Thirty

In 1991 I walked through the doors of the Flushing Clubhouse for the first time and it changed my life forever.

I was hired as an art instructor to work with boys ages 6 - 19 years old @ The Boys’ Club of New York’s (BCNY) program in downtown Flushing, Queens. I stopped by their Halloween party to meet some of the members before I officially started working the next day. As I entered the lobby I remember seeing boys of all ages, mostly dressed in costumes worn over their clothes, running here, there, and everywhere. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming. Yes, even for someone like me who is acclimated to lots of sensory stimuli. In typical BCNY fashion I was sort of dumped into the space without anyone properly orientating me. Of course I was.

I was quietly observing the chaotic scene when two eight year old boys, their faces beaming with broad smiles from ear to ear, approached me and promptly asked me who I was. A recent suburban transplant to Queens, as a young twenty-something girl I must’ve certainly looked out of place, but those two young boys instantly welcomed me. That was Anthony and Jose, they’d go on to be fixtures in the Art Studio I led for many years. They participated in all the art and cultural activities, attended every field trip I facilitated, and went to every camp weekend we hosted. Every day they enthusiastically greeted me about whatever project we were tackling. To this day I still refer to them as “my favorites”. And yes, I know we’re not supposed to say that out loud but guess what? It’s not wrong.

And so 30 years ago I embarked on my career in the arts arena of non-profit work. I initially created a rather straight forward instructional-based curriculum about the principles and elements of design for the Art Studio. However, I quickly recognized the need to broaden the curriculum to expand the students’ learning beyond the visual arts classroom. So we ventured out into the community. These forays included sketching line drawings of urban architecture in Flushing, museum visits to take in master works of art and artifacts, and field trips to Manhattan to visit cultural attractions that tourists came far and wide to do. Art became the impetus for us to explore the world around us and widen our perspectives.

It was my love for the work and, more importantly, my love for those boys, that kept me there 16 years. I’ve often said that before I had my boys these were my boys. And its true. In that time we expanded the curriculum and it grew into a full scale Cultural Arts Department complete with an Art Studio, Cultural Center, and Media Lab. Kudos to my boss, and one of my first career mentors, Ron Britt for recognizing the need to foster cultural awareness well before it was obvious to the rest of the world. We explored different art forms and artists, learned about diverse cultures, and took on the digital worlds of photography and film-making as a means to self-expression. Students also led the way with an in house peer volunteer program and routinely participated in community service projects.

While it might have begun with me teaching them about visual art I’d wager that what I gathered and learned from these experiences was so much more. So many things, too many to list. But If I had to crystallize those varied lessons into one master class it would be about the many merits of community and collaboration. At some point along the way I recognized the need to let the boys in, allowing them to have a say, and to help in the decision-making. Empowering others would become a routine practice and integral to our collective success. At this point in my life, with 52 years of life under my belt, I believe 2 + 2 can indeed = 5 when we bring our best selves to the table and work together. It’s improbable and may indeed break the rules of math, but it most aptly describes the fruits that can be sown and reaped when a community collaborates together. It’s unquantifiable.

Now these past 14 years in my career have been spent shepherding The River Performing and Visual Arts Center’s musical theatre course content for students with disabilities and their siblings. And from the moment I started working here I knew I had found my niche. First and foremost, it was the field I had fallen in love with, bringing the arts to a community with limited opportunities. And secondly, and more personally, it hit close to home since my oldest son has multiple disabilities.

There have been so many accolades for our students during this time. It started with venturing outside the walls of our facility to perform at community events. Every time we were invited to do something we had never done before I would whisper to myself (and occasionally share with others), “Do you know what this is? This is setting a precedent”. Early in my tenure there my friend, boss, and yes, another wise career mentor, Sandy Wicoff oversaw our merger with Theatre under the Stars (TUTS). This folks, is called a game changer.

This resulted in expanding our program to include adults with disabilities and enriched all the curriculum. Some of our students even got to perform alongside their typical peers at annual events. Unprecedented. Any time someone new saw it they were blown away. The performances themselves were always well done, but it was really those little nuances, the quiet interpersonal interactions among the student performers - the glances to each other, the shared smiles, and simple gestures communicating they supported, rooted for, and cheered one another on. At the time most of us had never witnessed anything like that, this natural comradery among students with disabilities and their typical peers.

And no doubt the biggest honor has been the opportunity for student performers with disabilities to audition for main stage shows at TUTS. Unprecedented once again. We have all benefited from this experience. Has it always been easy? No, no it hasn't; to be honest there was a learning curve. What’s that quote again from Lemony Snicket? “If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives, let’s go.” So that’s how we ventured in. While there were lessons to be learned along the way I think it has been one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve all been involved in.

So if I package and synthesize the last 14 years of my career experience with The River what would it be? Create opportunities. Don’t you get bored sitting on your laurels? I do. No risk, no reward. Why play it safe? Members of our community with limited opportunities have benefitted because we took that leap. But here’s the important part to remember, we took that leap together @ Theatre Under the Stars. To paraphrase Margaret Mead, don’t underestimate the power of a group of like-minded individuals.

As I look back on the entirety of my thirty year career I recognize there was never a master plan. No grand scheme of how I wanted things to play out. I’ve tried that before in my personal life and all I can say is, well, that didn’t go as planned. I’m a creative, maybe that’s not my bag. But it was, is, and always has been, not about me but about the work. And I’ve got to say, I recognize how fortunate I am because I have never seen my work as a chore; I am passionate about the arts and advocacy so its been a natural fit for me. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that community, collaboration, and creativity has been the crux of it all along.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson