Groundswell Community Mural Project Inc

GROUNDSWELL IS NEW YORK CITY'S LEADING COMMUNITY PUBLIC ART ORGANIZATION, HAVING COMPLETED NEARLY 500 MURALS OVER THE COURSE OF A NEARLY 20-YEAR HISTORY. ANNUALLY, GROUNDSWELL ENGAGES NEARLY 800 UNDERSERVED, MARGINALIZED, AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED YOUNG PEOPLE, PRIMARILY AGES 14-24, FROM NEW YORK'S MOST DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, IN OUR PUBLIC ARTMAKING PROGRAMS TO CREATE 50+ ANNUAL PUBLIC ART PROJECTS THAT BEAUTIFY NEIGHBORHOODS, ENGAGE YOUTH IN SOCIETAL AND PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION, AND GIVE EXPRESSION TO IDEAS AND PERSPECTIVES THAT ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE PUBLIC DIALOGUE.

DURING FY 2021, WHILE STILL NAVIGATING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, GROUNDSWELL WORKED WITH 275+ YOUTH, 30+ COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND 13+ ARTISTS TO COMPLETE 18+ COLLABORATIVELY DESIGNED ART PROJECTS, PLUS VARIOUS MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS, IN NUMEROUS NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS FOUR BOROUGHS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2020, GROUNDSWELL WORKED WITH 430+ YOUTH, 18+ COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND 15+ ARTISTS TO COMPLETE 14+ COLLABORATIVELY DESIGNED WORKS OF ART, PLUS VARIOUS MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS, IN NUMEROUS NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS FOUR BOROUGHS.GROUNDSWELL'S STUDIO PROGRAMS (PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT, PRINT POWER, DIGITAL DOCUMENTARIANS, MAKING HIS'TORY, VOICES HER'D, AND THE SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE) SERVED 90 YOUTH, WITH GUIDANCE FROM 4 TEACHING ARTISTS, AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NUMEROUS COMMUNITY-BASED PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS (SUCH AS BROOKLYN MOVEMENT CENTER, AND FOOD BAZAAR GROCERY STORES). MANY YOUTH PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED IN MULTIPLE SEASONS OF GROUNDSWELL PROGRAMS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.GROUNDSWELL'S SCHOOL BASED PROGRAMS PARTNERED WITH 12 SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE IN-SCHOOL AND AFTERSCHOOL ARTS PROGRAMS FOR 145+ YOUTH GUIDED BY 10 TEACHING ARTISTS. SCHOOLS WERE ABLE TO SELECT FROM A CUSTOMIZED MENU OF PROGRAM OPTIONS FROM GROUNDSWELL, SUCH AS "REMOTE MURAL PROGRAM OR "DIGITAL SOCIAL JUSTICE ART-MAKING". YOUTH ARTWORK EXPLORED A RANGE OF THEMES, SUCH AS: CLIMATE CHANGE, GENDER, AND PUBLIC HEALTH.IN ADDITION TO GROUNDSWELL'S AFTER-SCHOOL, IN SCHOOL, AND SUMMER PROGRAMMING, GROUNDSWELL ALSO PRESENTED 40 PUBLIC EVENTS, DIRECTLY SERVING 1000+ GROUNDSWELL COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH IN PERSON, INSTAGRAM LIVE, FACEBOOK LIVE, AND ZOOM. EVENTS INCLUDED: VIRTUAL EXHIBITION/PROCESS SHARES LED BY GROUNDSWELL'S YOUTH; AN ALUMNI PANEL; A VISIONING SESSION TO RECEIVE YOUTH FEEDBACK ON PROGRAMS; AN OPEN ARTMAKING WORKSHOP FOR ALL NYC YOUTH; TEACHING ARTIST INTERVIEWS, A YOUTH LED TOWN HALL; COLLEGE AND CAREER WORKSHOPS (INCLUDING SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT); AND A FREE ARTMAKING WORKSHOP HOSTED ON THE NIKE WEBSITE.PRIOR TO THE FIRST SESSION OF ALL PROGRAMS, ALL GROUNDSWELL PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED HIGH-QUALITY ART SUPPLIES, TOOLS, AND TECHNOLOGY THROUGH IN-PERSON DROP OFFS TO THEIR HOMES. GROUNDSWELL'S STUDIO MANAGER AND COORDINATOR SAFETY DELIVERED PROGRAM SPECIFIC MATERIALS TO 50 HOMES ACROSS BROOKLYN, QUEENS, BRONX, AND MANHATTAN. ALL OF GROUNDSWELL'S PROGRAMS WERE HELD VIRTUALLY UNTIL JULY 2021, WHEN PROGRAMS BEGAN HYBRID SCHEDULES.