INpower

Project Description

Groundswell, New York City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, and Dominican Women's Development Center collaborated to bring a new mural at the George Washington Educational Complex. “INpower” was completed by Lead Artist Gina Goico, Assistant Artist Joiri Minaya, and a team of young women artists. The mural explores self-love as an act of resistance for young women of color, especially those of whom are marginalized in multiple facets of their identity.
 
During the design phase of the mural-making process, the group of young women discussed the issues they faced as young women of color, included body image/self-worth, vulnerability caused by social media use, street harassment, and gender-based discrimination. To combat these insecurities, the central image of a girl hugging herself declares "Love your mind, your body, your soul." Scenes framed by a complex braid design depicts moments when self-love might be difficult. This mural captures the importance of empowering young women to love themselves.
 
Natalie, one of the youth artists on the project, said about her experience working on the mural: “When I first joined this program, I thought ‘oh I probably won’t come back.’ But I realized working with my team that this was a great opportunity for the community. The more I come, the more I find people I like. I can share my feelings and experiences with other girls, and they do the same with me. We come together. I feel like we are all open minded and caring with one another now.” 

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

Project Info

Location: 549 Audubon Avenue New York, NY 10040

Fun Facts

Suggested Activity
Create a braided frame. In the frame, draw a scene representing how you practice self-care.
Question about the Mural
Inspired by the protest sign held by one of the figures, what is the difference between “equity” and “equality?”
Research
George Washington High School was founded in 1919, and moved into the building on Audubon Avenue in 1925.