As another amazing summer comes to an end, Groundswell is thrilled to close out the season this week with seven joyous mural dedications and a terrific article in The New York Times.
 
As writer Celia McGee and photographer Ángel Franco share in The Times,
 
 "Murals have always been intended to awe, instruct and inspire, and the enormous image of an outspread hand slowly creeping up a naked brick wall at 512 Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn, was no exception."
 
We hope you will spend a few minutes reading the full article here, which captures the commitment and talent of our youth artists, while highlighting the powerful impact Groundswell makes on their lives.
 
Groundswell also hopes you will take a moment with us to celebrate the many dedicated individuals who partnered with Groundswell this summer and added their voices and visions to the ongoing revitalization of New York City.
 

• The 119 New York City teens who participated in our 2012 Summer Leadership Institute and embraced artmaking as a tool for social change to an extent that Groundswell has never seen before.

• Our incredible project partners, from Student Farm Project to Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the New York City Department of Transportation to Aspirations Diploma Plus High School, who inspired our youth artists each day with their passion for and commitment to the transformation of New York City.

• The many individual, foundation, and government supporters who make all that we do possible.

• And, of course, our visionary lead artists, who made magic each day (out in the hot sun) with young people to create beautiful works of public art for all New Yorkers to enjoy: Tanya Linn Albrigtsen-Frable, Joel Bergner, Leola Bermanzohn, Crystal Bruno, Esteban del Valle, Yana Dimitrova, Olivia Fu, Angel Garcia, Jazmine Hayes, Jules Joseph, Adam Kidder, Frank Parga, Nicole Schulman, and Chris Soria.

 
Congratulations, all, for your tremendous achievements over the past seven weeks, and thank you for all that you do in partnership with Groundswell.