December 20,2022

East Harlem’s New Youth Art Center

by David Stewart

Established in 1995 by Larry Harper—the former scouting director for the San Francisco Giants—the Good Tidings Foundation creates arts education and athletic spaces for children in some of the country’s most underserved areas. Inspired by the philanthropic work of his good friend the late artist LeRoy Neiman, Harper has dotted Bay Area neighborhoods with dozens of athletic facilities plus five creative arts centers, dubbed LeRoy Neiman Art Studios, four of which were designed by California firm MBH Architects (which also crafted the foundation’s headquarters).

Last month the foundation debuted its first studio outside of California, at New York City’s Union Settlement community center in East Harlem. In collaboration with the LeRoy Neiman Foundation, the new space—also designed by MBH Architects—pays homage to Neiman’s expressionist works, featuring splatter-painted floors and vibrant sports-related scenes in a palette of reds, yellows, and oranges. The studio, which includes a streetscape mural painted by children under the direction of New York artist Alice Mizrachi, offers a variety of creative classes and workshops for area youth.

The LeRoy Neiman Art Studio at De Marillac Academy in San Francisco, designed by MBH Architects.

Over the next five years the foundation plans to install at least ten more sports/arts facilities across the country, including in Phoenix, Chicago, St. Paul, and Los Angeles.

  • David Stewart
  • December 20,2022

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