Great Walls: The Children's Grove
THE CHILDREN’S GROVE
Groundswell Community Mural Project ©
www.groundswellmural.org
Acrylic on Wall
12 x 70 Ft
2002
Lead Artist: Christopher Cardinale
Assistant Artists: Amir Tafari, Hataya Tubtim
Youth Artists: Brenda Batista, Nicole Cruz, Alexis Franco, Roberto Harris, Victor Santana, Tamara Spence, Eleanor Alvarez
Location: Myrtle & Grove Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn
Community Partner: Make the Road by Walking
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Five members of the Youth Power program and lead artist, Christopher Cardinale, collaborated during summer 2002 to research, conceptualize and execute a mural in a vacant lot in Bushwick that is the future site of the Children's Grove Park that will be built by members of Make the Road by Walking/Se Hace el Camino al Andar for the residents of the neighborhood.
The mural team began their project by doing outreach with the various groups that are members of Make the Road by Walking. They met with environmental group, BASTA, who fight to bring attention to and solve problems that exist in Bushwick. BASTA is active around issues such as: lead paint poisoning; ridding the neighborhood of rats and vacant lots that have become garbage dumps, creating safe parks for the children and publicizing pollution that causes sever asthma cases for many Bushwick residents. The group also met with G.L.O.B.E., a collective that fights for the rights of gays, lesbians and transsexuals and educates in schools and the community to bring issues such as homophobia and gay bashing to light. Another important focus of the mural team was to honor the son of the owner's of the wall, Marc Del Pilar, whose life was lost in a violent incident in 1994. The graffiti mural that previously had occupied the wall was dedicated to Marc. The concerns of economic oppression, sweat shop labor and immigrants' rights were also brought up during the research phase of the mural by the staff and other members of the Bushwick community.
The design for the mural was conceptualized and created collaboratively by the youth and lead artist, with the final design made up of drawings and images collected and composed by the youth.
The thematic progression of the design begins with aspects that the community has had enough of, such as violence, discrimination, economic oppression, garbage, drugs and rats. The mural proclaims, "Basta Ya Enough!" In the second section there is a depiction of an ethnically diverse group of Bushwick residents gathered below the landmark elevated train lines of Bushwick which in reality are opposite the mural site. The train above the heads of the people is silhouetted by a sunset as it rolls towards the third section of the mural which depicts a protest scene such as those which grace Make the Road by Walking's offices in the form of photos and numerous newspaper clippings. The everyday heroes in this panel hold bilingual placards, which draw attention to many of the issues mentioned as concerns of the organization. The final section of the mural envisions a more peaceful and ideal future for the neighborhood in the form of Children's Grove Park where figures young and old are planting trees and turning the soil.
The creation of Children's Grove Mural involved the community and youth every step of the way. The challenges and triumphs of the project were shared by all of the participants and witnessed by passersby during a summer that produced a monumental work of public art that will inspire and challenge the community of Bushwick for years to come.