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News & Updates

Community Joy in Harlem

It’s easy to define our differences, much harder to find the common ground that unites us. Community murals memorialize the shared vision that binds us together. Last night’s ribbon cutting event in Harlem on West 126th Street and Amsterdam Avenue reminded us why projects like “Create! Harlem” bring such joy. When we take the time…

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Replace what was Stolen

I’m Emily from Thrive Collective, a rising senior at EBT High School in Brooklyn. I’ve worked with Thrive for two years and helped paint three murals, including one at my school and two more in Coney Island and Harlem.  Our goal is to help students like me bring out our inner creativity, and to use that…

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Partnering with NYC Cultural Affairs, Year 2

At Thrive Collective, we love stories that demand sequels. After proudly introducing the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs as a new partner last year, this year we saw an expansion of that relationship. Our principal champions remain NY City Council Members Vincent Gentile, Fernando Cabrera, and Donovan Richards, along with Antonio Reynoso who joined them…

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Everyone’s an Artist, Like Pilar

Shout out to an extraordinary artist and teacher, Pilar Batista, who, together with Naomi Kuo, has been holding down our work at PS 310 and IS 117 in the Bronx this year. She started volunteering with us in 2014 as a high school junior, then became an intern and an apprentice artist, and last spring emerged as our youngest art director ever. A…

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Two Summer Intensives in Harlem

“Summer Camp for Art Kids.” Thrive Collective’s Summer Intensives allow concentrated time for some of our most passionate and skilled students to work directly with world class artists to produce public art murals. Following the tradition of past summers at the Coney Art Walls and Mexico the last two years, our third annual season revolves…

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“Be the Change,” Like Nico

One of our greatest joys at Thrive Collective is empowering local artists to live their dreams while they create beauty collaboratively with the world around them. Consider Nico Collazo, teaching artist and art director for “Dream Walls 2.0” at PS/MS 34 this year (2017), and his fiancee Cynthia Dunston. In 2014, Nico was a student…

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Captain Jack’s Wonder Voyage

What a privilege to be trusted with “Captain Jack’s Wonder Voyage” at PS/MS 282 this year. This mural celebrates the life and creative energy of Jack Roberts, a pre-K student at the school whose life was tragically cut short in 2016. On Father’s Day 2017, we had the honor of dedicating the mural with Mr.…

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Father’s Day Gratitude

Shout out to all the incredible dads fathering their children well, and to all the uncles, grandfathers, brothers, cousins, neighbors, godfathers, mentors, coaches, teachers, clergy, youth workers, volunteers, single mothers, and all the rest who step up when dads are absent. Happy Fathers Day! This photo is of Jeremy Del Rio’s father Pastor Rick Del…

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The Biggest Project Ever

The “I Am NYC” collaboration with the High School of Telecommunications, Arts, and Technology is a case study in why we love collaborating with teachers and NYC high school students. This, from first year art teacher Veronica Giurdanella: “This will be the view for every student attending HSTAT in Bay Ridge from now on. The…

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