Project Description

Groundswell, New York’s leading organization dedicated to community public art, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and New York City Council Public Housing Chair Ritchie Torres collaborated on a major one-year initiative entitled “Public Art / Public Housing.” The pieces were designed and installed by a total of 200 young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24, in the transformation of vacant walls throughout public housing developments in all five boroughs. The tenant's association at each development guided the creation of three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout New York City.
 
“Collective Dreams” reflects the aspirations of Tompkins Houses, depicted through collaborative portraits which represent collective identities. The portraits presented are incarnations of many thinkers, dreamers, and inhabitants of the neighborhood. The design utilizes overlapping patterns and shapes to suggest shared spaces and commonalities. Blossoming plant life and gleaming rays animate the contemplative faces and interact with the sources adjacent. Windows decorate the portraits and offer suggestions of personal and shared spaces and compound perspectives. “Collective Dreams” is reflective of the colorful characteristics, traits, and personalities of Tompkins Houses and the larger neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. It contains, motifs, patterns, and architectural elements which represent the community for which it’s created.

Project Description

Groundswell, New York’s leading organization dedicated to community public art, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and New York City Council Public Housing Chair Ritchie Torres collaborated on a major one-year initiative entitled “Public Art / Public Housing.” The pieces were designed and installed by a total of 200 young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24, in the transformation of vacant walls throughout public housing developments in all five boroughs. The tenant's association at each development guided the creation of three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout New York City.
 
The first mural at Tompkins Houses, “Holding It Down for Generations” celebrates the heritage and history of the housing development. The young artists, all residents at Tompkins, met with elder residents of Tompkins Houses to learn the history of their community. The women’s experiences and struggles were points of inspiration for the artist team. The mural memorializes the unsung heroes of the community such as its organizers, mothers, and neighbors who helped lead the community in the past. The women in the mural are ageless in portrayal, conveying the timeless importance of support that past generations of the community have contributed. These women all have more than two hands as a representation of their many responsibilities within the Tompkins Houses. “Holding It Down for Generations,” installed on the side of the community center, exists as an homage to the people that built and nurtured the community and its members.

Project Description

A team of young artists have inspired a holistic view of healthy living at the Queensbridge Houses through a new mural on the Jacob A. Riis Settlement House community center. Created in response to the community's tradition of memorial shrines and murals, the youth tackled health issues faced by Queensbridge residents such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, food access, mental wellness, and gun violence. Their mural, entitled “The Balance – The Four Faces of Health,” stands in honor of all lives at the development—past, present, and future.
 
The youth artists worked as part of Groundswell’s two-month long flagship summer youth employment program, the Summer Leadership Institute, presented in collaboration with the Queensbridge Tenant Association, New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres, and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). In lessons facilitated by Lead Artist Misha Tyutyunik and Assistant Artist Victor A. Saint-Hilaire, the young artists researched, designed, and fabricated the mural.
 
This mural is part of Groundswell’s larger “Public Art / Public Housing” Initiative, in which five developments identified from the Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP) for Neighborhood Safety, one in each of the five boroughs, have co-created three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout the city.
 
The mural presents a vision of holistic health through symbols hidden within a mythical sphinx, which represents a healthy, strong, and proud community. Physical health is shown as a figure with an apple for a head (representing both healthy eating and the “Big Apple”) lifting weights. Mental health is a scene of a man holding up his community, illustrating the importance of each individual in building their community. A heart framed by a flower crown represents emotional health, and spiritual health is depicted as a scale balancing the sun and moon. Through these playful depictions of the elements of healthy living, the artist team hopes to bring joy to the Queensbridge community as the mural promotes a holistic view of wellness.
 
There are four main languages in the Queensbridge community – English, Bengali, Spanish, and Mandarin.  To represent these cultures, the word power is written in English below the symbols for physical health, the word balance is written in Bengali under mental health, the word freedom is written in Spanish under emotional health, and the word peace is written in Mandarin under spiritual health. 
 
“I loved painting murals and helping out my community this summer,” youth artist and Queensbridge Houses resident Kevin Perez (21) said about his experience working on the mural. “It's really changing my life. It’s been very inspiring and I enjoyed working with different Groundswell teaching artists. My plan for this coming year is to be better with myself and fix my life around to set up goals.”
 
Through Kevin’s example and the work of the other youth artists, “The Balance – The Four Faces of Health” stands as a call to action for a healthier way of life for all residents at Queensbridge Houses by encouraging balance in all areas of life. 

Project Description

Groundswell, New York’s leading organization dedicated to community public art, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and New York City Council Public Housing Chair Ritchie Torres collaborated on a major one-year initiative entitled “Public Art / Public Housing.” The pieces were designed and installed by a total of 200 young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24, in the transformation of vacant walls throughout public housing developments in all five boroughs. The tenant's association at each development guided the creation of three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout New York City.
 
The second mural created by Groundswell for the Jacob A. Riis Settlement House, the artists on the team wanted to create awareness of the diverse communities living in Queensbridge Houses. The team created a piece that uses many cultural references and languages to make people feel welcome to the community center. Two main characters, a man and a woman of different cultural backgrounds representing communities of Queensbridge are in welcoming pose on the two sides of the community center. In the background there is a welcoming celebration with people releasing hot air balloons with words of encouragement in different languages.
 
The design is inspired by the heritage of the communities living at Queensbridge Houses is very extensive. In the left panel the adornments are based on ancient Alpona designs mixed with Aaron Douglas’ iconic depictions of different plants. On the right side the team mixed some of those same references with the unique graffiti wild style that is part of modern NYC culture. The hot air balloons represent celebration and intangible cultural heritage. This activity is practiced in different parts of the world so depicts intercultural connections. The youth artists put words in different languages in these balloons to welcome people to the community center.

Project Description

Groundswell, New York’s leading organization dedicated to community public art, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and New York City Council Public Housing Chair Ritchie Torres collaborated on a major one-year initiative entitled “Public Art / Public Housing.” The pieces were designed and installed by a total of 200 young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24, in the transformation of vacant walls throughout public housing developments in all five boroughs. The tenant's association at each development guided the creation of three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout New York City.
 
We Elevate Ourselves, the first mural installed in the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement Community Center at Queensbridge Houses, promotes peaceful conflict resolution as a method to combat gun violence. The young artists’ goal was to depict the complex emotional transformation that occurs as a result of peaceful conflict resolution.
 
The location of the mural, a doorway within the community center, is representative of the protective haven that a unified community provides. Both sides of the doors are decorated with different images that are cohesive within the mural; opening the door causes the men depicted to embrace and changes the illustration of the eagle. The eagle is representative of pride and honor, which can have both positive and negative effects on one’s actions, embodied by the eagle’s two heads. When the doors open the second head that signifies self-righteousness disappear, symbolic of the benefit of diplomatic communication and community engagement. Additionally, a theme of family and embrace is relevant throughout the mural; this is depicted by the mother figure within the center of the mural as well as the joining of various characters by handshake or hug. The tree that grows from three men’s embrace illustrates the growth that communities will experience through peaceful conflict resolution.
 
The young artists incorporated imagery that would inspire the audience to think about family, resilience, environmental influences on gun violence, community, and spiritual connection. The dense symbolic meanings incorporated in this mural are appropriate in addressing complex issues such as gun violence. 

Project Description

Through a monumental new mural, a team of young artists at the Castle Hill Houses, a New York City Housing Authority development, called their community into action by supporting youth voices. Their mural, entitled “Be the Change,” encourages elders to serve as mentors so that the young people of the Castle Hill Houses can become a force of positive change and inspiration at their development and in the surrounding neighborhood.
 
This mural is part of Groundswell’s larger “Public Art / Public Housing” Initiative, in which five developments identified from the Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP) for Neighborhood Safety, one in each of the five boroughs, have co-created three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout the city.
 
The mural draws inspiration from two existing Groundswell murals recently completed at Castle Hill Houses on the topic of youth development. Using a series of colorful symbols, the mural creates a narrative of a young person on a journey to achieve their dreams. In the design, a young girl jumps through a portal to their personal enlightenment. She leaves behind broken chains and reaches for her success, represented by a basketball hoop. The positive messages, such as “Be the change you want to see in the world” and “Dream big,” encourage viewers to take action. To frame the mural, an older woman knits a basketball court at the heart of the Castle Hill community.
 
Youth artist Mousa Conteh (17) had a personal connection to the process as a resident of Castle Hill Houses. About his experience, Mousa said, “For the upcoming year my plans are to see my choices of colleges and which one best fits me. I am an upcoming senior and since I know I'm going to college I just want to focus on that process. I am glad for this experience because it helped me create new roads and helped broaden my college search so that I can find a college best suited for my strengths and newfound abilities. Thanks to Groundswell I am more creative than I have ever been.” And thanks to Mousa’s contributions and the efforts of his entire team, the mural will be a lasting testament to youth power, creativity, and aspirations at Castle Hill Houses.

Project Description

Groundswell, New York’s leading organization dedicated to community public art, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and New York City Council Public Housing Chair Ritchie Torres collaborated on a major one-year initiative entitled “Public Art / Public Housing.” The pieces were designed and installed by a total of 200 young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24, in the transformation of vacant walls throughout public housing developments in all five boroughs. The tenant's association at each development guided the creation of three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout New York City.
 
“Dreams and Aspirations” centers on the message: the future is in our children. The mural is located at the entrance of a childcare center. The artist team focused on the creating a piece that the young children at the daycare will be able to see themselves reflected in. The mural incorporates child appropriate symbols such as alphabet blocks, paper airplanes, and sandcastles. Figures of varying ages look upward through clouds and ladders towards their ended future in the sky. The upward movement in the mural’s composition symbolizes the sights of children as they look toward their own futures, unimpeded by any obstacles. The mural extends to the ceiling, with a young man throwing a paper plane into a galactic sky. “Dreams and Aspirations” shows that children are active agents of change.

Project Description

Groundswell, New York’s leading organization dedicated to community public art, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and New York City Council Public Housing Chair Ritchie Torres collaborated on a major one-year initiative entitled “Public Art / Public Housing.” The pieces were designed and installed by a total of 200 young adult NYCHA residents ages 16-24, in the transformation of vacant walls throughout public housing developments in all five boroughs. The tenant's association at each development guided the creation of three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout New York City.
 
The first mural in the series at Castle Hill Houses, entitled Stronger Together, was painted within a public lounge in the Castle Hill Community Center to inspire engagement and a stronger sense of community. The young artists chose to represent the diversity in the neighborhood by including images inspired by members of the community. The individual depictions in the mural are linked by connective devices, vines and ropes, to symbolize the power that community members gain through unity. Various imagery throughout the mural contain elements of a whole in order to convey how parts consolidate, similar to the foundation of a community. For example, molecular bonds are incorporated to represent how the formation of water requires distinct components, analogous to how a cohesive community requires cooperative individuals. Additionally, the theme of growth and development is included throughout the mural, depicted in such as representations of the Castle Hill building transforming into a butterfly. The creation of Stronger Together initiated community engagement which will continue in the communal room it is displayed in to inspire unity at Castle Hill.
 
“I joined this project because I like art, a lot. I paint at home and I wanted to be a part of something in my community. Our mural theme is unity, which to me means everyone coming together so that we can all succeed. I feel some people do succeed but don’t help others out. It is important to pay it forward. Through this project we can send out this important message,” said youth artist and Castle Hill resident Brenda Rodriguez, age 20.
 
Read more about the process of creating this mural in the New York Times.

Project Description

“Crowns of the Playground” celebrates the youth by brightening up the space in the playground.  The mural spotlights the youth’s visions and their undeniably inspired presence. The mural is a series of portraits based on the youth participants in the mural-making program. The crowns are each designed the youth the portrait represents.
 
The youth were charged with designing something that was important to them, something that would inspire happiness for others as well. There were many themes and so the themes were focused as crown pieces to create a continuity in within the composition. They spent a lot of time designing, redesigning and refining their designs. The crowns speak to nature, play, achievement, family, friendship, love, emotions, and passion. The mural is something that the youth, their families, and all of their friends were proud to watch develop.

Project Description

Created by a team of all young women, “Boatema (She Brings Strength)” centers around a growth and transformation narrative. Both ends of the mural have a hand holding a cracked open seed that is growing blossoming vines representing potential, dedication, patience, and support.
 
On the right side of the mural, the vines wrap around buildings that represent home and family images a physically supportive environment, or roots. There is a dad fixing his daughters’ hair, a young girl trying on clothes in a bedroom, and a dad walking with his daughter on his shoulder to help her pick a blossom from the vines. The left side of the cityscape represents creative/professional/ intellectual pursuits: the windows show a woman practicing piano, a woman hanging a framed picture of young graduates, a woman painting.
 
The center of the mural is a park scene with young women playing and growing, watched over by a “Mount Rushmore” of foremothers in the background. The mountain range of women are painted like rock and grass to represent their stability. The park scene features young women of various ages some playing together, one reading and another writing “sisters” on the sidewalk in chalk. The young girl with the dog is leaving the family environment to enter the park of growth. The young businesswoman walks back from the creative/professional/intellectual side of the piece toward the girls in the park and the mountain range of past and possibility.
 
There are bright colors scattered throughout to keep the composition light and playful, but also to connect all of the different phases or stages we, or the characters, may walk through. The mural, and the concept, is centered around the more naturalistic green centerpiece that represents where we can and will return to whenever we’re ready to grow. The pink blossom that the toddler picks from the vine.

Pages