The Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) at NYU Metro Center proudly hosted its third annual Student Art and Music Gallery Event at NYU’s Kimball Hall Lounge. This dynamic art installation and music stage featured youth from partner Landmark High School. NYU LPP’s imaginative showcase featured original artwork by more than 100 enterprising students, alongside live musical performances by a second cohort of inventive New York City High School students playing guitar and a host of percussive instruments. Families, educators, and community members gathered to celebrate the creative expressions of these supremely talented LPP students.
The arts provide students with essential tools for growth—fostering creativity, critical thinking, innovation, decision-making, concentration, and perseverance. Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) at NYU Metro Center Director, Yolanda Fordham has found that, “providing a space for youth to share and elevate their artistic voices empowers both the young artists and the community who witness their vision, ideas, and courage.” This artistic showcase was not only a celebration of student talent, but also a moment of connection, reflection, and shared joy.
The 3rd Annual Student Art and Music Gallery event exemplifies the mission of the Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) at NYU Metro Center: building relationships, fostering community, and creating a network of support among students, educators, and LPP staff. “LPP’s overarching vision—of nurturing lifelong learners who graduate from high school, persist in college, and become active contributors to ecosystems of support—is deeply reflected in this arts installation,” declared NYU LPP Assistant Director, Jasrin Jalal. The Liberty Partnerships Program Art and Music gallery event served as a powerful reminder that personal development and community-building can coexist, with the arts acting as a bridge between the two.
The students in this Liberty Partnerships Program cohort demonstrated remarkable bravery, curiosity, and commitment to the process of skill-building through practice and perseverance. While past cohorts shared similar traits, today’s political and social climate has left many young people feeling vulnerable and unsure of themselves. Despite this, the one hundred student participants stepped outside their comfort zones to express themselves with courage and beauty.
Teachers and NYU LPP instructors noted that this particular student cohort was especially eager to be heard. With all that is happening in our world, veteran LPP Program Associate, Dom Schlossberg asserted, “... these young adults collectively looked to express and introduce their own curiosity, dedication, commitment, and fearlessness into a world that too frequently ignores them." Two standout students expressed interest in developing their work further and participating in next year’s closing show. As this year’s event concluded, they shared how deeply impactful the experience had been for them. These students are poised to serve as peer mentors, helping future participants through their own creative journeys.
Throughout the year, students faced the same challenges that even experienced artists encounter, overcoming doubt and resisting external pressures to conform. Many struggled with staying committed to their vision, particularly when a piece wasn’t turning out as expected. Teachers and instructors with the Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) at NYU Metro Center played a critical role in this process, encouraging persistence, modeling growth mindsets, and celebrating improvement with meaningful feedback.
One consistent challenge for educators was gaining student buy-in. For many, artistic expression was unfamiliar territory. Art teacher Amanda During found ”it took time to build trust and convince these NYC high school students of their own creative potential.” But as these young artists began to see their work take shape—through newly learned skills, improved techniques, and finally completed art pieces that represent their artistic voice—their confidence grew. As the Liberty Partnerships Program student artists began to grow, they continued to take more creative risks, produce more compelling artwork and learn new musical selections.
One of the many inspiring stories related to LPP’s 3rd Annual Student Art and Music Gallery event, has to do with a student’s focus and intentionality to persevere in the face of life’s challenges. One of our NYU LPP students has dysgraphia—a learning difference that impacts writing and the coordination of motor skills. Initially withdrawn and unsure, this NYC high school student, with the support of teachers and LPP instructors, gradually developed a unique artistic style that embraced their challenges. By the time students reached the end of the school year, they discovered their own confident and compelling artistic voice.
The Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) at NYU Metro Center looks forward to hosting next year’s 4th Annual Student Art and Music Gallery Event. NYU LPP hopes to incorporate even more NYC High School students into this expansive and industrious artistic showcase, with the hope of elevating youth voice, and celebrating unique perspectives, and creative expressions.