PRESS RELEASE: Summer Leadership Institute 2008

Contact: Conor McGrady (718) 254 9782
Amy Sananman (646) 610 1342
                                     

Teens Transform New York this Summer!

Experience Six Major Public Art Projects July 1 – August 14th, 2008.

See www.groundswellmural.org for more information

This summer 90 young people (ages 14-21) will create six large-scale outdoor works of public art in New York. As part of Groundswell’s Summer Leadership Institute youth will breathe life into the histories and hopes of their communities using the walls of the city as their canvas.

Working with professional artists, teens will visually transform their neighborhoods in a blaze of color from Coney Island to Washington Heights. Issues important to youth and community residents will take pride of place on the cities walls during July & August. From the challenges faced by women in the military to calls for environmental awareness and activism to protect our communities resources, New York’s youth are stepping up to the plate to speak out and address issues important to all of us.

COMING THIS SUMMER:

• Voices Her’d. Teen girls create an expansive mural addressing the challenges faced by women in the military. Location: Fifth Avenue Committee building, 23rd & 3rd Ave, Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

• Organizing and Community Education Initiative (OCEI). In collaboration with the Department of Environmental Protection, youth emblazon a four story building with a monumental mural calling for environmental activism and the protection of the cities natural resources.  Location: 4th Avenue and Sackett Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn.

• Great Walls/DOT Mural. In partnership with the Office of the Mayor, youth revitalize a Department of Transportation (DOT) pedestrian underpass with mural imagery inspired by the work of local poets. Location: 190th Street and Broadway, Washington Heights, New York.

• Great Walls/PS 503. Youth bring to life the richness and diversity of the Latin American, Chinese and Arab cultures of the neighborhood in a large-scale mural. Location: PS 503, 4th Ave & 59th Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  

• Great Walls/Crown Heights. Addressing environmental protection and bio-diversity, youth will create an epic mural in conjunction with the redevelopment and renewal of a schoolyard by The Trust for Public Land. Location: PS 221, Empire & Troy, Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

• Great Walls/Coney Island. The rich history of Coney Island will be animated in vivid color in this expansive mural. Location: Mermaid Ave and 27th Street, Coney Island, Brooklyn.

Groundswell is a New York City based nonprofit organization founded in 1996 that brings together professional artists, grassroots organizations and communities in partnership to create high quality works of public art in under-represented neighborhoods. Groundswell’s work inspires youth, communities and artists to take active ownership of their future and equips them with the tools necessary for social change.

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