5 NYC Teens Honored During 92Y's Teen Arts Week

Teen Arts Week will host workshops throughout this week to get kids involved in arts across the five boroughs.

By Jacqueline Neber March 3, 2020

Five teenagers from across New York City's boroughs were honored with Citizen-Artist Awards for their artistic contributions to their communities during 92Y's Teen Arts Week on March 3. Marcel Bryant, Maryangel Hernandez, Emerald Lloyd, Javy Polanco, and Naima Ryan were all recognized as having made significant impacts through music, photography, fashion, and more. The Teen Arts Week kickoff celebration also featured performances by Highbridge Voices and Urban Bush Women. Teen Arts Week programming will run until March 8.

Each Citizen-Artist award recipient received a certificate and $500 prize. Maryangel, who is from Brooklyn and attends All City Leadership Secondary school, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, and a leader among peers. Naima, from Queens, is a visual artist and a youth advocate and teen ambassador at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He goes to Frank Sinatra High School. Emerald is from the Bronx and used her fashion design talents to create her own line, Humble Me, which aims to create positive change in her community. Marcel is a visual artist and dancer from Concord High School on Staten Island, who helped plan and sketch a mural that promoted diversity and acceptance for his school. And Javy, a flute player, singer, and artist, will be attending a competitive international summer music program at Manhattan School of Music this summer.

The kids expressed their honor and gratitude in receiving the awards.

"When you go throughout your day and your life, you don't recognize how much you can make an impact," Naima said. "Winning this award helps me see that other people recognize my work."

Teen Arts Week programming connects kids to more than the arts: workshops and talks happening throughout the week will show kids how professionals move through creative fields like creative writing, screen printing, and more, so teens can get a sense of what an arts career might look like. The Affirming Real Thoughts Talk on March 3, led by teens, for teens, allowed kids to come together to discuss who they want to be and what they want to contribute to the world through art. All Teen Arts Week workshops are free and have been organized by 92Y's own Teen Producers.

Teen Arts Week is the only citywide celebration of arts for teens; cultural events will be happening throughout the week in all five boroughs, including classes, performances, music jams, poetry slams, art making, and more. Teen Arts Week aims to get kids in all different communities involved in the arts. Javy expressed what winning the Citizen-Artist Award means to him.

"They recognized me, a Latino kid from uptown," Javy said. "It means that they're recognizing more than what society wants you to see."

Main Image: Marcel, Naima, Maryangel, Javy, and Emerald. Credit Miria Sabina.