Article fromA&B issue10|23
New York-based CITYarts is an organization with thirty-four years of experience in inspiring young people in cities around the world to reflect on themes of peace and local history through public art activities. It's a kind of empathy training - how timely in the context of today's sustainability goals and architecture.
Tsipi Ben-Haim
Photo credit: Rebecca T. Arnold
Heraclitus, is supposed to have said that everything flows and that one does not step into the same river twice. An inalienable law of nature and climate is change. The problem is the speed of this process and our responsibility for it. Sensitivity and the practical steps that flow from it start with a conversation, and art has the power to initiate this exchange," says Tsipi Ben-Haim, founder, executive and creative director of CITYarts.
Volunteers, children participating in the Peace Walls painting and Tsipi Ben-Haim in the background of two New York walls completed by CITYarts.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
We meet in her office at the headquarters of the organization, which she has run since 1989. The architecture of the building in New York's NoHo (between Soho and the West Village) is very Japanese, which means a fair amount of concrete offset by elegantly chosen greenery. The windows of the office overlook an inner courtyard, with ivy creeping along its walls and slender trees occupying the center.
Volunteers, children participating in the painting of Peace Walls and Tsipi Ben-Haim against the backdrop of two New York walls realized by CITYarts.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
I watch this dance of the leaves every day," Tsipi explains when I comment on how much I like the rhythm of the light in this animated theater. - No one is helping these plants; they are clinging to the concrete, trying to survive. Nature is always looking for ways to maintain balance. We forget that we are part of nature because we are too analytical, instead of listening to our intuition and heart. Children are less analytical, which means they can see solutions beyond existing limitations. This is one of the reasons why at CITYarts we focus on engaging this very group.
In an era of depleting resources, time is also "on the wane." That's why the organization's long-term approach seems a bit inefficient to me. Tsipi, however, is adamant in pushing her position.
The workshop and the result of work on a mural on the so-called Shakespeare Steps (also known as the Joker Steps), in the Bronx, New York.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
The world is in crisis. Not only because of wars around the world, but also because we don't have leadership tailored for the complex times we live in. Today, more than ever, leaders should look for a middle way. Healthy leadership begins not in private schools, but in the heads of children, even before they enter the education system. Unfortunately, the belief persists that young minds are too inexperienced to consciously participate in situations involving thinking about effective solutions. I for one am convinced that even very young children can be entrepreneurial and have innovative ideas.
Not only do children know exactly what they want to eat and where to go on vacation, but they have very creative opinions about abstract ideas such as peace and climate change. Giving them room to explore this kind of thinking opens the door to empathy toward others and the planet. And that, in turn, is a value that balances against the devastating economic systems that are responsible for climate change," Tsipi concluded.
The workshop and the result of work on a mural on the so-called Shakespeare Steps (also known as the Joker Steps), in the Bronx, New York.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
CITYarts is pursuing the idea of spurring action among Earth's youngest citizens through a series of workshops called Pieces for Peace, the creation of Peace Walls (murals and mosaics) and an initiative called PeacePals. Sitting in the CITYarts office, I see that almost every square inch of the walls is filled by framed drawings of various colors and formats by children who have participated in the program. Slightly less popular are photographs documenting the creation of mosaics and murals.
Workshops organized by CITYarts have been held in 113 countries (including Poland), with seven Peace Walls created in cities such as Karachi (Pakistan), London (UK), Tel Aviv (Israel), Berlin (Germany), Toro (Spain) and Wetteren (Belgium). At the same time, the organization is very active in its hometown, New York. Eleven projects are underway this year in five neighborhoods. The organization is most proud of its work on the so-called Joker's steps in the Bronx (where the famous Todd Phillips film was shot), the Reclaiming the Shakespeare Stairs initiative on Shakespeare Avenue, Our Voices in Harlem and the Always in Bloom mural in Manhattan.
The workshop and the result of work on a mural on the so-called Shakespeare Stairs (also known as the Joker Stairs), in the Bronx in New York City
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
Public art in the city that never sleeps - funded by private and taxpayer funds - has a long tradition of being one of the permanent fixtures of New York City. Here, art is also a sign of wealth and gentrification or a symbol of complex local history. Such works of art become natural tourist destinations - emblems to be photographed. Against their backdrop, murals and mosaics under the CITYarts banner seem less lavish and instagramogenic. Their value has the intimate underpinning of being traces of collective action by local children and families who made them with professional artists. The fact that the result of the actions is public builds community and a sense of agency. The scale of such initiatives is very difficult to measure.
The workshop and the effect of working on a mural on the so-called Shakespeare's Steps (also known as the Joker's Steps), in the Bronx, New York.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
It is somewhat easier to explore the relationship between body and mind and the role of art in their communication. The intersection of their functions is being addressed by neurophysics, among others. In a groundbreaking book entitled "Embodied Fear. Brain, Mind and Body in Trauma Therapy" (2014), Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist, compiles findings on relationship-building styles and trauma and how they are related to sensations (or lack thereof) in the body. Drawings of some of the author's patients are repeatedly reproduced as insights into people's minds. The relationship between hand, eye and psyche is well understood and serves as a tool for therapy. Art is also the easiest way to illustrate how each of us is different and that this otherness is of value.
The workshop and the result of work on a mural on the so-called Shakespeare Steps (also known as the Joker Steps), in the Bronx, New York.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
I ask Tsipi about her understanding of art as a tool for change.
Working with young people awakens their curiosity, opens their imagination to thinking about the "bigger picture." If you can imagine something - you are one step closer to reality. Therefore, it is important to ask yourself such questions: how do I understand peace?, what does the health of the planet mean to me? Art is a very good tool for building a sense of agency, because on the one hand it gives immediate satisfaction, on the other hand art as a message does not require professional training.
In the spirit of art being a language and a message, CITYarts runs the PeacePals initiative, in which children from schools around the world exchange drawings on a given topic. I agree with Tsipi's approach and refocus our conversation on the "metathemes" of today: "We are being lightly brainwashed about what is important in today's energy and climate crisis. Your approach seems very soft, subtle. How do you measure the effectiveness of your efforts?" - I ask.
Art is life, life is art," Tsipi replies. - Inspiration is an underestimated element of change. Through our projects, teachers and artists inspire children to become responsible, caring and creative leaders. These kids come back to us later as workshop artists, sponsors and employees. Our artwork in public spaces is 99 percent graffiti-free, because we teach kids not to destroy when creating. Again, it's about the balance we talked about earlier. This is an attitude that resonates throughout life.
The organization's activities also have a personal dimension for Tsipi. "Poland for me is not only another country where we are creating the CITYarts program, I also have my roots here: my father Yehiel Tolia Inberg (Ingber) was born in Staszow in 1922. It was he who taught me to never give up: "You draw your own boundaries. If you can imagine it, you can make it real!". I still live by this philosophy to this day."
The workshop and the effect of working on a mural on the so-called Shakespeare Steps (also known as the Joker Steps), in the Bronx, New York City
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
The mayor of Staszow invited the CITYarts initiative in 2012. Students from a local school created more than 60 Pieces for Peace. Schools from Warsaw also participated in the workshop. The next CITYarts project in Poland is the creation of a Peace Wall on Father Tsipi's house. The City is to create a youth cultural center for peace in the renovated interior.
The workshop and the effect of the work on the mural on the so-called Shakespeare's Steps (also known as the Joker's Steps), in the Bronx, New York.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
Some children don't even dare to dream," Tsipi continues. - This is a crucial and basic right of every human being, because you never know where your vision will take you. More importantly, dreams just make you feel alive, and isn't that what civilization was created for, so that people would be better off? If you dream, you live twice! I can't stress enough how important it is to start with your own peace of mind. Just like on an airplane, when the evacuation instructions instruct you to put on your own oxygen mask first.
This last statement reminds me of the song "From the Air" by artist Laurie Anderson. It tells the story of an airplane trip and the captain's messages during turbulence. One of the last lines of the song reads, "There is no pilot." This feeling of lack of navigation presses harder and harder as climate change impacts our daily lives. Hopefully, future leaders will indeed see empathy as a sustainable economic tool. Who knows, they may even include those who participated in one of the CITYarts projects.
Pieces for Peace workshop conducted at a school in Staszow.
© Illustrations provided courtesy of CITYarts.
