Summer Leadership Institute, 2011

Location: Pedestrian/Vehicle Overpass on 7th Ave between 62nd & 64th Street

Lead Artist: Conor McGrady

Assistant Artist: Amy Mahnick

Youth Artists: Alexander Battle, Zhenyao Chen, Chris Donoghue, Kevin Gales, Jaheim Jones, Calvin Lin, Wy Ming Lin, Christian Matias-Cortes, Stephanie Moore, Flabio Tiberius Perez, Joshua Rich, Keyla Rijo, Kassandra Trinidad, Niyah Williams

Community Partners: NYC Department of Transportation

Medium: Acrylic

Dimensions: 8' x 270' ft

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

At the request of Community Board 7, Groundswell youth worked with the NYC Department of Transportation’s Office of Safety Education and the agency’s Urban Art Program to create a mural on a pedestrian and vehicle overpass in Sunset Park. The teen artists explored safety and traffic statistics, studied sign-making, and conducted interviews throughout the neighborhood before taking on the massive wall that spans approximately 270 feet between 62nd and 64th Streets. 

The mural is a vibrantly colored reminder to “Stop, Look, and Listen” when driving and walking through traffic. It suggests to passersby that it is everyone’s responsibility to improve safety conditions in their neighborhood. This project both beautifies an unsightly overpass and empowers the young apprentice artists to take a lead role in making our streets and neighborhoods safer. A special thanks to Maimonides Medical Center for hosting Groundswell’s mural team.

This project is made possible through the generous support of the New York City Department of Transportation. Major financial support for Groundswell's 2011 Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) is also contributed by Brooklyn Community Foundation, Catalog for Giving, Charles Lawrence Keith and Clara Miller Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, Edelman Community Investment, Ethel and W. George Kennedy Family Foundation, Lambent Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, and Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation, in addition to numerous individuals.