LEMON: In New York City, nearly 30 percent of public schools lack a full-time art teacher. This weeks' CNN Heroes is putting paint brushes and sketch pads into the hands of needy children across the city.</s>ADARSH ALPHONS, CNN HEROES: Art has a power to let children discover who they are. Every child needs to have a space for them to create. When I moved to New York City, I noticed that access to our education was lacking. I decided we need to be the ones to put art in the hands of kids. We open our classes in public libraries that are near the schools that need us most. Our goal is not to create artists. Our goal is to let kids discover themselves.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I use art as an escape. I do look forward to coming here every week, and on most occasions, I persuade them to let us stay longer.</s>ALPHONS: See how you can take it, right? After we bring art into their lives, they become more confident. The changes are quite remarkable. At the end of every semester, we showcase this student's artwork in contemporary art galleries in New York's art district.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tried to use water to make it darker and tuned for the weather.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw my artwork in a real gallery, I feel proud of myself.</s>ALPHONS: I hope it sets a spark that it's okay to go after your dreams, that he should go after it boldly and fearlessly, and that anything is possible.</s>LEMON: To nominate a hero, go to cnnheroes.com. That's it for us tonight. I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for watching. "AC360" starts right now.
NY City Schools Lack Art Teachers.