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Groundswell News
1
Last winter the Office of the Mayor invited
Groundswell Community Mural Project to sub-
mit a proposal on how to engage and beautify
the Washington Heights com-
munity. After reviewing several
proposals, Groundswell was
awarded the project, which was
to transform and revitalize a
Department of Transportation
(DOT) underpass in Washington
Heights at the 191st St. subway
stop. This was one of two
unique projects that took place
in partnership with city agencies
this summer.
‘New York is a Rollercoaster,’
was officially unveiled by Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg and
Community Affairs Unit (CAU)
Commissioner Nazli Parvizi.
"This is a wonderful example
of how community members,
city government and the non-
profit sector can come to-
gether to help beautify a
neighborhood and make New
York City a better place to live,"
said Mayor
Bloomberg. "Public Art has a way of trans-
forming the landscape, creating dialogue
and bringing people together and this mural
has turned an underground tunnel into a
beautiful work of art that the community can
be proud of."
The mural was one of six projects taking place
this summer as part of Groundswell’s Summer
Leadership Institute (SLI). Artists Belle Benfield
and Chris Beck worked with a group of young
people to create the mural. The Washington
Heights-Inwood YM&YWHA provided space for
the participants to work, recruited local youth for
the mural team and connected the project with
local residents. Teachers & Writers and North
Manhattan Arts Alliance brought in two local
poets, Jane Lecroy and Sandra Maria Esteves,
who set the team on a journey exploring the
neighborhood. The mural depicts the #1 train as
a rollercoaster zooming around the local land-
marks and diverse mosaic of cultures in the
area.
In our second city partnership this summer,
Groundswell worked with the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) to create
‘Water is the Life of NYC,’ a monumental mu-
ral bringing to life New York’s water supply and
urging conservation and respect for this pre-
cious city resource.
Three years ago, Groundswell staff spotted a
wall near our office that cried out for a mural.
We learned that the site was owned by DEP
and slated to eventually be a
community garden, and the
project was received with
enthusiasm. Artists Nicole
Schulman and Crystal Bruno
worked with a team of youth
to research the NYC water
supply and design a mural
that brings to life the water
cycle while urging conserva-
tion. DEP Education planned
and organized two field trips
for youth participants to
gather information and learn
about NYC water supply. The
team had a guided tour of the
Croton Reservoir, its water-
shed and aqueduct in upstate
New York; and a day long
water conservation workshop
at the Queens Museum.
The completed four story
mural was unveiled by DEP
Commissioner, Emily Lloyd. At the dedication
the youth distributed stickers they had designed
and asked community members to sign a
pledge to conserve water. DEP is interested in
the mural image and the teens to educate other
students in the school system about conserva-
tion. Debra Pucci, Director of Community
Partnerships at DEP commented that “this
project was a very effective way to educate
the public about the importance of their
drinking water, where their water comes
from and why we must be careful and con-
serve this natural resource. It was a pleas-
ure to work with Groundswell staff and
young artists.”
October 2008
Left to right: Community Affairs Commissioner Nazli Parvizi, Councilmember Miguel Martinez,
Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and
Groundswell youth artists Pury Soliver, Stephanie Castaner, and Herika Solano.
City Agencies Embrace Out-of-the-Box Thinking in
Two Unique Partnerships
In This Edition:
Letter from Director -2
Voices Her’d Spotlight -2
Impact -3
Program Highlights -4, 5
Youth Profile -6
Staff & Artists -6
Partnerships -7
Opportunities -7
Using art as a tool for social change.
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