I Have a Dream

  • The completed mural brightens up the computer room at the NYC Housing Authority Chelsea Elliot Houses.
  • Students discussing art history and mural design ideas.
  • Participants first used a grid to sketch the design on the wall and then progressed to painting.
  • Over 60 children from the I Have a Dream (IHAD) Foundation were present at the dedication ceremony.
  • Detail of one panel displaying the importance of technology in education.

Project Description

"I Have a Dream" graces the walls of the computer room in the NYC Housing Authority Chelsea Elliot Houses. This mural project began in 2008 as a class at The New School, whose primary aim was to research the history of public art and to design and create a work of public art in New York. The focus of the mural is the importance of education, with seven intertwining parts showing the process, the struggle for funding, and the advantages of education. All of the sections are linked with imagery of subway lines, signifying mobility and the idea that learning is a shared journey that leads to a better future. The mural transforms the computer room into a colorful, cheerful space. The theme of the importance of education is a significant message for the many people who utilize the room. Working throughout the spring, the mural was completed in May, with over 60 children from I Have a Dream (IHAD) Chelsea present at its dedication.

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Project Info

Location: 420 West 26th Street New York, NY 10001

Fun Facts

Fun Fact
In the mural, Eugene Lang, founder of The New School and the I Have a Dream Foundation, is depicted wearing an I Have a Dream (IHAD) t-shirt, drawing attention to the close partnership between the two organizations.
Fun Fact
A memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. opened in Washington DC on August 22, 2011. It is a 30-foot-high relief of King named the “Stone of Hope.”
Research
In 1996 President Bill Clinton awarded Eugene Lang the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Lang’s philanthropies, focused primarily on education, altogether exceed $150,000,000. Due to his philanthropy in education, he now holds 29 honorary degrees.