Groundswell partnered with the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE) to create a mural for the elevator bay of the fifth floor of Prospect Heights High School. The mural, entitled “BASE Family - An Environmental Partnership,” was conceptualized, designed, and painted by ninth and tenth grade students. These students worked with Groundswell artists to bring their collective vision to life. The project began with a series of trips to the Brooklyn Museum to see a gallery talk and an exhibition of paintings by contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley. The students studied the process behind Wiley's portraits of African American men from the streets of Harlem in poses that reference classical Western portraits. Wiley's paintings inspired the students to use portraiture to represent unique aspects of their high school in the mural. As in Wiley's paintings, the background of the mural is filled with organic design motifs taken from art and architecture from around the world.

Groundswell partnered with PS 38 in Brooklyn to complete a mural for the school’s outdoor play yard, which is enjoyed by both student and community members alike. The mural team chose to focus on the theme of recreation and community interaction for the mural. The first section features a series of vignettes celebrating young people playing. Linking the vignettes is an image of a running track that curves and weaves its way through this portion of the mural. The track reappears across the school yard in a second section which features girls playing basketball, a testament to women's success in traditionally male dominated roles. From the image of the basketball players, the mural then depicts a community garden, a girl running, and two elderly men playing dominos next to a chessboard. The mural ends with a long ultramarine wall featuring cropped images of basketball jerseys and sneakers.

“Follow Your Vision” is inspired by the dual themes of “leadership” and “career visions.” The youth artists included students from the Youth-for-R.E.A.L. afterschool program at MS 399 and nearby PS 33. Staff and interns from Youth-for-R.E.A.L. also volunteered to help paint. During the mural design process, the youth researched a variety of historical and contemporary leaders, with an emphasis on Black and Latino leaders in order to reflect the demographics of the local community. The students learned how leadership can take many different forms and how people can show leadership in whichever profession they have chosen. The mural includes portraits of fourteen important Black and Latino leaders from different geographic backgrounds and walks of life. Equal numbers of men and women are represented. A numbered star next to each portrait corresponds to a key that lists the name of each individual and a brief description of what s/he is known for. Significant figures featured in the mural include Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Oscar de la Renta.

Groundswell artist Christopher Cardinale worked with youth and adult members of Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE). Together, they designed a poster for FUREE’s Downtown Campaign to organize community members around the real estate development of Downtown Brooklyn. Cardinale discussed the concept over several sessions with FUREE members and organizers before finalizing the poster design. The poster depicts residents of Brooklyn rising up to preserve the integrity of their neighborhoods and fight development that leaves populations displaced. Underneath the image, the poster proclaims “Stop Gentrification in Brooklyn!” It is a powerful statement said on behalf of community residents who feel pressured to leave by developers seeking to build condos. The residents are portrayed as people of color and the developers as white to illustrate the racial tension often involved in gentrification.

 
As one of six projects created through Groundswell’s Summer Leadership Institute in 2007, young men in our Making His’tory program explored what it means to be an immigrant father in Brooklyn. The team then transformed this investigation into a monumental mural for PS 24, a bilingual public school in Sunset Park that primarily serves children of Latin American immigrants. The mural is comprised of thirteen separate walls, which together illustrate the journey of male immigrants to the United States. In the first, a silhouette of a father holds his baby against the background of a sunset. The next eleven walls address issues such as frustration at not knowing English, the challenge of building a new community outside of one’s homeland, and accessing new opportunities. In the thirteenth and final wall, a child sits on a stack of books. He holds a key that represents the opportunity that his father has afforded him by immigrating. A sunrise in the background evokes a better tomorrow for immigrant families.

Groundswell artist Mauricio Trenard designed and fabricated 50 plaques for the entrances to Fifth Avenue Committee housing developments in Brooklyn.

Groundswell partnered with students at the High School for Leadership and Public Service to produce two banners for the school’s lobby. The youth muralists developed themes that they felt illustrated the unique qualities of their education. The left banner, hung on the south side of the lobby, portrays students eating words out of a book, evoking a“Hunger for Knowledge.” In the center, a group of students embrace below a cloud raining the word “knowledge.” The right banner, hung on the north side of lobby, illustrates the phrases “A Sense of Being Trapped” and “A Burning Desire to Achieve.” In this banner, a girl looks in a mirror and reaches out to her reflection in imprisonment. The students wanted to show that, although some situations may be difficult, education can bring rebirth to students who put their minds to their studies.

Groundswell and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) designed the Traffic Safety Sign Residency Program to engage public school students in exploring traffic safety information through the creation of original street signs. Signs designed collaboratively by students at each of our partner schools are digitally rendered by Groundswell artists, fabricated by NYC DOT’s Sign Shop, and temporarily installed in local locations students identify as in need of traffic signage. Through this program, students learn how signs and symbols can work to communicate ideas and explore visual art techniques to develop graphic images. These signs then help increase safety awareness and prevent accidents in locations around each school community. Through symbols, MS 210 students urge viewers to observe street signs in order to keep themselves safe.

“Future Leaders” was created in one day by volunteers from Deloitte during a corporate volunteer opportunity at The Future Leaders Institute Charter School in Harlem. The mural features a vast blue sky over rolling green hills. At one end is a group of figures, admiring the beautiful scenery. The playful colors and emphasis on nature make “Future Leaders” an uplifting addition to the school and an inspiring mural for the students to see each day.

Through “The Animation State,” alumni from the Future Leadership Institute returned to their school to paint a mural celebrating the role of imagination in self-discovery. The youth artists opted to create a mural without straightforward historical or cultural iconography. As many had a strong interest in animation and cartoons, the group selected this style to tell its story. The mural’s title, “The Animation State,” illustrates the freedom animated people enjoy compared to their real-world counterparts. A child with pajamas – the main character – leaves behind a black and white world to enter a colorful world where (s)he travels through fantastic places and meets with fun and welcoming friends. “The Animation State” looks over a newly re-designed playground built by The Trust for Public Land and is adjacent to “The Four Seasons,” a series of mosaics by Groundswell youth artists. “Nature’s Song,” a mural led by Groundswell artist Cornell Jones, is located on the 122nd Street entrance to the school.