Support MAD ACADEMY at City-As-School!

We are fundraising to support MAD Academy at City-As-School in NYC. MAD Academy was founded in 2015 by two teachers and musicians, Maria Krajewski and Alex Falk. MAD is the most innovative arts internship program in NYC, developed as a collaboration between students, teachers and industry professionals. Each year we provide over 100 students 15+ hours per week of direct mentorship in design, arts, and music under the guidance of NYC’s top creatives. Students earn academic credits to move towards graduation. They create professional portfolios through writing and recording original music, designing and painting murals and developing their own style and vision across various mediums.

MAD Academy hires NYC-based artists and musicians to work with our students to support the development of their creative body of work. It is very important that students have mentors who have shared a similar upbringing in NYC. The mentor’s feedback and support is more valued because they truly understand the student. There is a special relationship between people who have been through the same experiences. It is easier for our young students to connect to these mentors and create work that is authentic to their vision. We are currently fundraising to keep four young men of color who are NYC-born and raised as paid mentors for MAD. Two of them are MAD Academy/CAS alumni who want to give back to the community that gave them so much!

CAS has a long legacy of artists coming through our doors and leaving their mark. Murals adorn most of our exterior and interior walls. We are proud to be the home of the largest mural in NYC by Magda Love, Kobra, Al Diaz and Cernesto . We will continue to paint murals and maintain our reputation as a premier destination for public art. We use our building as our canvas! Funding will help us paint more murals and give stipends to the mural mentors.

We give students, particularly those of color, who have traditionally been left out of traditional music and arts education a chance to have their voices heard, their perspective validated and build a supportive community in which they feel safe to take risks to express themselves and tell their story. We serve the most vulnerable of NYC’s students and we are proud to say our school meets their needs to rebuild their trust in themselves, others and the institution of school.

Thank you for your support which will allow us to continue providing access and resources to NYC's most interesting young people!