Carey Clark

Carey, who hails from Long Island, is Art Director of BronxGear. She is also Chair of the Board of Directors at The Point.

Around ten years ago, Carey, a painter, was feeling isolated working in lower Manhattan, and sought a more adventurous artistic experience in the South Bronx. She then met Paul Lipson (who would later become part founder and Director of The Point), who was running a youth program in the area at the time. Carey became involved in working with the youth there through a grant she received from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to paint murals at Yankee Stadium. Even though she thought the boys participating in the mural project were only interested in the project because they got to see baseball games, they did become interested in painting. This experience would spark Carey to later move onto more ambitious projects within The Point's programming.

As Art Director of The Point, she now combines her professional training as an artist with the energy of young people to create theater design, hand-painted silk scarves, T-shirt design, and community art projects in The South Bronx.

Carey set up BronxGear as a business that would create clothing inspired by the South Bronx environment and other artistically taught experiences. Bronxgear was supposed to be Carey's day job, a business that would make the kids involved a "jillion" dollars. Although that hasn't quite happened yet, BronxGear has become a passion for Carey, and she is proud of the beautiful things being made there.

Believing that children are natural artists, Carey provides the opportunity through BronxGear for them to be artists, and to learn about business. She also believes in making the art project one that everyone can do, to draw on the talents of the youth, so the kids don't feel they can't do something, or that they're not good enough.

Carey further explains her philosophy behind working with the children at BronxGear. "The young people are provided with a professional environment where their work is taken seriously. They are in a privileged position as the artist. Staff runs around getting them the right brush, or color they want; they are in control. It is an employer-employee relationship, and they're the bosses. Getting paid for their work is also an incentive."

By offering artistic management opportunities to the mothers of the children involved with BronxGear, Carey has also helped to create a grassroots, women-run business in the South Bronx.

When asked how working with the children has effected her own art work, she says, "my work is looser, more bold, as a result of working with the young people from BronxGear."

A recent accomplishment she's proud of: A commission for BronxGear from Brooklyn Hospital, for 10 large silk pieces for their new Children's Ward. The commission came about after someone from the Hospital saw BronxGear's "Egypt" piece at fresh art's Wild Kingdom exhibition at CB's 313 Gallery in May 2000. fresh art wishes Carey continued success with the wonderful work she is doing with BronxGear.