Noah Jodice, Applied Cartooning Fellow, 2025-26
When I spoke with folks at the Applied Cartooning Lab about my experience working with the Center for Urban Pedagogy, it sparked a broader conversation—and eventually a meeting between the lab and CUP’s Executive Director, Pilar Finuccio—so we could learn more about each other’s organizations and approaches. It was an inspiring conversation and our shared sense of overlap and shared purpose has only deepened my appreciation for CUP’s work.
I first heard about the Center for Urban Pedagogy while in graduate school, when my friends Kruttika Susarla and Shreyas R. Krishnan were working on one of CUP’s Making Policy Public posters. Every year, CUP brings together advocacy organizations and designers, who partner in teams to create educational posters that explain a public policy, system, or service affecting social justice in New York City. At the end of the project, the advocates get 1,000 free copies of the poster to distribute and use in facilitation workshops.
In 2024, I got the chance to work with CUP and Teachers Unite on a poster, titled “Building Our City Budget.” Our project focused on how New Yorkers can advocate for change in their communities through New York City’s annual budget process. Through booklet and poster form, the guide acts as a facilitation tool to break down the complex city budget process and empower New Yorkers to take action. We agreed to take a Richard Scarry-esque approach, with all the characters being cartoon versions of local NYC critters.
Even after publication, the project took on many different forms. I heard from CUP that it was distributed to 50 schools in NYC, as well as to workshops that helped secure wins to fund restorative justice and school counseling programs. Last year, we produced a Spanish version of the project, expanding the reach of the tool.
Aside from the Making Policy Public posters, CUP also does a ton of collaboration with kids around the city, making zines that explore the roots of immigrant communities, food insecurity, and housing equity. I love how these projects blend serious subject matter with the excitement of imagination and collaboration, trusting kids to break down and reimagine the complex systems that impact their daily lives.
As a teacher, I’ve used CUP’s guide, “Dick & Rick: A Visual Primer for Social Impact Design,” to prompt rich class discussions and help design project guidelines.
In the Fall, CUP also collaborated with the Museum of Modern Art on “Shaping Our City Together,” an exhibition of CUP’s projects. The exhibition explored how CUP projects increased access to education about how NYC works and how New Yorkers can shape the city. I was lucky enough to see the exhibition before it closed and see my work on display alongside so many other fantastic projects from the Center for Urban Pedagogy.
I’m really in awe of the extent of CUP’s work. Their posters show a deep dedication to the beauty of design and the power of collaborative processes built around community-engaged creativity.
