Today, I exited off the Michigan Avenue Exit ramp of Schenectady’s I-890, and smiled. Looming in front of me was the mural that was created at the end of June 2024 by Raè Frasier of Art Money, three students enrolled in the Schenectady Job Training Agency’s after school jobs program and community fieldwork, Divena Ramessar. Part of New York Folklore’s Our Town Place-making grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the mural will serve as a visual reminder that one is entering the City of Schenectady, which boasts a Guyanese population which is now one third of the entire city’s population. The mural was conceptualized as part artistic endeavor, part training for the youth of the Schenectady Connects Program. They saw the mural through multiple phases of creation from finding the mural a home, filling out City Hall’s paperwork, getting community input, and finally, painting. After much discussion with key community partners, it was agreed the mural should celebrate not just Schenectady’s Guyanese Community, but the Caribbean heritage of Schenectady. However, the mural does pay homage to the Guyanese community, by featuring water lilies, the national flower of Guyana. Key community members who brought the project to life include Philip Fields, Debbie and Shawn Budhraj, Lalita Ramnauth, George Ramson and Deryck Singh.
“Working with youth in the community is an impactful way to expose kids to their own gifts and abilities. Art is rarely presented to kids as a viable way to make a living,” – Raè Frasier of Art Money.
With support from the Our Town place-making program for 2024, North Indian classical musicians Veena Chandra and Devesh Chandra performed, presented and taught in each school in the Schenectady School District. They collaborated with district music teachers to teach Indian ragas. This place-making grant was the catalyst for further programming in community. The Schenectady School district funded visits by Guyanese artists Divena Ramessar who led art classes, and Lalita Ramnauth who led music classes in Schenectady’s Community Schools. Students’ exposure to North Indian Classical and Guyanese traditions in their classroom is an important validation of Indo-Caribbean heritage for students, as 48% of the Schenectady School district population is of Guyanese descent.
Our Town grant activities will conclude with performances by Veena Chandra, Devesh Chandra, and Lalita Ramnauth at Music Haven’s Bollywood Night at Alfresco Film and Event Series on August 23rd.
New York Folklore is grateful for all the support that has been expressed for this project, and for financial assistance that has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as through grants from Schenectady County, the Golub Corporation, and Stewart’s Corporation. Golden Colors, located in New Berlin, NY provided mural paint.