MISSION
Groundswell brings together artists, youth, and community organizations to use art as a tool for social change. Our projects beautify neighborhoods, engage youth in societal and personal transformation, and give expression to ideas and perspectives that are underrepresented in the public dialogue.
CONSTITUENCIES
Youth
Most Groundswell youth attend New York City public schools and come from low-income or working-class families. Annually, up to 800 young people, primarily aged 14 to 21 participate. Our participants are motivated to join our programs by public art-making’s connection to graffiti and street culture, to make new friends, express themselves, develop art skills and work collaboratively. For more, visit our Youth Profiles.
Community-Based Organizations
Groundswell is NYC’s leading organization dedicated to preserving, teaching, and advancing the study and practice of public art-making. Community based organizations, schools and city agencies contact us to learn how public art can raise awareness about their organization, advance their mission, build community and visually transform public space. We have collaborated with more than 300 organizations since our founding.
Artists
Local, established artists lead every Groundswell project. All have bachelors and/or masters degrees in fine arts and experience working with youth. Groundswell's artists are committed to the practice of collaborative, community art and to using art to advance social change.
PROGRAMS
Youth in Groundswell programs develop and hone their abilities in four key areas: Creativity; Collaboration; Critical Thinking and Compassion. They master skills in art making to communicate ideas, work effectively with others, make informed decisions, and to build awareness of and empathy for others.
For Youth
Summer Leadership Institute (SLI): A summer program for up to 100 youth annually. Six teams of youth work with artists and community-based organizations to learn create large scale works of public art that beautify neighborhoods and give voice to ideas and perspectives that are underrepresented in the public dialogue.
Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship (TEMA): An after-school program, modeled on a traditional apprenticeship, in which teens create public art for community-based organizations, working in Groundswell's studio and with a particular emphasis on skills development.
Voices Her’d Visionaries (VHV): A year-round program where young women examine issues facing women and girls, and choose a topic upon which to focus a summer public art project.
Making Hi'story (MH): Based on Groundswell's Voices Her'd Visionaries, this is a program for young men who have demonstrated exemplary committment to Groundswell and the potential for leadership. The program piloted in 2007 and will launch again in 2012, adding a seventh project to the Summer Leadership Institute.
Portfolio Development: Groundswell high school students interested in attending post-secondary art programs work with artists to assemble a portfolio for their applications.
For Court-Involved Youth
TurnStyle: In partnership with the Red Hook Community Court and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, youth arrested for minor offences fulfill their community service requirements working with Groundswell artists
Segue: Youth who have graduated from the TurnStyle program learn the skills that are necessary for participation in Groundswell’s after-school and summer public art-making programs.
Riker's Island: Incarcerated youth at Riker's Island collaborate with Groundswell artists to create murals in the Riker’s Island jail.
In the Community
Community Mural Action Program (CMAP): Schools and community groups contract with Groundswell to develop public art projects that reflect their mission. CMAP projects often meet at a partner organization’s site and are sometimes part of the school day.
StreetWise: Hunts Point. With support from the Rockefeller Foundation Cultural Innovation Fund, Groundswell partners with The Majora Carter Group to engage youth, artists, and other community members in the identification of transportation-related concerns in the South Bronx and recommendation of design, signage, and policy solutions with the NYC Department of Transportation.
FY11 HIGHLIGHTS
- Over 800 youth participated in our programs in FY11. Most are NYC public school students, with 86% of SLI youth enrolled in or graduates of NYC public schools. School-year programs are over-subscribed.
- We worked with 27 Community Partners in FY11, several with multiple projects. Partners included: American Friends Service Committee, BRC, Community League of the Heights (CLOTH), Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Day One, Ella McQueen Residential Center, Farrow & Ball, Lutheran Medical Center, NYC Department of Correction, NYC Department of Education, NYC Department of Transportation, NU Hotel, The Center, Trust for Public Land, and 12 NYC Public Schools.
- We have a stable group of around 16 artists. We are actively recruiting and engaging new artists: in our 2011Summer Leadership Institute, 4 of the 12 artists were new.
- We worked on highly visible sites, including backdrops to new public school playgrounds, traffic barriers, the recently re-opened Brooklyn Detention Complex, a community center in the heart of Washington Heights, and Rikers Island.
- Our project themes included pedestrian safety and shared streets; anti-gun violence and peace promotion; restorative justive; gay identity, acceptance, and equality; and the greening of urban spaces.
CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS
College Art Association Annual Conference, February 2011
Groundswell will present on "From the Ground Up: Public Art and Community"
Visit our Conference & Presentations Archive