Thrive Collective
Prominent Bay Ridge artist and mural designer Michael McLeer, better known as “Mister Kaves,” recently painted an extraordinary “Support Our Neighborhood” mural on the east side of Fifth Avenue near 86th Street. There will be a formal “Bay Ridginal” unveiling on Friday, July 24 at 11 a.m. The mural is sponsored by a grant from NYC Small Business Services…
read moreRhymes Help Young Minds Excel at Adrian Hegeman P.S. 92 Thrive Collective & Speek Lyfe are proud to present another R.H.Y.M.E music and mentoring project with students at Adrian Hegeman P.S. 92 Guided by mentor and teaching artist Lawrence Coles, 5th grade seniors worked together to leave a lyrical legacy for their younger peers at…
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He Wanted to Be John Travolta. Instead, He Became ‘Kaves.’ As a child, Michael McLeer wanted to be like John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever” and escape Brooklyn. A tragedy in the neighborhood changed his mind. Read the full article by reporter Abby Ellin here. Visuals by Lanna Apisukh.
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Join Us 7/24/2026 | 11AM 502-512 86th Street at 5th Avenue Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Art by Mister Kaves Sponsored by NYC Department of Small Business Services Public Realm Grant With Support from ASG Equities, NYC Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, former NYC Council Member Justin Brannan, the 86th Street BID, the Fifth Avenue BID, and the NYC…
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“Bay Ridge-based artist Michael ‘Kaves’ McLeer recently completed a new mural that pays homage to the neighborhood. … “McLeer worked in collaboration with the 86th Street Business Improvement District, the Bay Ridge Fifth Avenue BID, Thrive Collective and others. ”The mural for me is snapshots,’ he said. ‘I continued the ‘Welcome to Bay Ridge’ theme…
read moreJHS 127 x R.H.Y.M.E powered by Council Member Amanda Farías We are proud to present “Be Yourself,” an original song and music video created by students from JHS 127 in the Bronx. The song’s message celebrates individuality, reminding us that every person is uniquely and wonderfully made, and that staying true to yourself is far…
read moreWe are proud to present another meaningful collaboration with I.S. 117. “I Need My Respect & Let It Burn” is an original song created by middle school students that explores the powerful connection between learning, respect, and passion. When respect is present, learning can flourish—and the spark of passion can ignite. Through this project, students…
read moreThrive Collective Art Academy x PS 34 Franklin D. Roosevelt x University Settlement x Council Member Epstein Thrive Collective’s Art Academy is an interdisciplinary hands on experience for students. This spring at PS 34, University Settlement after school program students were invited to explore and interpret the theme “Tomorrow Starts Today” through beats, rhymes and…
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Last fall, Kate Schmidgall propositioned us. She reached out with news that our friends at the Leadership Foundations had nominated Thrive Collective for a long-form feature produced by her team of creatives. If we were interested, they would dive deeper to determine if we’d be a good fit. Kate is the founder and principal of…
read moreProjectivity and Thrive Collective proudly present R.H.Y.M.E. at PS 44 Staten Island. Over the course of a semester-long project-based learning experience, students at PS 44 explored songwriting, hip-hop art and culture, audio recording, and the powerful connection between mic skills and life skills—including communication, collaboration, creativity, confidence, and community. “Classroom” is an original song written…
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