Students at P.S. 145 on the Upper West Side are building their dream city blocks, one collage at a time.

In a classroom filled with paper cutouts, drawings and colorful designs, students are creating imaginary buildings as part of an art project led by the nonprofit Studio in a School.

What You Need To Know

Students at P.S. 145 on the Upper West Side are creating collage-style “dream city blocks” as part of an arts program

The project is led by nonprofit Studio in a School, which places working artists in public school classrooms

The organization serves more than 30,000 students across New York City who may not otherwise have access to arts education

Students’ artwork will be displayed in an exhibition later this spring

“We’re working on making imaginary buildings,” one student said.

Leading the class is artist Nina Berinstein, who works with Studio in a School through the organization’s long-term residency program. Berinstein is in her second year teaching students at P.S. 145.

“We are kind of embedded into the school community,” Berinstein said.

Studio in a School places working artists in hundreds of public school classrooms across New York City’s five boroughs, serving more than 30,000 students who otherwise might not have access to arts teachers.

“The arts tends to be the first thing that goes when budgets are cut, and that’s sort of why Studio in a School exists, because of budget cuts that happened a long time ago,” Berinstein said. “I am so happy to be working with an organization that sees how important access to creative education is from a young age.”

The students not only learn about art and create their own pieces, but they also will display their work in an exhibition later this spring.

For Berinstein, the experience is just as rewarding as it is for the students.

“It’s the best part of the job, working with the kids,” she said. “It’s so refreshing to be around young creative energy. There is so much unbridled joy. There’s a lot of joy in here. There’s a lot of risk-taking. There’s a lot of confidence that is sometimes hard to find in adults. It’s really contagious to be around that kind of energy.”