Replace Spofford with viable community based programs

Join the United to Stop Spofford campaign on March 23rd, 4-6pm as it gathers to demand the City close Spofford. Once the jail is permanently shut down, we are proposing the facility be turned over to the South Bronx community, and social programs be supported that ensure the success of our youth. 

Our kids need a variety of training initiatives. In addition to programs which offer classes in resume writing, interviewing skills, time management, many of our youngsters need basic life skills preparation. For example, training on how to communicate with adults, how to dress for an interview, and how to be on time. Computer literacy is also a programming area that would help them succeed. YUCA is presently providing technology and art training to students and hopes to extend this training to youth in or recently released from incarceration.

Young people who have been incarcerated are more likely to be repeat offenders as adults. Communities have a responsibility to try and help youth to ensure that this doesn't happen.Thus, various programming that will help them succeed is critically needed and, even desired by youth themselves. Educators, parents, community organizations, and clergy working together have a great opportunity to stem the tide and help high-risk youngster reach their God-given potential.

The rally will take place outside of the Bridges Juvenile Detention Center (formerly known as Spofford), located at 1221 Spofford Ave (Between Tiffany and Casanova Streets) in the Bronx.

For more information contact Avery Irons at 212-697-2323. 

Illustrators Competition & T-shirt Design Contest

Communication Arts magazine has been an inspiration for graphic designers, art directors, design firms, corporate design departments, advertising agencies, interactive designers, illustrators and photographers—everyone involved in visual communication for many years. They recently announced their annual Illustration competition and are now accepting entries. The competition is a great way for established illustrators as well as beginners to get their work critiqued by seasoned professionals, and have your work showcased on a national level. Please follow this link to learn more: http://www.commarts.com/competitions/illustration

BRIC Arts is also putting out a call to graphic designers, illustrators, and all creatives for a T-shirt design contest to promote the Celebrate Brooklyn forthcoming events. The winning design will be printed on hundreds of t-shirts then sold to promote Celebrate Brooklyn performances. For details visit:

http://www.bricartsmedia.org/performing-arts/celebrate-brooklyn/design-a-t-shirt-for-celebrate-brooklyn

Since their inception in 1979, BRIC Arts has enriched the cultural landscape of Brooklyn by presenting, producing and enabling a wide array of quality contemporary art, performing arts and community media programs. As a non-profit arts organization, they have been a leader in innovation in the arts and media, a proud participant in the revitalization of Prospect Park and a champion of arts education through their programs.

From Apprentice to Master Printer

Since the introductory t-shirt design workshop last month, YUCA students have been steadily building their knowledge of designing and creating silk-screened t-shirts.  We have turned our Saturday class into a strictly t-shirt design setting, where students get to explore and experience first-hand what it takes to execute t-shirt designs from scratch. 

We've thoroughly covered the basics, everything from creating art in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (eventually transferred to film transparencies); working with emulsions and different types of inks; and getting hands-on experience with various silk screen/printing equipment such as four-color presses, flash dryers, and a UV exposure unit. As important, YUCA students are in charge of brainstorming their own ideas and getting in practice on executing their designs. Be on the lookout for a YUCA fund raising event in the beginning of 2011 featuring original t-shirt designs by our students! 

We're also excited to report several of our students have expressed interest in applying to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and Pratt Institute. They are busy building-up their portfolios with the work they create at YUCA each week before submitting their applications. The illustration on this post is a student sample by Tasha, age 18.

YUCA's T-shirt Design/ Silk Screening Workshop

In our continued effort to partner with community organizations and expand our artistic range of programs, YUCA in collaboration with the CIVIC school hosted a silk screen/t-shirt design workshop on Saturday, October 23rd. Held at the Highbridge food pantry, the afternoon included an overview of the silk screening process conducted by Tony and Grace Colon. They are Brooklyn-based graphic and textile designers who mesmerized the youth in attendance with their creativity and production expertise. Students went from being passive listeners into active learners, especially when they began to utilize the art supplies on hand to explore their own creativity. Tony was able to make learning practical, memorable, and yes - even fun! A big shout out also goes to crafts artist, Henry Peña who was on hand making sure the workshop ran smoothly. He was also able to arrange to have the entire session video taped, which we will post shortly. This workshop is the first in ongoing classes which are running through the end of this year, and will culminate in an exhibit/art fair slated for early Spring, 2011. CIVIC teachers, Adelaide Fuller and Misha Brown, brought the partnership to fruition when they met with YUCA's Executive Director over the Summer and agreed to organize these classes in the fall semester. This opportunity is particularly for YUCA and CIVIC students enrolled in community art classes. The students are learning professional technical graphic design skills and beginning to experiment as commercial artists. These classes are learning to use Photoshop to create t-shirt and poster designs that explore Scholars’ artistic identity. In order to actually screen print their designs, and expose our scholars to extracurricular arts opportunities, scholars will have to attend weekend YUCA classes. A screen printing machine and other specialized art-making tools are available at the YUCA studio. A YUCA board member will also work with scholars to develop business plans for the sales of their t-shirt and poster designs.  YUCA would like to thank everyone who helped to organize the event, especially the Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund for helping fund these activities.

YUCA joins effort to close Spofford

YUCA lent its support to the Close Spofford Campaign by joining concerned community members, parents, youth, activists, faith leaders, educators and others in hosting a community rally and speak-out to address youth and community concerns about New York City’s overreliance on jails and prisons.
The Spofford Juvenile Detention Center – renamed Bridges when it was reopened in 1998 – serves as an ugly reminder to the local community that New York City would rather invest in youth jails than in building and nurturing our youth.
Members of the campaign have been regularly meeting to organize greater community awareness around this issue throughout the last two years. YUCA artists helped brand the  initiative by creating collateral materials, a wide range of documents organizers used to promote themselves.

Bronx Defenders & YUCA team up

The month of June also included a new partnership for YUCA. The Bronx
Defenders and the YUCA arts organization came together to conduct a mural

workshop over a series of classes, as part of an ongoing community art program. The workshop was taught to budding artists, local middle school students in the Melrose section of the Bronx. It was an opportunity for youngsters to further hone their artistic skills in painting, while receiving instruction and supervision under a YUCA artist.

 It was great to see how those in the legal profession as well as artists can successfully come together and provide a much needed arts education venue for reaching our youngsters.

YUCA at Alianza Dominicana’s 20th Annual Youth Conference

YUCA’s Executive Director was invited to participate in Alianza Domincana’s 20th  Annual Youth Conference this past June. He conducted a visual art workshop which included a video presentation showing how the visual arts are employed and  can serve as a catylist for community empowerment and social transformation. Alianza Dominicana, Inc. is a non-profit community development organization that partners with youth, families, and public and private institutions to revitalize economically distressed neighborhoods.