"The Voices of the People/ Community Mural Art Bus Tour"

Art over adversity, challenging the confines of museums and galleries; public wall art is thousands of years old. In New York City 's low income communities, this tradition is kept alive through vibrant spray painted and hand painted murals.

:: The tour begins in the Bronx considered by many the home of hip-hop and graffiti.

:: We will view some of the more interesting graffiti walls. We will discuss the evolution of graffiti from the early days of "tags" on subways to elaborate storyboards and memorial walls.

:: Then we will visit breathtaking hand painted murals that in bold colors express political, social, and historical struggles and victories in their neighborhoods. These murals are generated by community members, under the guidance of professional muralists.

:: The tour will view, and discuss 12-15 different murals, in the Bronx, Harlem, lower Manhattan , and Brooklyn .

Two tour guides lead the trip. One guide provides commentary on the communities we are visiting in much the same way we currently conduct our tours of Brooklyn, Harlem and The Bronx; from a historical and socio-economic perspective.

The other guide is a professional muralist, from Groundswell Community Mural Project, the non-profit organization which created the community murals we will view. Her perspective is of the art, the ideas it expresses, and the history of the mural.


to set up a group tour contact: