerts, poetry and to build my enjoyment of being in the audience, too.  All these things have stayed with me through the years in my work…and I see “creative practice”…made perfect, at New Urban Arts, for a new generation.

Meet the 2016 New Urban Arts Awardees

• Douglas Best is receiving the Sandra Olson Award for his years of service to New Urban Arts on our board of directors. Best joined the board of directors in 2012 and is currently serving as the secretary of the board. Since joining our board, Doug has gone above and beyond in his board service to support our staff, students and mentors, including baking cookies for Cardboard Pancakes, volunteering at openings and events, and always showing up.
• Elia Gurna is also receiving the Sandra Olson Award for her service to New Urban Arts as executive director.  Elia’s tenure as executive director provided energy and vision for re-engaging alumni, expanding staff capacity, and reminding us all of the power of playing games with each other. We are thrilled to recognize her leadership and commitment to New Urban Arts’ mission and programs.
• Paul Tavarez is receiving the Carole Harman Memorial Award recognizing his work as a founding member of the Alumni Council. Over the past year, Paul has energized and reconnected alumni to New Urban Arts by helping to organize art making events and dance-party fundraisers. In addition he is providing a critical link between the Alumni Council and the New Urban Arts board of directors, ensuring that alumni voice and perspective are represented on the organization’s governing body.  
• Providence Community Acupuncture  is receiving the Founders’ Award, which recognizes organizations and businesses who maintain an ongoing commitment to both New Urban Arts and youth arts education.  Providence Community Acupuncture was the first business to support the Health and Wellness program for New Urban Arts staff, which helps ensure that our staff are able to meet the needs and demands of a growing studio. 

Share the news with your friends and colleagues and join us in congratulating our awardees on Twitter or Facebook now:  
      

Thank you Doug, Elia, Paul, and PCA for all you do!

Sincerely,
The New Urban Arts Annual Event Steering Committee

PS: Can’t come but want to give a gift in honor of our awardees? Select donate and add a note in the memo field at checkout.

Meet Lois Harada!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Former Mentor, Board Member, Event Planning Committee Member

Providence has been Lois’ home since 2006. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Printmaking and previously worked in the Alumni Office at RISD as an event planner. She currently works as the Production Coordinator of DWRI Letterpress located just a few blocks away from the New Urban Arts studio. She also teaches courses at the AS220 Community Print shop in Silkscreen and Letterpress printing. Lois found New Urban Arts in 2010 and spent one year as an Artist Mentor focusing in printmaking.

We interviewed Lois and asked them to share with us how they got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what they said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
Former Artist Mentor and superstar Alice Costas! Alice and I worked at summer arts program in Western, MA and I was looking for ways to engage in the greater Providence community after graduating from RISD.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
I started as an Artist Mentor in 2010 and am currently on the board.

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
The community! The studio is always a buzzing hub of creativity. I feel inspired every time I step through the doors and am glad to be a part of the space.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
I went to a spin class. It was terrifying and I felt like I wanted to ralph through most of it. But I think I’m hooked now!

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
How could you not!? I had an amazing art teacher in high school that guided me into a career in the arts and I want everyone to be able to experience that. NUA is such a warm, welcoming place and I wish I had had as a high school 

Meet Tamara Kaplan!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Finance and Operations

Tamara received a B.F.A in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1994. She then received an M.A. with a specialization in Museum Education and M.A.T. certification in K-12 arts education from The Rhode Island School of Design in 2000. During the years between schooling, Tamara worked as a production supervisor at a tile factory in New Jersey and a studio assistant at two production pottery studios in New Hampshire. She was subcontracted by Miotto Mosaics to create 6’ x 3’ mosaic panels for Canal Street Station, NYC. Tamara also spent time working in her studio and teaching adults and kids how to throw pots.

In 1998, Tamara started working with various Providence communities as a graduate candidate at RISD. Her graduate thesis was an in-depth look into how art museums can access new audiences by engaging teaching artists to develop work in communities not usually engaged in museum visits. This work led her to the position of  Program Director at New Urban Arts, then a three-year-old grassroots arts organization. Since then, Tamara has worked to provide Providence high school students with a safe and non-judgmental space in the out-of-school time to make art while developing caring relationships with adults and a creative practice they can sustain throughout their lives. After spending seven months as the Interim Executive Director, Tamara now serves as the Operations Manager.

These days, she works in letterpress, paper, sewing, prints, and words. Her twin daughters inspire her daily.

We interviewed Tamara and asked her to share with us how she got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what she said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I was introduced to New Urban Arts while in grad school working in the Education Department at The RISD Museum. James Montford, their community person at the time, took me to NUA to meet Tyler and Marcus. I felt like I found home.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
I started working at NUA in 2000 end of August as their first Program Director outside of a founder. I have had many positions since. 

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
NUA is a very collaborative, thoughtful space when making decisions. We make sure that voices from student to board member to staff to artist mentor and alumni are heard. The process takes a bit longer but the end result is more interesting. 

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
My last adventure was with some friends and kids to Weetamoo Woods in Tiverton, RI. It is such a gem of walking paths, streams, and rocks to climb. Oooo, and there are also a couple friendly little donkey/ponies from a farm next door that you can pet. And then you can go to Grays after for ice cream.

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
Because there is no place like it in the world. It is a magical space where humanity is at its’ core.

Meet David Liddle!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Vital Community Member, Event Planning Committee Member 

David shares his life with his husband Michael and they live in the Edgewood neighborhood.  David has had a career in the horticulture field for the past forty years, and still counting. Currently David works as a specialty plant grower for a landscape/ nursery company. David has also been involved with fundraising for many non-profits other than New Urban Arts, such as the Southside Community Land Trust, Youth Pride Inc., SAGE and the Kent County YMCA. 

We interviewed David and asked them to share with us how they got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what they said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I first heard about New Urban Arts when I first started dating my husband. He was on the Board of Directors for NUA, and had been involved on and off for a few years.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
This is my first formal volunteer role with NUA, but I have helped out in small ways over the years.

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
The energy when you walk into the space. There is such a good vibe in the studio space, and there is not much like it anywhere else. That alone is uplifting.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
I’ve been busy traveling to care for aging parents the past few years. It has been an adventure for sure. Like any adventure there has been good surprises and unexpected challenges. 

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
Because if there had been an organization like NUA when I was young it would have left a lasting influence on me, and who knows where I would be today.

Meet Aneudy Alba!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Resident Artist Mentor, Alumni

Aneudy was born and raised in Providence Rhode Island. He has taught art afterschool to middle school students from Paul Cuffee and Highlander Charter Schools. He served as a CityYear Senior Corps Member from 2009-2010 and also served as an AmeriCorps EDTAP (Expanded Day Teaching Artist Project) Teaching Artist at Providence City Arts in 2010-2011.

He has been an active member of New Urban Arts for close to a decade. He began as a high school student, and in 2006 as an alum became a member of the Student Recruitment Team and served on the pilot year of New Urban Arts youth leadership council, the Studio Team Advisory Board, which he Chaired the following year in 2008-2009. This is his 5th year as an artist mentor.

We interviewed Aneudy and asked him to share with us how he got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what he said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?

I first heard of New Urban Arts while still in high school. I attended Classical High School in the early 2000’s, and would often see really interesting, funky looking people coming and going. My curiosity got the best of me and I started to ask around. I learned that it was a place that I could make art, so I bit the bullet and decided to cross the street and visit. The rest as the say, is history.

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
I had attended New Urban Arts as a student for most of my high school experience. The year after I graduated I became a member of New Urban Arts’ recruitment team, tabling at different schools and events and spreading the word of NUA. The following year I was on the pilot program that would eventually become known as S.T.A.B., short for the Studio Team Advisory Board, where we as students would help plan and volunteer at different studio events and be active participants in the mentor application process as interviewers. The next year, I was S.T.A.B. chair, leading meetings and personally facilitating different goings on the studio. I left briefly and did two years of service with AmeriCorps at two different service sites. When I returned to the studio there was nothing else to do but Mentor. I was reluctant at first, having had mentors who set the bar so high in my personal experience, but ultimately decided to go through with it. That was five years ago, so I’ve been around for a bit over a decade now. I even pre-date most of my fellow staff!

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
New Urban Arts stands out to me from other organizations in that it’s a place where students have almost complete autonomy. It is very much a student driven place. The youth here don’t need to ask for adult permission, we are here to help them make and realize their ideas & artwork. You don’t raise your hand, my title isn’t Mister: this isn’t school, and so the rules are different. We provide youth the space to make, grow, and learn from experience. Mistakes are learning opportunities, and students own their creative practices. It truly is a diverse space where vastly different people come and interact with one another, our community is genuine in a way that is hard to describe in words, you just have to see it.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
As a collector, going on the hunt for objects is always an adventure. My last adventure found me hunting and purchasing a rare pair of Nike Air max 90’s in my ever so rare and elusive size of 11.5, but it was a success and they live happily in the collection when not on my feet.

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
I support New Urban Arts because they support me. They always have, and I don’t see that stopping now. I have been fortunate enough to now be on the other end of this relationship, giving back by being a mentor. It’s a good relationship.

Meet Emily Ustach!

Relationship with New Urban Arts: Director of Programs 

Emily Ustach originally joined New Urban Arts over the summer of 2007 as a studio manager and has since been involved in various ways including as an artist mentor, volunteer and the chair of the 2011 Program Committee. She has received training in Art History and painting, but has found her creative practice lies in youth development and non-profit administration.

Prior to joining New Urban Arts as Director of Programs, Emily developed the Education Fellowship AmeriCorps program at The Learning Community, a nationally recognized public charter school. She also worked as the Program Coordinator at Rhode Island Campus Compact, where she supported college student’s civic and community engagement. Through her work with the Education Fellows and college students, she has built a practice of supporting emerging professionals as they take risks and explore future possibilities.

Emily was born in a small town in Eastern North Carolina where she was raised among artists and scientists. She received her B.A. in Art History from Salem College, in Winston-Salem, NC and her M.A. in Community Based Arts Education from the Rhode Island School of Design.  She lives in Providence with her husband Mike and their cat Kepler.

We interviewed Emily and asked them to share with us how they got started with New Urban Arts. Here’s what they said:

How did you first hear about New Urban Arts?
I first heard about New Urban Arts when I was a student at RISD in their Teaching and Learning Department.  We visited a number of community arts organizations, and New Urban Arts was one of them. 

How long have you been involved with New Urban Arts?
I first became involved with New Urban Arts over the summer of 2007.  Sarah Meyer, the Director of Program, asked me if I would help out over the summer that the founding director, Tyler Denmead, was leaving. Since then, I have been an artist mentor for two years, and the volunteer chair for the 2011 Program Committee.  In 2013 I became the Director of Programs. 

What’s something that you think makes New Urban Arts stand out from other organizations?
There are so many things that make New Urban Arts special.  One thing that stands out to me is that our students get to hire our mentors and staff.  It really makes NUA a place where the adults that are here are welcomed and invited in by the students.

What was the last adventure you chose to go on? What did you do?
Every day at New Urban Arts is an adventure for me! 

Why do you support New Urban Arts?
I support New Urban Arts because it is vital to the health of our world and community.  There are such few places where young people feel free to explore who they are, build healthy relationships with adults and artists and have open access to materials to express themselves creatively.  I support New Urban Arts because having seen what is possible in a place like this, I cannot imagine my world without it.  

For the past year New Urban Arts has been a founding member of the Providence Youth Caucus (PYC). Led by Young Voices and the Providence Student Union, in partnership with four of Providence’s strongest youth organizations (New Urban Arts, H2O, RUIDL, and Youth In Action) this coalition unites students from across Providence to work with city and state leaders to improve RI’s biggest school district. Over the past year, youth representatives have met with Governor Raimondo, Mayor Elorza, Interim Superintendent Maher, and several state Senators and Representatives to push for more personalized learning and improved discipline practices.

This fall, the PYC created the #RealTalkEDU videos series. This series of student video interviews aims to shift the citywide conversation about school climate and classroom engagement. Check out New Urban Arts student, Idrees Montequi’s #RealTalkEDU video here.

On Wednesday, April 13th, from 4-5:30 at the Providence Career and Technical Academy, youth representatives from the PYC will lead a major citywide event, bringing together students, parents, and community leaders to create a list of priorities for improving Providence schools. By June, our next Superintendent will be confirmed, and the PYC will be able to present these priorities, influencing the future direction of the school district. We hope you will be able to join us at this exciting event!

Stay up to date with all the great work that the PYC and New Urban Arts have planned by following the PYC’s Facebook Page.

We are now collecting award nominations. New Urban Arts introduced annual awards 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 awards and candidates as follows:

1. Sandra Olson Award – Individual Volunteers: board members, volunteers, consultants, etc.
2. Founders’ Award – Organizations & Businesses: corporations, small businesses, foundations, community organizations
3. Carole Harman Award – Full-time staff, artist mentors, students, and/or alumni

Each year, New Urban Arts gives awards to one individual or organization in each category. Under special circumstances as determined by the review panel, more than one award in each category may be given.
Awards will be given at the Annual Campaign Event, April 15, 2016.

Award Nominations are due Friday February 19, 2016 via Google form.

How do I nominate a candidate for an award?
Please submit the following at the above link:
· 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.

Who are past winners of the awards?
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
2014 -Derek Schusterbauer, Teal Butterworth, Julia Gualtieri, Austin O’Goffa, Providence Pizza Company
2015 – El Rancho Grande, Founders’ Award Recipient; Ashley Paniagua, Carole Harman Memorial Award Recipient; Mike Tanaka, Sandra Olsen Award Recipient

Join us for our first student show of year! Mid- year Makings is an interactive art exhibition featuring new works by 2015-16 students, both finished and in progress, here at New Urban Arts. What are you in the middle of?

The exhibition will remain on view in our gallery weekdays February 12-26, 2016.
Free and Open to the Public

Please make your year-end gift to New Urban Arts today. You’ll be offering the joy of unfettered creativity to young people who too often face constraints. One of our students recently wrote her college essay on the difference between New Urban Arts and other learning spaces, and I asked her if I could share it with you:

“I was sitting by myself at a long wooden table while everyone was drawing pictures to give their moms. I started my process by splitting my crayons down the long way with scissors. I wanted to achieve a page full of smooth color swaths. Before I could even begin to drag my crayons across the blank paper, my kindergarten teacher, grabbed my hand and yelled at me, “Stop destroying the art supplies!” She then walked me over into the corner, and I had to sit there for the rest of the art class. My passion for exploring the full potential of materials started at a young age. According to that teacher, so did my rebellion.

“As I grew older, it was up to me to find my art community: I was looking for other people who loved art as much as I did. Freshman year of high school, I discovered a non-profit organization across the street from my school. New Urban Arts is an art studio open to high school students. It’s completely free and has opened many opportunities for me to try different mediums and ways of working. When I first got to New Urban Arts, I was scared because I didn’t know what to expect. However, everything there was magical and filled with compassion. This place became a home for me: a family. It was like a treehouse. It was my escape when I needed space. I felt grounded: like I was above all the craziness that was going on in life. I explored making books, developing film and drawing from observation. At New Urban Arts, I was allowed to break the crayons.

“At the New Urban Arts studio, I’d found creative professionals who cared. They were constantly immersed in their process and sharing their knowledge with students. I learned that as an artist you should never stop creating. Creating gives me purpose: it helps me understand myself and the world around me. Art is a language that addresses aspects of our experiences for which there are no words. I learned that artistic expression is vital to my life and the way I function. I also learned that I can create my own family of people who truly want the best for me. New Urban Arts offers a tremendous amount of empathy without asking for anything in return. They have taught me to spread love and understanding to those around me.

“If there was one thing I learned when my teacher took those crayons away from me, it was how precious art is and what creativity means to me. Art helps people come together to create and reinvent the world around them. This is my community.”

With in-school arts education at an all-time low, more youth than ever are flocking to the community that New Urban Arts provides. I hope you’ll help us provide it for them.

Sincerely,
Daniel Schleifer, Executive Director

On Saturday, we hosted a small holiday dance party for New Urban Arts alumni. Maybe you, or someone you know, attended. Looking around the room, we saw a diverse group of young people, dancing and catching up with friends. Some were home from college; some were enjoying a vacation from work.
 
At some point, it occurred to us: this is how our city’s future should look. Please donate to New Urban Arts to build toward that future.
 
We live in a truly multiracial city, with no one group in the majority, but diversity in our cultural institutions hasn’t kept pace with demographic shifts. We need to change this reality by opening avenues of cultural participation to youth of color. Sadly, with arts education at an all-time low nationally and locally, these opportunities are rarer than ever in our public schools. 
 
The decline in arts education has driven more students than ever to New Urban Arts. We are now Providence’s largest high school afterschool arts provider. As you’d imagine, costs have risen with attendance, but we’re committed: we’re not turning anyone away, and we’re staying true to our vision. We need your support to take on the challenge of expanding cultural access for our city’s youth.
 
Consider this recollection from a New Urban Arts alumnus, currently attending the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt):
 
“Before I started coming to New Urban Arts three years ago, I was very shy, quiet, and didn’t have many friends…. My life was pretty much boring. I had never even ridden public transportation before.NUA gave me the opportunity to see Providence. When I made friendships with mentors, it kind of gave me a VIP pass to many activities they were doing outside of New Urban Arts. Like helping out with a project at the RISD Museum. Or going to the Athenaeum…. These are places I had never been to before. Working with these mentors has really opened my eyes to see the artistic side of Providence.”
 
You can help us make the same impact for the record number of youth we’re serving today. We truly believe that, for the city to thrive, its culture needs to reflect the youth who are its future. New Urban Arts is the place to make this happen; please give today.
 
Sincerely,
 
Daniel Schleifer, Executive Director
Paul Tavarez, Board Member and Youth Program Alumnus

New Urban Arts needs your support.

Arts education is at an all-time low for Providence public school students. In our high schools, for every art teacher, there are over 600 students. We’re seeing record attendance at New Urban Arts; it’s nearly doubled since 2011. As you’d imagine, costs have risen with attendance, but we’re committed: we’re not turning anyone away, and we’re staying true to our vision. Now, we need your support to keep that commitment.

Despite our growth, despite the demand, it has been difficult to attract new institutional funders. For some, it’s hard to see past the fact that New Urban Arts doesn’t have classrooms, productivity metrics, attendance requirements, or other trappings of dominant educational approaches.

Instead, we have a community built around young people’s needs—as defined by young people. That’s why, when you walk into our studio, you’ll see students doing so many different things. Most are making art, but you’ll also see students hanging out, studying, and playing games. You’ll see them preparing college applications and planning their futures. When you support our work, you’re offering young people flexibility; you let them choose the right experience for them.

If you see the wisdom in this approach, please donate. Please help us pay for additional educators. Help us fill the studio with the resources that our youth need. Build a community that is ready to embrace more students than ever and give them something vital that they’re not getting anywhere else.

Saulo, our program and development assistant, is an alumnus of New Urban Arts. A few weeks ago, he asked me if it was okay to take time out from his duties to talk to Mila, a student with whom he has a particular rapport. “Of course,” I told him, “that’s why we’re here.” He then told me a little about their conversation.

Mila is a gifted singer; she initially came to New Urban Arts to nurture that talent, but this space nurtures her in other ways. Here’s Saulo:

Mila seemed really upset so I sat with her and asked what was bothering her. We had talked before about her living situation, so I had some idea about the problems she’s facing. She often seeks me out to talk because she feels really comfortable around me and can open up to me.

She was telling me she felt super discouraged and that she was thinking of not making music anymore. She opened up to me and told me she has this facade of being confident, but ultimately is very self-conscious and has really low self-esteem. I sat there and I listened to her speak about wanting to give up on her passions because she felt like she wasn’t getting anywhere, like she was wasting her time and even mine.

To hear her say those things stirred some emotions in me that I hadn’t felt in a while. I was in her shoes at one point, a confused, scared, and anxious teenager at New Urban Arts trying to figure out what life is about. I talked to her a bit about my own struggles, to let her know that I went through some of the same things.

After a while she got re-inspired and she left with a smile on her face. She said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” That’s why this place is so important, because for some youth it’s the only place they can feel comfortable enough to say what they really feel without judgment, and know that what they say will be taken seriously. It’s the one place they can truly feel safe.

New Urban Arts is now the largest high school afterschool arts program in the city, but that’s just one reason why this space is so important. Youth are hungry to express themselves, but they’re also looking for a safe space where they feel heard, where it’s okay to be vulnerable.

You can ensure that we are there for every young person that enters this studio. Please give today at: http://bit.ly/NUA-Give

Sincerely,
Daniel Schleifer,
Executive Director

Introducing the 2015–16 artist mentors, studio study buddies, and staff at New Urban Arts, a community arts studio where local artists and high school students practice powerful mentoring relationships.  This gallery opening event is free and open to the public, and takes place at our studio, 705 Westminster Street in Providence.

New Urban Arts proudly announces the 6th annual Cardboard Pancakes holiday sale!

New Urban Arts is pleased to announce a special opening this upcoming Thursday September 17th, 2015 of the late Jeanne Risica’s artwork at The Drawing Room (479 Washington Street) between 7-9pm.

All proceeds from the sale of Jeanne Risica’s artwork support the Jeanne Risica Fund for Art Education, founded in 2011 in her memory through the Rhode Island Foundation. The fund pays out a yearly dividend in support of New Urban Arts in Providence, RI.

To see more of Jeanne Risica’s work and to learn more, click here: www.jeannerisica.com

Creative Compassion & The Art of Kindness Is an exhibition  of artworks by high school students who participated in New Urban Arts’ summer programs. Each summer, artists, scholars, and students explore themes of human experience that intersect with creative practice. This Year’s show will highlight work from our 10th annual Art Inquiry Program, Untitlement Project, and Providence Prints.

Summer 2015 at New Urban Arts was phenomenal and we couldn’t have done it without your support!  Thanks for believing in the power of art to transform lives and communities!

Our summer Art Internship programs provide low-income high school aged students in Providence structured art education opportunities.  This year we worked with 25 students in three programs – the Art Inquiry, Untitlement Project, and Providence Prints.   Students committed to a rigorous schedule and received stipends on successful completion of their programs.  We provide participation stipends so that low-income youth aren’t forced to choose between enrichment and employment.  Please join us on September 11^th for the opening reception of our Summer Art exhibition.  

Art Inquiry:  Creative Compassion and the Art of Kindness

Ten students explored compassion and kindness in art and the role artist play in promoting kindness, compassion and understanding through their art work.  Students worked with mentors Caitlin Cali and Eva Joly to explore Providence, meet artist and make work around the theme of compassion and kindness.  Special thanks to Julia Gualtieri for her advice and support as our Scholar in Residence for the Art Inquiry program.

Many thanks to all our visiting artists including Hollis Mickey, Victoria Ruiz, John Risica, Geraldine McPhee, The Providence Athenaeum, Alison Rutch & Resources for Human Development, Sycamore Street Garden, 186 Carpenter Street, RISD 2^nd Life, Big Nazo, Iyengar Yoga, Little Free Library, Free Store, Mimi Chrzanowski, and Dailen Williams.

 The Untitlement Project

With the guidance of artist mentors Alex Algoro and Eric Axelman, ten students explored issues of identity, including sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.  Thank you to visiting artists Victor Terry, Christopher Johnson, Ron Lewis, Muggs Fogarty, and all the couples who participated in our Relationship Panel.

The Untitlement Project received funding from the Equity Action Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation for funding this important work.  Look for an Untitlement Resource Guide on the exchange section of our website this fall. 

 Providence Prints

Five students spent the summer studying the history and culture of printmaking in Providence.  Under the guidance of printmaker Mimi Chrzanowski students visited print shops, experimented with various printmaking techniques, and became screen printing ninjas! 

Thank you to everyone who visited or opened your doors, especially Ian Cozzens, Julia Gualtieri and the AS220 Printshop, Pricilla Carrion and Atlantic Mills multi-use studio space, Christina Alderman & Britnay Salsbury at the RISD Museum, Lois Herrada and DWRI Letterpress, Alison Nitkiewicz, Dirt Palace, and the Providence Public Library’s   Special Collections. 

Resident Artist Mentors will focus in one of two areas: printmaking or two-dimensional media.  Resident Artist Mentors will embody our core values of connection, voice, inclusion, leadership and risk by participating in the studio life on a daily basis, creating meaningful relationships with youth, and supporting the healthy operation of an open studio. 

Key Responsibilities include:

Position Requirements:

• Completed at least one year as an Artist Mentor at New Urban Arts
• Demonstrated experience with visual arts discipline(s) either through experience or professional training
• Demonstrated success working in culturally and socioeconomically diverse environments
• Experience and interest in forming positive and supportive relationships with teenagers
• Positive and direct verbal and written communication skills, including proficient and regular use of email communication
• Flexible, inclusive, responsive and can handle stress without contributing to it

Fore more information and how to apply, see attached position description, or email Emily Ustach at emily@newurbanarts.org.  All applications are due August 28, 2015. These positions are only available to former artist mentors or arts mentoring fellows.  

New Urban Arts is no longer accepting applications for a Archivist and Documentarian Volunteer. We’re really excited to have our volunteer this Fall!

Location: New Urban Arts, 705 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903

Time Commitment: 1 year at least 4 hrs/week

Expected start date: September 2015

Supervisor: Director of Development Connie Colvin

Organization Description

New Urban Arts is a nationally recognized community-based art studio and gallery for high school students and emerging artists. Since 1997, we have served over 2,500 Providence teens and 150 artists. Each year, our public programs reach over 2,000 visitors and participants. 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 core program, Youth Mentorship in the Arts, brings Providence public high school students from low-income families with local artists, building powerful mentoring relationships through the arts.

 Our pedagogy empowers and trusts youth to create their own educational space. In our teaching model, student interests and creative impulses drive learning: most educational institutions require teachers to develop rigid lesson plans before they even interact with students; at New Urban Arts, students bring their creative visions to mentors, whose role is then to teach the skills necessary to realize that vision, using inquiry to help students refine and articulate what they want to convey. On the administrative side, youth participate in all major decisions, including hiring, programming decisions, and event planning. Most notably, they select each year’s cohort of artist-mentors.

Position Description 

In 2017, New Urban Arts will celebrate our 20^th anniversary. In preparation, we are planning to publish a retrospective catalog and mount an accompanying exhibition that seeks to capture our artistic output, pedagogical development, the evolution of our practices, and our impact on students and artists. New Urban Arts seeks a candidate with a strong interest in unique and innovative practices in youth development, arts education, and alternative pedagogy to lead the following ongoing projects:

• Create and maintain permanent virtual and physical archives of New Urban Arts’ artistic and pedagogical output, with an eye on our approaching 20^th anniversary. This project will include the publication of a retrospective catalog.
• Document New Urban Arts’ ongoing artistic and pedagogical output.

In service of these projects, position duties will include these tasks:

• Assess our current physical and virtual archives.
• Consult with community members across the organization about improvements to current archival practices.
• Propose and implement improvements and new practices.
• Collect significant documents related to our pedagogy.
• Maintain and expand The Exchange section of our website
• Work closely with program and development staff on strategies to use documentation and archival materials to support youth programs and fundraising.

 New Urban Arts is a collaborative work environment, and all staff should expect to support each other’s work and participate in high level conversations about New Urban Arts’ pedagogy, as well as trends in youth development and arts education.

 Qualifications

• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong skills in organizing information
• Open-minded, creative thinker
• Advanced degree in the humanities, social sciences, library and information science or arts encouraged
• Proficiency with a scanner preferred, but not required
• Photography skills preferred, but not required
• Experience that demonstrates commitment to New Urban Arts’ core values of connection, risk, leadership, voice, inclusion

Today is the last day of New Urban Arts’ fiscal year. I hope you will consider a gift to our Annual Campaign right now.

Yesterday, I told you about the importance of our summer programs, which provide rigorous art experiences to youth who otherwise have few options during the summer. These programs offer educational enrichment as well as employment experience. At the end of the summer, we share out our materials for public school teachers and arts educators nationwide to have a resource guide to replicate our successes.

Please make a donation of any size to our summer programs. Our summer programs depend on individual support from donors like you and we need you now to help support students at this important time in their year and their lives.

As always, I appreciate your generosity to New Urban Arts.

Sincerely,

Daniel Schleifer,

Executive Director

P.S. Even if you can’t give today, your support at any time in the next few weeks will still help fund our summer programs.

P.P.S. If PayPal mystifies you or if you’d like to give through an alternative method, feel free to call the studio at (401) 751-4556 and ask for Connie.

Please make a donation to support New Urban Arts’ summer programs at bit.ly/NUA-Give.

What do you think happens when we don’t expect anything from our most vulnerable young people over the summer—when we don’t give them a reason to use their brains? Consider this: More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.

What do you think happens when we challenge and engage our youth over the summer? Earlier this year, New Urban Arts student K wrote her college essay about her experience in our summer programs. I asked her if I could share it with you:

[Summer] was a whole different level of learning. New Urban Arts provided me with one of the most stimulating and creative experiences that I’ve ever had, and it is something that I will not forget…. I loved to write but I never understood how I could channel my sentiments onto paper in such a way that it’d be as if the ink was embedded onto the page. How I could move others with my words; create melodies from the abyss that housed my thoughts? It was last summer that I translated the words in my head. It was last summer that I gave my words a voice; that I allowed the voice to speak….

In February, K was accepted into Northeastern University’s Torch Scholars Program for students who have “persevered despite difficult family situations, cultural barriers, financial challenges, or unfavorable educational environments.” K credits our summer program with giving her the confidence to apply.

Although we focused on writing, it was also about pushing boundaries. The empowerment and confidence that I gained over the summer cemented my goal of pursuing my ambitions in life…. I was pushed to do things that I had never done, and being able to conquer my fears and limits made me believe that I could shoot for anything. New Urban Arts made me want to continuously learn from others…. The Summer Art Inquiry made me realize that I did not want to be someone afraid to take risks.

We need your help to give more students a chance to spend their summer finding their ambitions and conquering their fears. Please support our summer programs.

Sincerely,

Daniel Schleifer,

Executive Director

PS Please give before our fiscal year ends on Wednesday at bit.ly/NUA-Give.  Your gift is critical at this time of year.

PPS. Consider becoming a sustaining donor to support us every month at j.mp/SustainNUA. 

Students from the Providence Youth Caucus met with Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza to promote the goals outlined in their youth-written education platform “The Schools Providence Students Deserve.”

The New Urban Arts Board of Directors announced today the appointment of Daniel Schleifer as executive director of this nationally recognized arts organization for young people in Providence, Rhode Island. Schleifer, former director of development, has been serving as interim executive director since the resignation of former Executive Director Elia Gurna, who relocated to Los Angeles in December.

Schleifer joined the New Urban Arts community in the fall of 2007 to pilot the Studio Study Buddy program, which combines academic tutoring with the structure and values of New Urban Arts’ core program, Youth Mentorship in the Arts. As director of development, Schleifer fostered a 40% increase in individual giving to New Urban Arts’ annual fund along with significant increases in grant funding. These funding increases have allowed the organization to adapt to major growth in student enrollment. Other significant successes include spearheading New Urban Arts’ first capital campaign, seeding an endowment, and paying off the mortgage on New Urban Arts’ building.

”I’m just so proud to watch his growth from volunteer mentor in our youth programs to ongoing responsibilities in development to now executive director,” says Tamara Kaplan, New Urban Arts finance and operations manager. “As another working creative professional, I also appreciate Dan’s continued commitment to the What Cheer? Brigade, the award-winning 21-piece brass band, even while taking a leadership role at New Urban Arts. It’s so refreshing to see that he doesn’t need to give up one creative practice for another.”

In addition to his major development wins for New Urban Arts, Schleifer is well versed in youth development principles and practices. In conjunction with his development duties, Schleifer led the first iteration of New Urban Arts’ Untitlement Project summer program, which continues to be one of the organization’s most popular summer programs. The Untitlement Project provides an opportunity for low-income youth to explore, through writing and art, issues of identity, including sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Schleifer also participated in the 2010 Program Committee which created a vision for New Urban Arts to better serve a larger number of students. At this time, New Urban Arts is experiencing the highest level of student engagement in its 18-year history.

Schleifer says, “It’s an honor and a joy to head this community of artists. More young people than ever are coming to New Urban Arts, and I’m eager to ensure they get the support and mentoring they need to create, learn, and lead.”

New Urban Arts is now accepting applications for a Development and Program VISTA. We seek a candidate who believes in the power of creative practice and lifelong learning. The complete job posting follows.

Download the job description here.

New Urban Arts Development and Program VISTA
Location: New Urban Arts, 705 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903
Supervisor: Development Director Connie Colvin
Compensation: VISTA stipend
Time: 40 hours/week
Position expected start date: August

New Urban Arts is a nationally recognized community-based art studio and gallery for high school students and emerging artists. Since 1997, we have served over 2,500 Providence teens and 150 artists. Each year, our public programs reach over 2,000 visitors and participants. 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 core program, Youth Mentorship in the Arts, brings Providence public high school students together with local artists, building powerful mentoring relationships through the arts.

New Urban Arts seeks a candidate with a strong interest in youth development, arts education, and community building to assist with program documentation, fund development and external communications. Program duties include assisting with the student attendance database, maintaining our archive, helping to run gallery events, and assisting in preparing publications. Fund development duties include gift processing, proofreading promotional materials, assisting with fundraising mailings, automating and formatting select reports, assisting with grant writing, and providing support with our annual campaign event. External communications duties include maintaining elements of our web and social media presence, sending monthly e-news, event promotion, alumni engagement, and special projects.

VISTA members can expect to gain practical skills in database management, the essential mechanics of annual campaign fundraising, and non-profit communications. New Urban Arts is a collaborative work environment, and VISTA members can expect to participate in high level conversations about New Urban Arts’ pedagogy, as well as trends in youth development and arts education.

 Competencies

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong research skills
• Open-minded, creative thinker
• Strong sense of good humor
• Experience, behaviors and attitudes that demonstrate commitment to New Urban Arts’ core values of connection, risk, leadership, voice, and inclusion

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office
• At minimum, two years of college (or equivalent) with coursework involving expository writing and research; bachelors degree preferred
• Experience with databases (Salesforce), WordPress, Vertical Response, and Adobe Creative Suite helpful but not required

AmeriCorps*VISTA is a national service program under the Corporation for National and Community Service designed specifically to fight poverty. The VISTA commits to serve full-time for one full year at a nonprofit organization and receives $11,796 stipend for the year, disbursed biweekly. Upon successful completion of the term of service, the VISTA is eligible to receive either an AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,730 or a $1500 cash stipend.  

Thank you for your interest.  This position posting is now closed as of 6/1/2015.

Phone interviews will be held with qualified candidates between 5/19/2015 – 6/4/2015. Applicants progressing to the second round of interviews will be required to submit a full VISTA application at NationalService.gov/VISTA prior to 6/10/2015. In-person interviews will be held between 6/1/2015 – 6/15/2015. All final applicants will be required to complete a final interview with New Urban Arts’ students.

Your cover letter will serve as your writing sample. No phone calls please.

New Urban Arts is an equal opportunity employer; we welcome candidates of diverse backgrounds.

Download the complete job description here.

Are you a high school student or do you know one who is interested in being involved with New Urban Arts this summer? New Urban Arts is accepting applications for 25 paid summer apprenticeships in the arts. Youth receive $400 stipends for their participation. Lunch, snacks and Riptiks are provided to students at no cost! For students who can’t participate in one of the paid apprenticeship programs, we also have an open studio program. Applications are due Friday, May 29, so download one now!

On Thursday, April 16, New Urban Arts becomes old enough to vote, so we’re hosting our 18th annual fundraiser! Young people vote with their feet, and right now—with participation rates at an all time high—they’re electing New Urban Arts in a landslide. So do your civic duty, and help us fulfill our campaign promises by joining us for fun, food, music, and art!

PRICE: $20 includes entry, open bar, and food—
featuring all of your favorite local restaurants.

WIN: The Silent Auction is your chance to win artwork and art experiences by local artists, featuring: 

Alejandra Peralta
Eli Nixon
Cara Adams
Erik Gould
Erik Ruin
Eva Joly
Gansett Beer
Ian Cozzens
Ivy Powers
Jacques Achille
Jeanne Risica
Joan Wyland and Harrison Bucy
John Panzarella
Jori Ketten
Juan Alfonso
Julia Gualtiari
Kah Yangni
Keegan Bonds-Harmon
Kelli Rae Adams
Kris Craig
Kristie Danis
Lois Harada
Marie Gagnon
Mark Freedman
Meredith Stern
Mike Eng
Mike Guadagni
Mikey Hougland
Nina Ruelle
Norlan Olivo
Peter Lutz
Pia Brar
Priscilla Carrion
Rebecca Volynsky
RISD
Rob Pecchica
Robert Reyes
Ryan Dean
Sarah Clover
Shannon Falvey
Studio Hop
Todd Stong
Westport Rivers
Caitlin Cali
Walker Mettling

 Cast your ballot at New Urban Arts, 705 Westminster Street, Providence, RI.

Off-street parking generously provided by All Saints’ Memorial Church, 674 Westminster St.

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

 El Rancho Grande
Sin Desserts
Pastiche 
Blaze East Side
Whole Foods-University Heights
White Electric
Foremost Baking Company
Faust Hofbrauhaus
Seven Stars Bakery
The Red Fez
Trinity Brewhouse
Providence Pizza Company
Julian’s
Trader Joe’s
McLaughlin and Moran
Narragansett Brewing Company
Madeira Liquors
New Harvest Coffee Roasters
Revival Brewing Company
Fertile Underground
Adler’s Hardware 
Ocean State Jingle Lot
DWRI Letterpress
Hope Media
Frog and Toad
Aaronson Lavoie Streitfeld Diaz & Co., P.C.
RISD Museum
MOO

Interested in becoming a sponsor?   Learn more at bit.ly/sponsorNUA

We are 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 16, 2015.

Sandra Olson Award Nominations are due Monday February 23, 2015.

How do I nominate a candidate for a Sandra Olson Award?

Fill out a short Google form here.

Having trouble with the Google form?  Email Jennifer Morrison (jennifer@newurbanarts.org) with the following information:
· 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.

Who are past winners of the Sandra Olson Awards?
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
2014—Derek Schusterbauer, Teal Butterworth, Julia Gualtieri, Austin O’Goffa, Providence Pizza Company

Join us for an interactive art exhibition featuring new works by students at New Urban Arts. Witness brainstorms, beginnings and the bloomings of mid-year makings!

RSVP to our Facebook Event

The thing I most want to share with you in asking you to support New Urban Arts today is how this place becomes the centerpiece of adolescence for young people who’s adolescence is often society’s afterthought.

Carmina started hanging out at New Urban Arts last year. She’s very shy, and at first, she didn’t talk very much. She just sat alone, endlessly drawing comics.

One day last spring, she sat down at my desk. I asked how she was doing, and it all came pouring out. “My teacher yelled at me today, but it wasn’t my fault, so I yelled back at her, and I didn’t mean to get so mad, and I felt bad, and then I started crying.”  It was a school moment you probably remember; Carmina was talking to another student before class and became so absorbed that she didn’t hear her teacher bring class to order.

It was a minor scolding. Carmina even thought the teacher was right, but it was too late, she told me, because the smallest things can trigger her, and once she starts to cry, she can’t stop. Other kids make fun of her for it.  And now she was speaking to me in halting bursts between sobs. “They call me crybaby…. I don’t want to be this way…. I thought I was getting better.”

We talked for over an hour, and I learned about some of the challenges Carmina is facing. You don’t need to hear all of them, but I’ll share two that really struck me: she does have teachers that she trusts and who like her, but they never have enough time for her. And when she’s drawing, she feels like nothing painful can touch her, but her school has only one art teacher for 700 students, and Carmina doesn’t qualify for his class.

You can help us make sure that young people get plenty of time with caring adults and plenty of art in their lives. Please give.

At New Urban Arts, youth connect with others. They gain creative skills to envision their own solutions. They build lasting, positive relationships with artist-mentors and peers. Their needs are not an afterthought. So you see why young people flock here.

But right now, they’re flocking to New Urban Arts in higher numbers than ever, and we need your help to keep up with the demand.This year, we have experienced the highest attendance levels in our 18-year history. That means more young people using art supplies, needing bus passes, and eating snacks. It also means we need to add staff, so that more adults are consistently present for our youth and artist-mentors have logistical support to focus on students.

Please give today online at: http://bit.ly/NUA-Give

Sincerely,
Daniel Schleifer, Interim Executive Director

We live in a world that emphasizes and divides us by our differences. You see these divisions play out in strong and frightening ways for the youth of our cities—particularly public school students, youth of color and those from low-income families. I know our schools are trying their hardest, but how much impact can you make when forces beyond your control are prescribing your priorities, what you can teach, and how to teach it?

That’s why we ALL need a place like New Urban Arts. Please support our work with a gift to our annual fund right now. Our youth need it because they need art in their lives, but they, you, and I also need it because it’s a version of a different kind of city, a different world—one with a different way of teaching and learning, and a different way of dealing with our differences.

If you came to Cardboard Pancakes (our annual holiday sale), you got to see one of the ways that New Urban Arts is a hub for people who genuinely want to cross all kinds of divides. When you walked in, you saw tables overflowing with art created by our students and artist-mentors, as well as artists from the wider community; you saw these diverse artists, at various stages of their lives, conversing as equals. And you saw people eager to show their appreciation for the efforts of these artists. In short, you caught a rare moment where youth who are typically excluded from public life were participating fully in it.

Give today at: http://bit.ly/NUA-Give

Sincerely,
Daniel Schleifer, Interim Executive Director

When you feel heard by others, you recognize the spark of genuine connection. All young people need to experience that kind of connection; they need safe spaces to ask difficult questions and express their thoughts and feelings. More young people than ever are seeking those connections at New Urban Arts this year, and you can help us meet the growing need.  

Recent events have been a stark reminder why the community New Urban Arts builds is so crucial, and why we need a space that values youth voices. When you walk into New Urban Arts, you’ll typically see students sitting across from me at my desk, telling me about their lives and asking questions. We draw together, and while we draw together, we talk. We’ve been talking a lot about Ferguson. Our youth are asking challenging questions and processing serious concerns about how society views them.

When education is too focused on scores and quantifiable outcomes, there is not enough time during the school day for open-ended discussion and creativity. In a city where over 15,000 children are growing up in poverty and our schools are woefully underequipped in so many basic ways, asking young people how they feel, what they think, and what they would like to create has been outsourced to New Urban Arts.

We can only fill the gap with the help of donors like you. With your support, we’re here—a team of patient, caring artists—not to provide answers, but to be available, serve as a sounding board, ask questions, and above all, to take young people seriously.

I like working with an artist mentor because I feel like we have an equal opportunity to teach each other new things. No one is above the other. I don’t feel judged. I finally have a place where I can be myself and be accepted for who I am. I found a home.

– S. R., New Urban Arts student

As you know, young people at New Urban Arts work through their thoughts and feelings via the creative process. A student in our summer program recently described this experience in a college essay:

The nonjudgmental discussions within this program are enlightening, and learning how to translate these issues into art and writing is life-changing. When asked what I would like to see happen in this program, I find myself suggesting a collaborative art piece—something that would have previously sent me crawling back into my shell. However, this is the new me, the artist who no longer hides in her imagination, but is strengthened by it.

L.M., New Urban Arts student

This story illustrates the remarkable possibilities for young people when they have time and space to explore what matters to them and make art from it. But we need your support to create this space.

I told you that more youth are using New Urban Arts’ studio than ever—further proof that our community needs this place. So far this year, we have experienced the highest attendance levels in our 18-year history. That means more young people using art supplies, needing bus passes and eating snacks. It also means we need to add part time staff, so that more adults are consistently present for our youth—so that our artist-mentors have logistical support and can focus on students.

With your help New Urban Arts will remain a safe space for generations of Providence youth and a model for positive youth engagement nationally. Please support us as we continue to work to stake a claim for the centrality of creativity and imagination in human and community development.

Give today online at: http://bit.ly/NUA-Give

Sincerely,

Elia Gurna,
Executive Director

P.S. I hope you’ll consider monthly giving; visit www.newurbanarts.org/donate and click on Become a Monthly Sustainer.

New Urban Arts announces the appointment of Daniel Schleifer as interim executive director of New Urban Arts to begin in January of 2015, with plans for an executive search to be announced at a later date.  “I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to help lead New Urban Arts as it continues to grow and serve young people and artists in Providence,”  says Schleifer. 
 
Schleifer assumes leadership of the organization after seven years of service. He began his association with NUA as a mentor.  Currently, he serves as the organization’s director of development. His appointment is upon the resignation of executive director Elia Gurna, who will be relocating to Los Angeles at the first of the year. Her husband Eric Gurna has been appointed president and CEO of LA’s Best, one of the country’s largest after school programs. 
 
The Board of Directors stated that Ms. Gurna’s leadership of NUA is noted for the inspiring and visionary direction she has provided during her time in Providence.  Her resignation is received with deep regret and warm best wishes from the New Urban Arts Board of Directors, staff, mentors, and students.

Introducing the 2014–15 artist mentors, studio study buddies
and staff at New Urban Arts, a community arts studio where
local artists and high school students practice powerful
mentoring relationships.  This gallery opening event is free and open to the public, and takes place at our studio, 705 Westminster Street in Providence.

The exhibition will remain on view in our studio until December 12. Read more about our 2014-15 mentors.

New Urban Arts proudly announces the 5th annual Cardboard Pancakes holiday sale!

RSVP to our facebook event here.

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. Art, crafts, prints & posters, cards, comics & zines, ceramics, jewelry, objects & curios, foodstuffs, and clothing will all be here, 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 stuff… it’s all gonna be here. We hope you will be here too!

The sale will run 10am-5pm on Sunday, December 14 at our studio, 705 Westminster Street in Providence.

Confirmed artists so far include:

Julia Gualtieri
Walker Mettling
Sam Merritt
Muffy Brandt
Jori Ketten
Joan Wyand
Harrison Bucy
Kah Yangni
Lois Harada
Mimi Chrzanowski
Rebecca Volynsky
Catherine Marrow/Eat the Mommy
Ryan Dean
Mike Guadagni
Alejandra Peralta
Zaidee Everett
Meredith Stern
Pia Brar
Nina Ruelle
Hilary Treadwell
John Panzarella
Kelli Rae Adams
Legend Lowell
Erik Ruin
Beth Brandon
Ivy Powers
Elizabeth Novak
Mikey Hougland
Keegan Bonds-Harmon
Kristie Danis
MOO East Providence
Elizabeth Hursh
Noraa Kaplan
Ian Cozzens
 

“In-Between” is an exhibition of artworks by high school students who participated in New Urban Arts’ summer programs.  Each summer, artists, scholars, and students explore themes of human experience that intersect with creative practice.  This year’s show will highlight work from our 9th annual Art Inquiry program, Untitlement Project, Mural Team, and Corrugated Community program.  

New Urban Arts, Ramshackle Enterprises, and PopUp Providence present Corrugated Community, a week of FREE interactive cardboard construction in Providence’s Parks.

Stop by any day from 11am-3pm to make a flag, decorate a box, or enjoy some shade. Then, from 3-4pm, there will be guest artists holding workshops and performances.

Monday, August 4: Columbus Square Park (Elmwood and Reservoir)
Guest Artist: Len Cabral of the RI Black Storytellers
facebook event 

Tuesday, August 5: Donigian Park (Valley Street)
Guest Artist: New Urban Arts Art Inquiry Students
facebook event 

Wednesday, August 6: Riverside Park
Guest Artist: Hip Hop Dance with Sokeo Ros of Everett Stage and School
facebook event

Thursday, August 7: Burnside Park (Kennedy Plaza)
Guest Artist: Project 401
facebook event 

Friday, August 8: Armory Park
Guest Artist: The Brave New Voices Slam Team and New Urban Arts’ Untitlement Project
facebook event 

Saturday, August 9: The Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park
On the final day, we make a special appearance at the Decordova from 11am-2pm.
facebook event 

One of our former artist-mentors told me that her cousin recently asked her, “What do you do when New Urban Arts students argue over supplies?” The question caught her off guard because at New Urban Arts, you never see students argue over art supplies.

She shared this reflection: “Supplies are not precious at New Urban Arts. There’s a culture of resourcefulness and collaboration here that exists not because anyone has posted rules about ‘sharing’ but because these qualities are so embedded into our collective practice.”

But a few days later, our director of programs told me that 68 young people applied for New Urban Arts’ summer programs this year—the most ever. It reminded me, as I hope it will remind you, just how scarce resources for youth are, even as we fight for a culture of resourcefulness.

Most Providence families can’t afford summer programs for their children. Even free programs are a stretch because our students need summer jobs. However, RI’s unemployment rate is 8.3% (the highest in the US), and it’s 11% in the neighborhoods where New Urban Arts students live, so youth are likely to spend all summer looking for jobs that they probably won’t find. That’s why New Urban Arts offers paid summer internships for youth; that’s why more students than ever have applied, and that’s why I’m asking you to help us expand our summer programs this year to meet the growing demand.

There is no better investment you can make for our city than investing in our youth.  Young people, no matter their background, deserve and need opportunities to engage meaningfully. With your help, more students will spend the summer making art, painting murals, and enriching our neighborhoods and our city with their artistic presence.

With your help, more students than ever can experience a place where there’s no reason to fight over supplies.

Sincerely,
Elia Gurna, Executive Director

P.S. Please try to give before tomorrow, when our fiscal year ends.

Are you a high school student or do you know one who is interested in being involved with New Urban Arts this summer? New Urban Arts is accepting applications for 36 paid summer apprenticeships in the arts. Youth receive $400 stipends for their participation or a college scholarship. Lunch, snacks and Riptiks are provided to students at no cost! For students who can’t participate in one of the paid apprenticeship programs, we also have an open studio program. Applications are due Tuesday, June 10, so download one now!

For a complete overview of the summer programs, check out our 2014 Summer Program Menu. Here are brief descriptions of our programs:

ART INQUIRY
1:00-5:00pm; Monday-Thursday, July 7-August 8
Work with artist mentors Aneudy Alba and Cara Adams to create new work around this summer’s theme: “In-Between.”

UNTITLEMENT PROJECT
1:00-5:00pm; Monday-Friday, July 7-August 8
Work with artist mentors Mai Nguyen and Paul Tran to explore inequities around language, privilege, and power.

MURAL TEAM
10:00-3:00pm;Monday-Thursday, July 7-August 8
Make your mark on Providence! Design and paint a large-scale public mural for the  community with artist-mentors Chris Hampson and Kedrin Frias.

CORRUGATED COMMUNITY
Time TBD Monday-Friday, July 28-August 8
The Corrugated Community is a popup collaborative public art project that will bring cardboard construction, fort building, flag festoonery, and public performances to parks in neighborhoods in Providence. Work with Artist Mentoring Fellow, Eli Nixon.

OPEN STUDIO
5:00-7:00pm; Monday-Thursday, July 7-August 8
Drop by the studio anytime to invent creative projects that only hot summer days can inspire.

Share outfit ideas,  gossip about your crush of the week, and reveal your mortifying studio moments with New Urban Arts at our 17th annual fundraiser!

Two weeks ago, I asked our student leadership team to write a letter about what they do, and they ended up explaining why you should support New Urban Arts:

“What makes the space so special to us is how contrary an environment it is to school…. Here, it’s on your own terms. New Urban Arts is nothing like a school art class, which some of our seniors haven’t had since elementary school.”

As I mentioned in my last letter to you, over the last ten years the number of art teachers in the Providence School District declined from 155 to 72; we went from one teacher for every 178 students to one for every 327 students. We all wonder what statistics really mean; if you’re the statistic, do you really notice whatever decline you’re supposed to be experiencing?

Well, our students noticed, and they’re telling us that some of them have gone at least seven years without art in school. Help us fill the void by supporting New Urban Arts.

The students’ letter explains exactly why teens need the creative time and space they find at New Urban Arts:

“There is complete creative freedom: mentors here aren’t meant to be formal teachers, but instead, help out on whatever level any student needs, from showing them a new skill to giving feedback on an independent piece of work…. No one feels pressured to be someone they are not. Perhaps most valuably, NUA is a safe space. Anybody can come; it’s anti-bullying, anti-prejudice, anti-harassment. For any time of our lives, whether happy or sad, leisure or crunch-time, NUA is the perfect place to be.”

The freedom and relief from pressure that we offer makes us the “perfect place to be,” but it also puts us at odds with afterschool funders that have become increasingly prescriptive about what we should teach and how it should align with school standards. We help young people develop all kinds of skills, but our values dictate that we don’t succeed by forcing them on our students. We succeed by responding to students’ goals:

“We also have big dreams for the future; our members imagine the studio getting a fuzzy carpet or a Velcro wall. Others think of goals for improvement, like color film development, fixing up our loom, or getting a 3-D printer, or planning activities like cake decoration and a day of finger-painting.”

You can help us make these dreams come true. Support New Urban Arts or consider becoming a monthly sustainer. Please try to give before the year ends.

Sincerely,
Elia Gurna

New Urban Arts needs you. Please click the heart to the right to contribute to our 2014 Annual Campaign, or consider monthly giving options.

You know the feeling you get when you’re being creative. You’re gardening, cooking, installing a shelf, or wrapping presents; your thoughts are absorbed in the present; you’re learning; you’re creating your world and yourself, and you’re filled with a sense of accomplishment.

For Providence public school students, that feeling is increasingly rare. Between 2002 and 2012, the number of art teachers in the Providence School District declined from 155 to 72; we went from one teacher for every 178 students to one for every 327 students. 

At New Urban Arts, we believe that feeling isn’t some optional nicety; it’s a human right, vital to our development as people. Regardless of background, we all have the right to engage deeply with the world around us, and to express that engagement creatively.  So I hope you’ll donate to New Urban Arts now to instill that feeling in hundreds of youth who might not otherwise get a chance to be creative.

Something happened in our studio recently that I think illustrates what you make possible by supporting our work:

Ava is a freshman, and it was her second day at New Urban Arts. I saw her looking around uncertainly and asked, “What are you working on?”

 “I want to make prints of this drawing I did yesterday.”

 “Let’s check the board and see if any of our screen print mentors are here today.” They weren’t, but Vuthy, a senior who’s been here for three years, overheard and picked up on Ava’s disappointment.

 “You need help printing?” he asked. Ava nodded. “Have you coated a screen?” Ava looked more confused. “I don’t have time right now, but Tremell doesn’t look busy; maybe he can show you.” Vuthy turned and yelled across the room, “Hey Tremell!”

Tremell, another senior, who had been hanging out with friends in the lounge area, joined us. Vuthy explained the situation, and Tremell and Ava got to work. Two hours later, she had her first set of prints and two new friends.

Collaborative problem solving, empathy, compassion, teaching, leadership, trust, risk-taking, seeing others’ abilities–these are just a few of the skills that Ava, Vuthy and Tremell practiced that day. This is what can happen when you give young people freedom, a safe space, and a push in the right direction. This is what happens when you don’t impose rules about who can use resources, who instructs, how to learn, or what to learn.

In today’s educational climate, a youth-led space that values open-ended inquiry, messy tinkering, and collaboration is radical. Limited funding forces poor districts like Providence to cut the arts, and afterschool funders are increasingly prescriptive.They want youth programs to align with school standards; they ask us to focus on goals like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) or workforce readiness. New Urban Arts helps young people develop these skills, but our values dictate that we don’t succeed by forcing anything upon our students.

…Tremell doesn’t look busy…

What if we required youth to “look busy” at all times? Would Ava have learned anything? Would Tremell have gained the deep understanding you get from teaching someone else? What if we were the kind of space that valued “productivity” over relationships?

That’s where YOU come in! Give now to protect the integrity of our mission and allow youth in need to have remarkable arts learning experiences. The NEA reports that low-income and minority youth, who compose the vast majority of our students, now have half as much access to arts education as in 1982. Help us continue to reverse that trend.

The mentor show introduces our 2013–14 artist mentors and mentoring fellows to our studio community. This event is sponsored by BankRI. The opening is free and open to the public, and takes place at our studio, 705 Westminster Street in Providence. RSVP to our facebook event. 

The exhibition will remain on view in our studio until December 20. Read more about our 2013-14 mentors.