[2003-2004 Projects]

* The True Pioneers...

* Train to Read

* Lead Safe House...

* Girls Deal, Girls Do...

* Fifth Avenue Committee...

* Art of Remembering...

* NYC AIDS Housing...

Voices Her'd: I Deal, I Dream, I Do

VOICES HER'D:
I DEAL, I DREAM, I DO

Groundswell Community Mural Project ©
www.groundswellmural.org

Acrylic on Wall
40 x 60 Ft
2004

Lead Artist: Katie Yamasaki
Assistant Artists: Andrea Bernal, Menshahat Ebron
Youth Artists: Crystal Kinscy, Sharry Luong, Barbara Lam, Gloriby Munoz,
Kenya Stevens, Zaire Stevens, Sadiquah Wilkins

Location: Side of CHIPS, transitional housing center for homeless women and children. 4th Ave and Sackett, Park Slope, Brooklyn.

I Deal, I Dream, I Do is a part of the Voices Her'd mural series created to give young women the opportunity to say something meaningful about themselves to the greater community. The girls (both participants and assistants) in the project came from a variety of backgrounds including West Indian, African American, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Colombian.

The training the participants underwent included: 1) a brief study of mural movements in Mexico and the United States 2) writing workshops 3) photo reference, still life, location, and figure drawing workshops 4) graffiti workshop and history 5) learning how to discuss artwork, examining concept, craftsmanship and function through Brooklyn Museum trip 6) learning how to create a grid and transfer images from a small grid to a larger one.

As all of the girls had little experience painting or drawing, the planning approach for the final design utilized their words rather than drawings to come up with a cohesive design. The writing workshops were framed by encouraging the girls to write in an extremely sensory way about the issues they deal with, the things they dream about, and what they actually do to move from just dealing to living their dreams.

In describing their struggles, the girls were asked to talk about what it looked like, smelled like, sounded like, etc., when they dealt with difficult issues. Interestingly, the girls all agreed that gossip from peers and conflict at home were universally some of the hardest things they dealt with. These are depicted as silhouettes in the lower two windows of the mural. Other striking struggles that arose from the writing and discussion were responsibilities at home raising younger siblings (lower right window depicting an older girl braiding her younger sister's hair), and being a teenage mother (lower left window).

The dreams section of our discussion proved to be as varied as the girls themselves. From dancer to homeopathic doctor, the girls all aspired to go further than anyone in their families had gone before. Their dreams are depicted in the upper windows. The central image of a large-scale girl is the representation of progress, what it is the girls actually do to move towards their dreams.

Each participants writing and experience directly inspired the images of the girls in the mural. The wall is painted as if it were a brick facade with iron fire escapes. The flower-laden ladders lead compositionally and conceptually from the floor of struggles to the floor of dreams. The mural is lit as though it were twilight, with warm colors bouncing off the brick wall and a soft yellow glow emerging from each of the windows. The border, bright yellow sunrays, are a symbol of these girls and others like them, growing up bright and bold, then shining out on their world.

The participants learned how to work in difficult conditions physically and emotionally. The girls saw first hand some of the challenges involved in community collaboration, and got a good sense of the various levels of investment that community leaders and members have in public art. They also learned to speak comfortably about why it is important that their voice be heard, and how to communicate who they are effectively to people who may not otherwise understand them.


"This is a step towards our vision of ourselves, our community and the future."
Menshahat Ebron, Voices Her'd Participant


In terms of youth development the project was an overwhelming success. All of the girls who participated testified in post-program surveys to the importance of the project and the empowering effect it had on them. During the dedication ceremony attended by the girls, their families, the community at large and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, all of the participants spoke publicly and eloquently about the importance o the project for them. Crystal Kinscy gave a heartfelt and emotional talk in which she described her fears and insecurities about her ability to accomplish a project as ambitious as this one, and how through the group process and support she was encouraged to exceed her expectations, taking great pride in what she has accomplished. Crystal and the other girls spoke of how this mural was a watershed for them personally, how getting on a scaffold and creating a huge work of public art that dealt with issues deeply personal to them will leave its impact for many years. All of the girls grew in self-confidence as testified by their willingness and ability to speak in front of an audience about participating in the project. Since the completion of the project a number of the participants have enrolled in Groundswell's TEMA (Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship) program, where they continue to develop their artistic skills and produce other murals for local community groups.

The impact of the Voices Her'd mural is deeply felt in the community, where the mural is clearly visible along 4th Avenue and from a nearby subway stop. In an area that is still suffering from economic problems, it remains a testimony to the empowering and revitalizing effect that young people with artistic skills can have on the community. In what still remains a male dominated society despite the many changes and advances in women's empowerment, the mural also sends a clear message to young women in community, that despite the obstacles put in their paths, through study, arts, community support, and sheer dedication, they can fulfill their dreams and like the participants in this project, far exceed their own expectations.

The Voices Her'd mural was made possible by the generous support from National Endowment for the Arts, The Winifred Clive Foundation, The Rubin Foundation, The Open Meadows Foundation, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, Valspar Paints, Lowe's, Fleet Bank the contributions of Individual Donors. Special thanks to CHIPS, Washington Avenue Merchants Association, Bush Wholesalers and Colgate Scaffolding.