NYC Health + Hospitals Public Artist-In-Residence “Flako” Jimenez Debuts New Gun Violence Prevention Works

NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS’ PUBLIC ARTIST IN RESIDENCE MODESTO FLAKO JIMENEZ DEBUTS NEW WORKS HIGHLIGHTING GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

The new works are born from months-long engagement with NYC Health + Hospitals gun violence prevention and interruption programs and those intimately affected by the trauma

Works include an interactive mural at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, a modern adaption of Romeo and Juliet, a gallery exhibit at Materials for the Arts in Queens, a showcase at Carnegie Hall, and a documentary highlighting the health system’s hospital violence interruption programs

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs’ Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program embeds artists across city government to propose and implement creative solutions to pressing civic challenges

ew York, NY – August 17, 2023) – NYC Health + Hospitals and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs today announced details of the projects planned by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, the 2022-23 NYC Public Artist in Residence who is embedded in the health system’s gun violence prevention programs. To break the cycle of violence, the health system’s hospital-based intervention pairs credible messengers – people who have experienced gun violence and live in the community – with doctors, social workers, and other clinical staff who treat patients at the bedside. Flako spent several months meeting with hospital-based violence prevention staff at several NYC Health + Hospitals’ locations and in the community, followed by months of creative workshops with youth participating in Guns Down, Life Up, the gun violence prevention program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln. His residency is a program of the health system’s Arts in Medicine department.

The results of the yearlong residency include an interactive mural at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln featuring credible messengers who work on the Guns Down, Life Up team. Additional projects include a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet written and performed by students of Guns Down, Life Up; a monthlong gallery exhibit of art and photography; and a showcase at Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing with interactive painting, poetry readings, a theater performance, and a rough cut of a documentary about Flako’s residency. Funding for the residency is provided by NYC Health + Hospitals, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.

“The creative process artists engage in to highlight complex issues includes collaborative community engagement and thoughtful interpretation,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Assistant Vice President of Arts in Medicine Larissa Trinder. “Flako’s yearlong residency has resulted in several meaningful projects reinforcing the essential role artists play in raising awareness of our clinical programs.”

“Participating in the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Public Artist in Residence program gave us the opportunity to work with Flako to co-develop and provide structured, tailored arts programming helped to further our community engagement efforts and longstanding partnership with youth to prevent gun violence,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer Eric Wei, MD, MBA. “As we look to bring our gun violence prevention programs systemwide, we appreciate partnerships to support our hospital-based intervention programs efforts and expand the range of offerings we can provide as positive alternatives to community violence.”

“Art can bring us together, help us to heal and reflect on our experiences in whole new ways – something that Flako has tapped into in a powerful way in his work with NYC Health + Hospitals’ Arts in Medicine department,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “Gun violence leaves a physical mark on our communities and residents, but it also leaves very real social and psychological scars that all too often go unrecognized and unaddressed. Through his PAIR work, Flako has found incredible ways for young people impacted by gun violence to collaborate with one another and create poetry, murals, plays, and so much more exploring their experiences – a beautiful example of the healing power of the arts.”

“The work the credible messengers and the NYC Health + Hospitals team do for the youth experiencing trouble in NYC is astronomical,” said Modesto Flako Jimenez, Public Artist in Residence at NYC Health + Hospitals. “Watching them not only take care of the body but also creating spaces to allow the mind to heal after experiencing gun violence is real work.”

As part of his residency, Flako is creating several projects related to his engagement with those who have experienced the trauma of gun violence firsthand:

• Interactive mural at Lincoln Hospital: Designed and created by Flako and graffiti artist Fernando “Ski” Romero, a new mural will be installed in Lincoln Hospital featuring scenes of the South Bronx and members of the Guns Down, Life Up community. The mural will include QR codes with videos, poems, and artwork created by students of Guns Down, Life Up and credible messengers.

• Romeo and Juliet, a modern adaptation: Over a period of six weeks, students of Guns Down, Life Up are participating in workshops to develop a modern adaptation and performance of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Students adapt the play by adding street slang and modern English. Students are considering the kind of justice they would like to see in their community and how they might represent this through a modern, Bronx adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Students are introduced to the rudiments of the theater-making process and develop skills in acting, memorization, adaptation, staging, and performance while creating dynamic new characters based on Shakespeare’s plays. The performance will be on Friday, August 25 and will be free and open to the public.

• Gallery exhibit: A gallery exhibit of photography, film, poetry, and other creations by the students will be on display at Materials for the Arts in Queens from August 17 to September 12. The gallery exhibitions showcase the visual interpretations of the adaptation of Romeo and Juliet by participants from the Guns Down, Life Up program, giving visitors a glimpse into their process using found objects, video confessionals, drawings, sculptures, and photography. Materials for the Arts, a program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, is New York City’s premier creative reuse center, which provides NYC arts nonprofits, public schools and City agencies with access to a vast range of free materials and supplies. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

• Showcase at Carnegie Hall: On November 14, Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing will host an interactive performance of Flako’s and the students’ work. The showcase will include a performance of scenes from Romeo and Juliet, written and performed by the students of Guns Down, Life Up; poetry readings; a rough cut of the documentary; and an opportunity to help paint the mural designed by Flako and Ski. The event will be free and open to the public.

• Documentary: A documentary about Flako’s residency highlighting violence prevention programs at NYC Health + Hospitals will be shown later this year and made available to the public for free.

Modesto Flako Jimenez is a Dominican-born, Bushwick-raised, multi-hyphenate artist. As a poet, playwright, educator, actor, producer, and director, his work exists in and explores the intersections of identity, language, mediums, cultures, and communities found in his personal life and beyond. Flako co-founded the ¡Oye! Group, which has amplified new voices for over a decade. His recent immersive theater show, Taxilandia, was a New York Times Critic’s Pick and received an Obie Award.

With some of the busiest emergency departments and trauma centers in New York City and nationally, NYC Health + Hospitals has a long history of treating and responding to gun violence. The health system’s hospital-based intervention programs incorporate a multi-disciplinary approach consisting of credible messengers, social workers, and physicians to treat the patients at the bedside, mediate conflicts with the patient and their loved ones, and connect patients to supportive services to try to break the cycle of violence. NYC Health + Hospitals’ gun violence prevention programs also partner with youth to offer positive alternatives to violence, including peer mentoring, afterschool programming, job training, and internships. The programs include Guns Down, Life Up at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln; Stand Up to Violence at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi; Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County; Harlem Crossroads at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem; and NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull.

The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs selected Flako as one of the artists for the City’s 2022-23 Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program, which embeds socially engaged artists within City government to propose solutions to civic challenges. Each artist receives a $40K stipend, dedicated workspace within their respective agencies, and ongoing technical assistance and support as they develop and implement their public-facing art projects. PAIR was inspired by artist Mierle Ukeles’ pioneering artist residency with the NYC Department of Sanitation, which started in the late 1970s. Since its 2015 launch, PAIR has placed 24 artists in residence with 15 City agencies. A full list is available on the Cultural Affairs website.

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NYC Department Of Cultural Affairs

The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is the largest municipal funder of culture in the country and is committed to providing access to art and culture for all New Yorkers.