City School of the Arts

09/08/2026

Here’s to the first day of Year 11 and everything our student artists will bring to it. 🎉🎹🎸🎻🎶🎬🎨🎭🎶🧑‍🩰

Welcome back, CSA! 💫

09/02/2026

08/29/2026

Way to roll into the school year, CSA! 🛼⚡️🎉

We kicked things off on the right foot this week and welcomed new students with two days of community-building and previewing our artistic and academic programs… and then we wrapped up with a super fun luau-themed trip to the roller rink!

It’s such a thrill to see kids taking risks, making new friends and having a blast together already 🙌 🥹

Big thanks to our amazing staff members who have been hard at work this summer getting ready to launch CSA Year 11 with clear-eyed focus, connection and tons of joy! 🙏 🤩 💐

08/25/2026

CSA at Ailey Extension pt. 2! Turn up the volume and rotate your phone to feel the energy of this select group of 7th grade dancers showcasing their work last spring!

Featuring a blend of technique, fluidity and sharp movement dynamics, this group embodied the joy of dance and connecting with the audience.

Big congrats to Ms. Anna and this dedicated team of dancers. We can’t wait to see what you create this year in 8th grade!

And thank you to Ailey Extension for the opportunity! 🙌

08/21/2026

Some more glimpses of CSA’s Year 10 Graduation 🎉

We’re so excited to celebrate these grads as they get ready to start their high school journeys in a few short weeks! 🙌

07/30/2026

Welcome to our second Alumni Spotlight featuring Kristhany Rivera, a member of CSA’s founding class and a recent graduate from BMCC with an Associate in Applied Science in Multimedia and Programming Design!

Swipe to catch a glimpse of Kristhany’s inspiring journey and be be sure to check out her words of wisdom for CSA grads who are about to start their high school journeys. Thank you, Kristhany, for sharing your passions with us and continuing to show up to support our work at CSA! We’re so proud of you.

Stay tuned for more alumni spotlights (CSA grads, please DM us if you’re marking a milestone and want to be featured!)

07/30/2026

Welcome to our second Alumni Spotlight featuring Kristhany Rivera, a member of CSA’s founding class and a recent graduate from BMCC with an Associate in Applied Science in Multimedia and Programming Design!

Swipe to catch a glimpse of Kristhany’s inspiring journey and be be sure to check out her words of wisdom for CSA grads who are about to start their high school journeys. Thank you, Kristhany, for sharing your passions with us and continuing to show up to support our work at CSA! We’re so proud of you.

Stay tuned for more alumni spotlights (CSA grads, please DM us if you’re marking a milestone and want to be featured!)

07/28/2026

☀️ Welcome to the CSA family!☀️

A warm welcome to our newest students and families! Our Welcome Picnic at Harbor View Park was a wonderful opportunity to connect, build new friendships, and experience the community that makes City School of the Arts so special.

From games and laughter to meaningful conversations under the summer sun, it was a day filled with smiles, fun, and the beginning of lasting connections.

We're so excited to have you join the CSA family. Here's to a journey where you'll create, learn, and thrive.

07/23/2026

On June 11th, we gathered with 13 students from City School of the Arts (CSA) for our third “Battle in the Margins” writing workshop — a continuation of an eight-year partnership with the school rooted in walking as a way to understand history and art-making as a creative pathway to bring hidden histories back to life.

“Battle in the Margins” is a new theatrical collaboration between the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and Black Gotham Experience (BGX) exploring Black life in New York City during the American Revolution.

Rashid Littlejohn led a warm-up on perspective and voice: Describe the room using the five senses in the third person. Then Kamau Ware posed the main prompt rooted in what it may have been like to be “Free-ish,” asking students to imagine life in New York City during the British occupation, when the promise of freedom was both a weapon and a gamble. What motivated that promise? And what were the risks for those who reached for it?

Familiar with theater and artistic productions, these young writers leaned into setting and emotionality with ease. One student composed a poem and invited a classmate to read it alongside them. Another wrote from the perspective of an enslaved family addressing the Continental Army as they arrived in New York to re-enslave them. Their words carried weight beyond their years.

This cross-generational exchange reminded us why this work matters. Young voices, bold and unburdened, bring fresh life and perspectives to stories that have too often been left in the margins. 

Join us for our final writing workshop, open to teens and adults alike, this Monday July 27 at Fraunces Tavern from 6-8pm, followed by our Caesar’s Rebellion historical walk in Lower Manhattan that CSA students participate in every year as part of their 8th grade curriculum.

To attend the theatrical premiere of Black Gotham Experience’s Battle in the Margins on September 19th at FDR Four Freedoms State Park, or to sign up for the writing workshop and walk, visit the link in our bio at Black Gotham Experience.