Jamie Robbins is an Arts Intern with Concourse House, Home for Women & Their Children and Manhattan College’s Work-Study Program 2021 - 2022. Jamie works on Concourse House’s mother-artist apprenticeship program, weekly arts program workshops, and upcoming Art on the Concourse exhibition opening Thursday Sep 29, 2022. In her photo essay, Jamie reflects on her time creating crochet murals alongside the Mothers Art Team…
Over the summer, I have had the amazing opportunity to witness the creation of inspiring and unifying art, created by the mothers of Concourse House. One of my favorite works of art that I have played a part in executing is the PAZ project, which is a large crochet piece that is displayed in the neighborhood.
Pictured above is Dayanara Savinon, she is an artist apprentice and mother at Concourse House who led the inspiration for the PAZ project. It is her desire to spread peace and love throughout the Bronx community and is striving to do so through collaborative art pieces.
One of the most important aspects of the PAZ project is the fact that each crochet square was created by a different person, thus many hands contributed to the artwork which further promotes a feeling of community.
The PAZ mural is located around E 198th St, The Bronx. It sits beautifully promoting friendship and love near other works created by individuals associated with the Concourse House.
In addition to the PAZ project, there was also the creation of the PEACE project. It also strives to promote a feeling of unity among neighbors through the joy of artwork.
Peace is all you need.
Clarity and tranquility are often lost in our busy lives, but it is important to prioritize these concepts so we can live alongside one another. Over the summer this has become extremely prevalent to me as the individuals at Concourse House are striving to make a difference in the world much bigger than themselves.
Jamie Robbins bio
Hi my name is Jamie Robbins and I am currently a junior at Manhattan College studying environmental and urban studies. Over the past eight months, I have had the amazing opportunity of interning at Concourse House under Ms. Jess in assisting her with the mothers art program. During this time, there have a couple projects that have brought me immense joy, specifically the Sneaker Planters and installing the crochet Cherry Blossom Tree onto the fence outside of Concourse House. The sneaker planting project is definitely one of my favorite projects, as I consider myself a big nature lover- and being able to spread the love of plants is something I love doing. Further, I admire the Cherry Blossom tree as it symbolizes love and friendship.
Moreover, I am extremely grateful for my time here at Concourse House and I look forward to spending Wednesday mornings with the community!