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About Us

Who we are

Artistic Dreams International (ADI) is a nonprofit organization based in New York City that has been delivering programming to Harlem Public Schools (elementary and middle) during school time and after school since 2011.

Our Mission:

To nurture youth K-12 to become creative world citizens who can transform their lives and their communities through the arts.

Our Program:

Our program focuses on empowering youth, while providing art education instruction as a way to achieve this in an expressive and fun way.

ADI Goals:

Provide students with the skills they need to not just survive, but thrive in contemporary society through a growth mindset. To be an influence in society as a whole, promoting self-acceptance, inclusion and empathy among other socio-emotional strengths.

For students to appreciate their own racial heritage and be able to solve community and world problems. For students to become culturally aware, promoting social justice while respecting cultures world-wide

Students learn the artistic decision-making process, which will assist decision-making throughout their life. Students feel a sense of accomplishment and freedom of expression that allows them to more fully accept and embrace themselves.

Art history/ art disciplines / international techniques.

Project Objectives achievable in 6 to 8 months:

Life skills

To provide a curriculum that increases socio-emotional development and life skills.

Cultural awareness

To provide lessons that increase cultural awareness, global citizenship and a mindset of inclusion.

Free expression

To engage children in hands-on activities and expose them to teaching artists that promote free expression, mindfulness and self-awareness to increase self-esteem.

Artistic Skills

To provide an artistic curriculum that increases knowledge and curiosity in the theory and practice of the arts.

Our Classes

What

World Awareness
World Cultures
Empowerment
MIndfulness

Where

Public schools
Public Libraries
Community Centers
Non-profit Organizations

How

Visual Arts
Chorus
Theater
Dance
Yoga - Movement

When

Morning Programs for Day School
Afternoon Programs
Saturday Programs
Summer Programs
Virtual Exchange Programs
Hybrid Programs

Interested in our classes?

contact us

Meet our team

Leading Staff

Lilian Alonso Marin

Lilian Alonzo Marin

Executive Director & Founder

Adriana Alonzo Marin

International Program Director

Board

Raymond P. Happy

Managing Director and Partner at CCS Fund Raising.

Ricardo Araiza Celaya

Head of Institutional Relations

Stephanie Meade

Marketing Consultant

Tobias Crabtree

Senior Vice President at Lazard Asset Management

Our Talented Teachers

Richard Estrin

Instructor

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Jerise Fogel

Instructor

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Marcela Carvalho

Marcela Carvalho

Instructor

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Brad Shur

Brad Shur

Instructor

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Rishauna Zumberg

Instructor

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Leticia Gasca

Instructor

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Toño Marin

Instructor

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Coco Toxtli

Instructor

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Awards

About Us

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Lilian Alonzo Marin

Executive Director, Founder

Lillian was born in Mexico City in 1974. At eight years of age, she and her family lived in the United States for a three-year period, where she discovered talents in painting and singing. Lillian grew up with deeply grounded roots in the Mexican and American cultures, experiencing and adapting to contrasts and similarities among its people and places. She received a B.A. in International Relations at the Universidad de las Americas in Mexico, an M.A. in International Affairs at Columbia University in New York, and a B.A. in Studio Art from Hunter College in New York City. With a deep commitment to giving back, she has worked for the Mexican Government, The United Nations, The World Bank, and in non-profit fundraising for over ten renowned American institutions with missions ranging from the arts to the environment. She holds additional art studies from Parsons School of Design in New York City, Université Pierre Mendes France in Grenoble, France and the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico. Lillian founded Artistic Dreams International in NYC in 2011 and expanded it to Mexico in 2015. She is a professional artist exhibiting worldwide.

Adriana Alonzo Marin

International Program Director

Adriana started working with Artistic Dreams International as a volunteer. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and in 2018 earned a certification for teaching ESL. In 2020 she formally joined ADI as Virtual Program Director, managing and teaching within ADI’s first ever Virtual Arts Cultural Exchange Summer Program. She continued on as Program Director and now manages all on-site classes and relationships with teaching artists  for Artistic Dreams International.

Raymond P. Happy

Managing Director and Partner at CCS Fund Raising

Raymond Happy is a Managing Director and Partner at  CCS Fund Raising, one of the most comprehensive and widely recommended fund-raising consulting and management firms in the world. Established in 1947, CCS designs and implements significant fund-raising campaigns and programs for leading non-profit institutions. He has planned, directed, and supervised fund-raising campaigns throughout the United States and provided strategic advice to leading organizations around the globe.  His projects have raised billions of dollars. He has conducted numerous feasibility and planning studies, building programs, endowment campaigns, and annual appeals.  He has helped institutions recruit new trustees, solicit transformational gifts, develop strategic plans, and install and operate new information systems.  At CCS, he has conducted numerous seminars concerning the solicitation of major gifts, the use of information systems in fund raising, and the training of volunteers.  He has also written company guidelines on prospect research, feasibility studies, major gifts, planned giving, and electronic screening. Ray lives in New York City with his wife, Carolyn, and daughter, Eleanor.  He is a graduate of Grinnell College.

Ricardo Araiza Celaya

Head of Institutional Relations

Ricardo Araiza Celaya has over 15 years experience working in the public sector, with international organizations, and NGOs.  Most recently he served as Head of Institutional Relations with Congress at the Association of Banks of Mexico AC.  He previously served as Director of Mexicanos Primero AC, and was responsible for promoting the participation of Mexican citizens in decision-making, transparency, and accountability within the Mexican public education system. He also coordinated activities amongst federal government agencies. He was recently appointed Managing Director of the Treasury Department of the State of Sonora in Mexico.  His areas of expertise include Strategic Planning, Finance, and advising not-for-profit organizations in the education sector. Ricardo holds a Bachelor Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), and obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University.  He is an avid art collector who enjoys the work of emerging and established international artists.

Stephanie Meade

Marketing Consultant

Stephanie is a Marketing Consultant most recently working with CISCO Systems. She previously worked at New Resource Bank in San Francisco as Director of Marketing and Culture. After graduating from Columbia University, she taught English in Ecuador for over a year. Upon her return, she worked at the United Nations and then obtained a Masters Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University. Subsequently, Stephanie was a consultant focused on water systems across the developing world. She lived on site in Armenia, Georgia, Yemen, Uganda, Germany and Brazil. Stephanie founded InCultureParent, an online magazine devoted to raising globally-minded children. Stephanie´s vast knowledge and experience of world culture enriches the ADI experience and curriculum. Stephanie joined the ADI board in 2015.

Tobias Crabtree

Senior Vice President at Lazard Asset Management

Tobias Crabtree is a Senior Vice President at Lazard Asset Management focused on investments in emerging markets. Tobias has been a board member with Artistic Dreams since 2020 and is a supporter of arts initiatives in New York City. Tobias has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Economics from Columbia University. 

Richard Estrin

Instructor

Richard was born and raised north of the Adirondack Mountains in New York State. From there, he moved around a lot. Since getting his MFA in painting from Indiana University, Bloomington, Richard has spent many years teaching art to a broad range of students in public schools, universities, senior centers and public libraries.

“ADI opens a window to the world by connecting art with a cultural introduction.  This is magical chemistry that is deeply affecting for me and for the kids.” Richard E.

Jerise Fogel

Instructor

I am a working artist and teacher living in NYC with my cat, Jordan, and my partner in life, Fred; some of my artwork can be seen on my website, https://www.jerise.com. I work with pencil, paper, inks, and other natural materials; most of my commissions involve sketching, papercutting, calligraphy, and some painting; I have also directed and produced plays, written and performed music for dramatic projects, founded and directed a community chorus, and taught ancient Greek and Roman languages, literatures and history for many years at a variety of colleges.  I love colors, and I believe strongly that everyone is an artist–some people have just not found their medium yet! I have studied and lived in several different countries—being able to meet and work with artists from all over the world is probably the thing I love most about working for ADI.  I love to see young artists working for the first time with new concepts, and making connections with what they already know and observe. As a teacher with ADI, I want to nurture in all young people a fearless creativity that they can carry through life with them—looking, comparing, sketching, playing with color–so that they approach their lives’ serious work with artistry and joy, and pass on their artist’s way to others along their path.

My favorite quotation: “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community…. The harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” –George Bernard Shaw

Marcela Carvalho

Instructor

Artist Marcela Carvalho was born in Brazil and now works and resides in New York City. She received diplomas in Elementary Education from the Colégio Santa Therezinha and in Music Education from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music – Rio de Janeiro.After moving to New York City, Ms. Carvalho studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music and painting at the Art Students League and The National Academy of Arts. 

“I paint the essence of emotions, feelings, and state of mind. I also experiment and encourage my students to use non-traditional and preferably renewable materials in their creations. I’m passionate about empowering students to create and express their voices artistically through various Art forms. “ Marcela C.

Brad Shur

Instructor

Brad Shur is the founder and artistic director of Paper Heart Puppets based in Poughkeepsie, New York. He has created several original productions which tour nationally and internationally. Previously, he served as the resident artist for Puppet Showplace Theater, New England’s oldest puppet theater. He has created puppets for clients like Dolly Parton’s Dollywood and American Idol. This past year, Brad has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Artistic Dreams International, engaging with students from all over the world.

Leticia Gasca

Instructor

Hi everybody, Leticia Gasca here, since I was six I knew I wanted to be an art teacher. 

I studied graphic design and specialized in Illustration.

The language of colors, shapes,textures and techniques to express ideas is a life saver. Being able to share what I have learned with students  at Artistic Dreams  has been a joy. It has been fun learning about different cultures together and being able to reach out to many students virtually.  I hope to create more projects with you soon!

Toño Marín

Instructor

Hello! I am a physician by profession and I am equally passionate about the medical and artistic branches. I am convinced that if you do things with passion, you do them much better. I have never stopped learning which led me to find  in art a form of expression without limits.

I identify myself as an artisan plastic artist, I am inclined to work with collage but I also work oil and  acrylics. My intent is to create images that represent daily and personal situations where there is a total disproportion of the forms in order to create a story. I see in art a fundamental tool to be able to see life and change it according to your ideas, as well as the desire for the viewer to create a personal experience when seeing each of my pieces.

Coco Toxtli

Instructor

Graphic Designer by profession. Designing is for me the way to express myself and love what surrounds me. Nature is a great teacher, in it there is always composition, symmetry, harmony, beauty; “Listen to that voice in you, you are part of that beauty.”

I firmly believe that life surprises us every day and that our creativity and the search for aesthetics makes life happier.