[2008 Projects]
VOICES HER'D/ Informed, Empowered
INFORMED, EMPOWERED
Groundswell Community Mural Project ©
www.groundswellmural.org
Acrylic on Cement
38 x 50 Ft plus left extension 14 x 30 Ft
2008
Lead Artist: Katie Yamasaki
Assistant Artist: Menshahat Ebron
Youth Artists: Elizabeth Maroney, Annie Wu, Sophia Dang, Erica Gil, Vivian Mah, Yan Yi Chen, Yasemin Kaynas, Min Ting Liu, Ashley Hollingshead, Teresa Tang, Elizabeth Yanes, Ebony Thurman
Volunteer: Nik Sonfield
Location: 713 3rd Avenue at 23rd Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The mural is on the side of a residential building owned by the Fifth Avenue Committee.
Community Partner: Fifth Avenue Committee
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
“Informed, Empowered” was created by a group of young women as part of Groundswell’s Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) 2008. Part of our ongoing Voices Her’d program, this project was developed during the four month pilot of a leadership seminar called Voices Her’d Visionaries. Participants from past Voices Her’d projects and other Groundswell projects who exhibited leadership potential were invited to discuss several issues pertaining to young women in the world today. Based on findings from museum trips, personal interest, and on listening to guest speakers from Iraq Veterans Against the War, Service Women’s Action Network, American Friends Service Committee and the United Nations, the participants chose Women in the Military to be the theme for their mural.
Many of the young artists wanted to address the issue of military recruiting, and targeting youth in low-income areas. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, military recruiters have access to high-school student’s contact information, so not only are they being approached in their schools, but also within their own homes. In an interview with The New York Times, lead artist Katie Yamasaki said, “They say there’s not a draft, but when they say they can’t afford to fund college because 40 percent of our tax dollars go to war, a lot of youths feel stuck.”
Utilizing a visual style inspired by war-time propaganda posters from around the world, the mural portrays three strong young women, poised in classic military poses, armed not with violent weapons but with tools of creation and education. Banners that read, ‘We Are Not Government Issued,’ and ‘Arm Yourself with the Knowledge to Think for Yourself’ stream along the wall. “Our mural is a creative tool that we are using to capture the attention of New Yorkers, and is intended to present that women and teens have a variety of options for their future aside from joining the military,” said Elizabeth Maroney, one of the young artists. The mural attracted a great deal of interest from both the public and news outlets, and will continue to make a bold statement for years to come.
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