CREATING COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CHANGE THROUGH ART

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), New York Council Housing Chair Ritchie Torres, and Groundswell present “Public Art / Public Housing,” a transformative mural project created in partnership with tenant associations at five NYCHA developments. One development in each of the five boroughs, identified from the Mayor’s Action Plan (MAP) for Neighborhood Safety, will co-create three mural projects, for a total of 15 new public artworks throughout the city.

This one-year initiative will use a series of community public art making projects to:

• Engage 200 young adult NYCHA residents in the transformation of vacant and neglected walls throughout public housing developments.
• Demonstrate how art, public housing, and Groundswell’s youth development model can be alighted to support long-term, community-driven change.
• Promote the history, hidden treasures, and strengths of each development as a basis for positive change through community interviews, surveys, and the recording of personal narratives.
• Support residents as they envision the changes they would like to see in their communities and how this change can be most meaningfully implemented.
• Strengthen 21^st century workforce skills for youth through paid apprenticeships.

Read more about the projects in the New York Times, Observer, and Smithsonian Mag articles.

Watch "Compass of Dreams," a video created to celebrate the initiative.

This initiative is supported with funds from the New York City Council under the leadership of Council Member Ritchie Torres.

Learn more about our project partners: 

• New York City Housing Authority 
• New York Council Member Ritchie Torres