Bill Baker and Chloe Schneider	Tsipi Ben-Haim and Will Barnet
Tsipi Ben-Haim and Alberta Arthurs
Ziggy Ben-Haim, Tsipi Ben-Haim and Aya Azrielant

CITYARTS
Honoring Those Who Inspire
The Younger Generation

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TIM BOXER

A

RTIST Will Barnet turned 101 years of age on May 25, 2012, and that week he got into his wheelchair and went to CITYarts 44^th anniversary dinner at the Allianz Building in Manhattan. He was pleased to celebrate his own milestone along with the first decade of the CITYarts Young Minds Build Bridges program.

Tsipi Ben-Haim, executive and creative director, initiated Young Minds Build Bridges to afford opportunities for young people around the globe to communicate and interact. She helped construct three mosaic Peace Walls, the first in Harlem, N.Y., the second in Karachi, Pakistan, the third in Jaffa, Israel, and the fourth in London. Plans call for similar projects in Berlin, Brazil and Singapore.

"I strongly believe when kids create they do not destroy," Tsipi said.

Tsipi presented the unique Brick Awards to five individuals "who inspire the younger generation to walk in their steps."

The honorees were Will Barnet, artist and printmaker; Alberta Arthurs, arts advisor; David Finn, chairman of Ruder Finn public relations; Bill Baker, president emeritus of Channel 13; and Irwin Jaeger, co-founder of Inner-City Arts, which helps 100,000 kids in Los Angeles enhance their life through art.

"The one-of-a-kind Brick Awards were created by their favorite artists," Tsipi said. "These murals come to symbolize how we work within the community going brick by brick to transform neighborhoods."

"This is a big day for me," Baker said. "This award was designed by my granddaughter, Chloe Schneider."

Will Barnet, whom The New York Times called a visionary artist, died on November 13, 2012, at his home at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park in Manhattan.