Carpenter Art Garden’s mission and vision is to provide art education and enrichment opportunities that are aimed to support the youth of Binghampton. 

Through CAG's intimate involvement with this community, it is clear that most residents share aspirations to feel a sense of safety and to live in a place that inspires hope in their children. We have seen the benefits of exposing the neighborhood to the arts first hand. Using art as a healing agent produces results that are both beautiful and beneficial. Art provides a creative outlet to release emotional trauma. Binghampton residents are able to express struggles they can’t speak about verbally through an art form.

Current CAG participants have developed their artwork over the years, some even building their own clientele. Our staff has nurtured the talents of participants by providing supplies, workshops, and helping adults and children to sell their own artwork for income. These opportunities will continue to foster economic development and enhance the community member's identity through art.

The Binghampton Memorial Mosaic Garden began as a way to beautify and activate a vacant lot which was being used for activities unproductive for the neighborhood.  Located directly across the street from a large housing development, the lot is passed daily by the young people from the community on their way to school or to the local community center.  At the suggestion of residents from the community, CAG acquired the lot and began to transform the remnants of old concrete fencing and foundations into mosaic sculptures. The garden now serves as a peaceful and vibrant space for all community members. 

Additionally, professional artist Suzy Hendrix has hired three of the mosaic team youth as paid apprentices in her personal art business; one teen helped with a public art piece while the other helped restore the stained glass in a historic church. By acquiring skills in the arts, the students are gaining self-confidence, pride in what they do, and hope all while learning a living wage. In this way, the mosaic program fulfills CAG’s goal of helping them to create their best futures.

None of the community spaces created by CAG were a plan created by the organization; they have organically evolved out of the desires of Binghampton children and conversations with neighbors. Your contribution makes it so that more of these conversations and transformations are possible so that we can promote and support the Binghampton neighborhood in all that we do. Thank you!

For more information about Carpenter Art Garden, please visit our website.