Thrive Collective’s Art a Catalyst for Change grant allowed us to serve students at IS 117 and PS/MS 279 in the Bronx, and PS/MS 42Q and PS/MS 183Q in Queens, along with all six participating Queens schools via the borough-wide culminating event.

While the essential School Murals program remains consistent across various initiatives, different DCLA initiatives explore specific themes and focuses. Catalyst projects invite students to explore topics that inspire and equip students for gun-free living.

Special thanks to NYC Council Members Fernando Cabrera and Donovan Richards for your Catalyst support again this year, along with the Queens Delegation for selecting us to produce the borough’s culminating event.

Thrive Collective’s CII grant allowed us to serve students at The Young Women’s Leadership School in the Bronx and PS 249 and IS 30 in Brooklyn.

While the essential School Murals program remains consistent across various initiatives, different DCLA initiatives explore specific themes and focuses. CII projects celebrate the immigrant cultural diversity of particular neighborhoods and school communities while exploring various thematic topics. This year’s topics included celebration traditions, parade customs, and responding to COVID.

Special thanks to NYC Council Members Fernando Cabrera, Justin Brannan, and Matthieu Eugene for your consistent CII support again this year.

Thrive Collective’s CASA grant allowed us to serve students at PS/MS 34 in Manhattan, and PS/MS 42 and Queens Preparatory Academy in Queens.

At Queens Prep, we provided project based School Murals workshops for an entire semester. For the first time since COVID, classes were held entirely in person in the spring, and produced large-scale, public art mural for permanent installation at prominent lobby location.

At PS/MS 42, Thrive provided a hybrid music and media, hip hop program called R.H.Y.M.E. (Rhymes Help Young Minds Excel). Students wrote, performed, and recorded “Climb,” an original song about perseverance, endurance and working hard to achieve their goals. Students also designed album cover art, filmed a music video, and distributed the video on Youtube and the music on Bandcamp.

At PS/MS 34, Thrive provided a collaborative Media After-School program that resulted in six student films, screened for the school and shared on Youtube.

Special thanks to NYC Council Members Carlina Rivera and Selvena Brooks-Powers for your CASA support again this year.

Thrive Collective’s SU-CASA grant allowed us to serve 30 seniors at the Rain Tollentine Senior Center in the Bronx. We provided concepting and design sessions with the seniors participating at the center.

The Seniors chose a theme and helped interpret it visually through guided, group conversations, drawing sessions, and various prompts. Our teaching artists curated the theme ideas and created a cohesive mural design the seniors approved. From there, Thrive transferred the image and set up open sessions for seniors to paint alongside their families. The project concluded with a mural installation and ribbon cutting celebration for the work the seniors and their families helped create.

Special thanks to NYC Council Members Fernando Cabrera and Pierina Sanchez for your SU-CASA support this year.