A Documentary Project by PdArt Studios
Preserving the history, creativity, and legacy of Roberto Clemente School of the Performing Arts — through the voices of those who lived it.
625 West 133rd Street · West Harlem, New York City · 1975 – 2013
The Project
For nearly four decades, I.S. 195 Roberto Clemente School of the Performing Arts stood at 625 West 133rd Street in West Harlem and gave thousands of young people something the city could not take from them — a stage, a canvas, a voice.
The school operated on an innovative sub-school model: Drama, Art, Dance, Music, and Performing Arts — schools within a school, where sixth, seventh, and eighth graders chose a creative discipline and committed to it. In a neighborhood absorbing the weight of fiscal crisis, the crack epidemic, and decades of municipal disinvestment, I.S. 195 was a radical act of faith in its students.
In June 2013, the school was closed by the New York City Department of Education. The building still stands. The memories do not have a home.
The idea for this documentary began on Facebook. In an alumni group started by former students, producer Albert Nimley came across yearbook scans, class photos, and stories being shared by people who had not seen each other in decades. What that community had already begun to preserve — informally, lovingly, in comment threads and photo albums — was proof that this history was still alive. This film is an extension of that work.
This project is the home.
"For those of us who were there, it wasn't just a school. It was the first place we understood who we were."
Why This Film
The Name
The school bore the name of a Puerto Rican baseball legend who died on New Year's Eve 1972, delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. In a majority Black and Latino neighborhood, naming a school after Clemente was a statement about whose heroism counted.
The Model
Drama. Art. Dance. Music. Performing Arts. I.S. 195 gave children in Harlem access to serious creative training as a core academic discipline — not enrichment, not elective. A model decades ahead of its time.
The Community
The school's life spanned the fiscal crisis, the crack years, the AIDS crisis, the transformation of Harlem, and September 11. Its history is inseparable from the history of one of America's most storied neighborhoods.
The Urgency
The building still stands at 133rd Street. There is no plaque. No marker. No record in the lobby of what came before. The alumni who carry this history are the only archive that remains — and they will not be here forever.
The Invitation
Whether you attended I.S. 195, taught there, worked there, or were part of the surrounding community — your story belongs in this film. Fill out the form below to join the project, share your information, and let us know how you would like to contribute.
The Archive
The following materials are invaluable to the documentary. If you have any of these, please share them through the form above.
Yearbooks and Class Photos
School Performance Programs
Graduation Programs
Report Cards and School Documents
Personal Photographs
Video Footage
Newspaper and Magazine Clippings
Student Artwork
Teacher and Staff Records
Anything Else Connected to I.S. 195
The Story
1970s
New York City is in fiscal collapse. The South Bronx is burning. Harlem is absorbing decades of disinvestment. Into this landscape, a new school opens at 625 West 133rd Street — named after a man who died to help others — and asks something radical of its students: choose who you want to become.
1980s
The crack cocaine epidemic restructures community life across Harlem. Families fracture. The AIDS crisis devastates. Inside I.S. 195, students are making art about what they see, dancing through grief they cannot name any other way. The school becomes something the surrounding city is struggling to be: a place of stability and belief.
1990s
New York City is slowly, controversially transforming. Hip-hop goes mainstream. Harlem begins the demographic shift that will reshape it. At I.S. 195, the school is at its fullest — teachers with fifteen years of institutional knowledge, a sub-school model at peak form, alumni beginning to accumulate. This is the decade the documentary will explore most deeply.
2000s
The Bloomberg era brings high-stakes testing and performance metrics. Harlem gentrifies at speed. I.S. 195, built on a creative education philosophy, is evaluated by standards designed for a different vision. The numbers are not good. The numbers do not tell the whole story.
2010s
January 2011: The NYC Department of Education votes to phase out I.S. 195. The process takes two years. In June 2013, the school closes. The building is reassigned. There is no marker. This is how things are lost — not with a fire, but with a vote and a calendar turning.
The Team
Producer
Producer & Director · Owner, PdArt Studios Inc.
I attended I.S. 195 from 1994 to 1996 — 1994 in the Drama sub-school and 1995 in the Art sub-school. Today I am a full-time studio artist, documentary filmmaker, and visual storyteller. The I.S. 195 Legacy Project is my effort to ensure that what the school gave me, and gave thousands of others, is not forgotten.
To Be Announced
More team members to be announced.
Community
We will be hosting virtual meetings open to all alumni, teachers, and community members. Details will be announced here.
Our first community Zoom meeting will bring together interested alumni, former teachers, and volunteers to introduce the project and begin organizing. Date to be announced.
Get NotifiedQuestions
I.S. 195 Roberto Clemente School of the Performing Arts closed in 2013 after nearly four decades of operation. There is no public record, no marker, and no archive that captures what the school meant to the tens of thousands of people who passed through its doors. This documentary is being made to ensure that history is preserved before more of it is lost.
Anyone with a connection to I.S. 195 — alumni, former teachers and staff, parents, community members, neighbors. If the school touched your life in any way, your story belongs in this project.
No. There are many ways to contribute: sharing photographs, yearbooks, or documents; helping with research; assisting with outreach; and dozens of other roles. Being on camera is one option, not a requirement.
Absolutely. We are especially eager to hear from the educators and staff who built the school's culture over the years. Your perspective is essential to telling this story fully.
All submitted materials will be handled with care and respect. They will be used only for the documentary and related preservation efforts, and you will retain ownership of your own materials. We will follow up with every contributor directly.
If you are connected to former I.S. 195 students, teachers, or staff — on Facebook, in your neighborhood, anywhere — please share the project with them and encourage them to sign up. Alumni outreach is one of the most important roles on this project.
The documentary is currently in development. Sign up for the newsletter to receive updates on production progress and release information.
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