Aitina Fareed-Cooke and Buffalo Arts Studio have received an Artist Employment Program (AEP) grant from Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY). Designed to support employment opportunities for artists, the program funds 98 collaborations involving a dynamic group of 300 artists employed by community-based organizations, municipalities, and tribal governments across New York State. CRNY has awarded a total of $49.9M in funding to support artists’ salaries and benefits, with an additional $11.7M in funding provided to the organizations holding employment.

“I am beyond excited to take the work I’ve done with Buffalo Arts Studio to another level. I am looking forward to continuing the work of capturing stories of creative leaders and training the next generation of emerging creatives,” said Fareed-Cooke.

The CRNY fellowship will support Fareed-Cooke’s artistic work in capturing and sharing the stories of artists, entrepreneurs, and community leaders in and around the Buffalo community. Through media arts, prose, photography, music, and digital storytelling Fareed-Cooke looks to increase awareness and visibility for creatives and community leaders while mentoring a new generation of storytellers.

Through this collaboration, Fareed-Cooke will also provide mentorship, business education, and professional apprenticeship for a collection of emerging artists. Emerging artists will work alongside Fareed-Cooke on a selection of projects while building on their own artistic voices. The mentorship will be designed to teach emerging artists technical and soft skills while providing valuable documentation and media content for Buffalo Arts Studio.

Fareed-Cooke looks to expand her work as a Creative Arts Strategist while also deepening Buffalo Arts Studio’s commitment to and support of artists of color.

Ongoing Artistic Project(s):

• Poet Laureate: Aitina Fareed-Cooke became the City of Buffalo’s second poet laureate in March 2024. Fareed-Cooke said she takes her life experiences and skills and utilize them in a way that be spread throughout the city in an artistic fashion.
• Tales from the Porch: Tales from the Porch is an ongoing multimedia project that amplifies stories and the voices of members within the community including but not limited to minority-owned businesses, organizations, and emerging artists. In its second iteration, the project featured seven community leaders impacting the Buffalo NY community despite the pandemic and the 5/14 tragedy.
• Visuals
• Fokus’d Kreatives: Aitina has been dedicated to the engagement and development of youth for close to 20 years. Through GFP’s Fokus’d Kreatives initiative she involves young emerging artists in contractual and conceptual projects. The belief is that engaging young emerging artists in career-building opportunities and highlighting their artistic abilities, motivates them to strengthen their craft and inspire others to do the same.
  • Aitina will guide emerging artists into exhibiting their own artistic work that interprets the porch from their perspective.
  • Connecting artists with professional artists
  • Providing materials and resources that are necessary to complete project.

Marketing Support:

Aitina will provide creative strategies to support BAS marketing efforts while including Fokus’d Kreatives and Get Fokus’d Productions partners within the process.

Artist Employment Program recipients were selected through a two-stage process by a group of twenty external peer reviewers alongside CRNY staff. From an initial pool of over 2,700 written applications, 167 were shortlisted for interviews with reviewers. To view the list of 98 Artist Employment Program participants, visit https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/participants/.

Fokus’d Kreatives at Buffalo Arts Studio:

Fokus’d Kreatives share how they were impacted by the first year of programming supported by Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY).

Tallulah Gordon

During this experience, we were given opportunities to really grow as artists. From getting paid opportunities through CRNY program funding to advance our work in our own style to get the chance to exhibit that work. Under Aitina’s leadership, Fokus’d Kreatives helped me to understand the art world before I dive in head first and it has encouraged me to continue my artistic journey.

Kaitlyn Lowe / The Galactic Griot

Through working as a Fokus’d Kreative, I have realized there is a way to survive as an artist without being rich and famous. This realization feels so much more impactful knowing that there are still spaces for creatives to tell novel, yet personal stories. My exhibition journey alongside my cohort has provided wisdom and experience in what I believe will be one of the most foundational steps in my artistic career.

Isaac Fareed / Aizyk

The Fokus’d Kreatives apprenticeship was a fantastic experience. I was guided in the process of getting my artwork to be displayed in a gallery. I also gained the opportunity of doing photography for Buffalo Arts Studio on a couple of separate occasions. I thank CRNY, Get Fokus’d Productions, and Buffalo Arts Studio for the opportunity.

MyKiss Washington

I figured out that when you’re trying to achieve something, there’s a whole process you have to go through. I came up with some ideas for my project and made a plan, but it wasn’t always easy because I didn’t have a lot of resources. Luckily, I got opportunities to earn money at Buffalo Arts Studio to help me out through the Fokus’d Kreatives apprenticeship program. They also gave me a lot of support and encouragement, which helped me get past my doubts and finish my project.

Now that I’ve gone through all of this, I’ve actually been able to get even more opportunities because people have seen what I can do. I really thank everybody who helped make this happen for me.

Stephen Forman Jr. / Paulie!

This latest exhibition experience has made me excited for my artistic future. With the opening reception night, the open panel discussion, and how viewers were open to discuss my work with me, I truly felt like being in gallery spaces is a lifestyle I want to pursue. While working on my two pieces for the exhibition I learned that, no matter how close to the deadline I may be, just getting the work done and executing an idea is more than plausible…because I’ve already done it, TWICE!

With being a part of the Fokus’d Kreatives team, I’ve now had the opportunity to illustrate my thoughts alongside some fantastic artists, and build a little community, all while having fun doing so. I hope to cultivate more artists in this community, create more work, and lead more discussions with my passion.

Tales from the Porch Extensions Featuring Fokus’d Kreatives Opening Reception by the Numbers:

The opening reception for Aitina Fareed-Cooke’s Tales from the Porch Extensions Featuring Fokus’d Kreatives was attended by 743 people. Of those 743 people, 188 were surveyed. 40% of the attendees surveyed were new to Buffalo Arts Studio and 34% of the attendees surveyed were invited by Aitina Fareed-Cooke directly.