#BringArtBack

Artists Demand: #BringArtBack

Bring Art Back is about justice. We can’t imagine a world without visual or performing arts, music or film, or any expression at all — and neither can you. Yet we sentence a quarter of a million of our most vulnerable New Yorkers to that kind of artless education everyday. 419 public schools in New…

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Volunteers Crush Prep for Lent

For those of you who think you can’t volunteer with School Murals because, “I’m not an artist,” this third grader has been muraling with Thrive Collective since age 2. On Saturday he returned to MS 42 in Arverne (the Rockaways) because he says, “Art inspires me to try new things.” Follow his lead and create…

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Dishonorable Mention: Rolling Stone Corrects the Record

Ed. Note: On March 23, 2017, Rolling Stone magazine published false allegations about Thrive Collective conspiring with Betsy Devos to undermine public education, and using murals and mentoring programs as a pretense for churches to evangelize. Below are our published responses in the magazine and on the website. 1. ONLINE: “Update” posted on Rolling Stone’s website on 4/5/17, appended to…

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Save the Date: 9/26/17

Hosted by The United Federation of Teachers 52 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 On September 26, we will celebrate our students, artists, and community supporters with a benefit fundraiser hosted and sponsored in part by the United Federation of Teachers in Lower Manhattan. Join us for a cocktail reception, interactive experiences, auction, and showcase of student…

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Call Your Council Members

Since 2014, eight current and former NYC Council Members have brought Thrive Collective’s Murals, Music, and Media programs to twenty-five schools in Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. We are so grateful to these trailblazing advocates and allies: Rosie Mendez, District 2 Fernando Cabrera, District 14 Maria Del Carmen Arroyo, District 17 Donovan Richards, District 31 …

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Teaching Artists Training Day

Our Spring 2017 Teaching Artists are trained and ready to start the new semester. The team gathered on January 27 for a full day orientation and interactive training for our accredited curriculum, built around our core values of creativity, collaboration, knowledge, excellence, transformation, and justice. We can’t wait for the new semester to begin! ‹ ›…

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Our Highest Appreciation

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy Friends, Thank you for trusting us! We will make you proud. Just before the holidays, a donor challenged us with our largest matching grant opportunity ever, offering to match…

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Talking #BringArtBack with Eric Metaxas

EMS 01-18-17 Hr1 On January 18, 2017, Salem Radio Network host Eric Metaxas welcomed Thrive Collective co-founders Jeremy Del Rio and Walter Sotelo into his NYC studio to talk #BringArtBack. Listen to the broadcast above, or download the .mp3. Great time in studio with my friend and @nycthrive co-conspirator @walterlsotelo discussing #BringArtBack with @metaxastalk .…

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Speak Up and Judge Fairly

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Friends, True confession: I used to hate fundraising. There are days when I’m tempted to still hate it. During a personal retreat in August, I remembered the “why” I do what I do professionally. As a…

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Your Generosity Means an Historic Opportunity

Your generous response to #GivingTuesday means a historic holiday match for Thrive Collective. Please help us maximize this opportunity. In the days after launching our Bring Art Back giving campaign on #GivingTuesday, more than 60 donors contributed over $3,600, mostly online. Thank you for your generosity! In response, a donor pledged up to $36,000 – 10x…

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