Last week, Groundswell’s studio was packed with artists, young people, and community partners as we kicked off our 2012 Summer Leadership Institute (SLI). At a time when youth unemployment is at record levels, this program will not only provide young people with critical summer jobs and job skills but will offer them the opportunity to create visible change in their communities. 

 

Between now and August 30, upwards of 100 NYC youth will work intensively with professional artists to create seven large-scale works of public art on highly visible sites throughout the City, including the side of the Gowanus Arts Building, the Student Farm Project Garden in Brownsville, and the entrance of Hunts Point Riverside Park.

 

Through these projects, young people from low to moderate income families, some of whom already have a history in the juvenile court systems, will have a platform to explore, discuss, and share the concerns and issues that they face in their daily lives. Our summer themes this year include the including environmental concerns for waterfront communities, urban transportation, local labor and industry, and engaging with neighborhood and global movements. 

 

You are invited to join us on Wednesday, August 8 between 11am and 2pm for a mural tour and inside look at our work. The tour will begin at Groundswell’s beautiful studio space in Gowanus and visit several of our most prominent mural projects throughout Brooklyn. 

 

The highlight of our trip will be a stop at a mural-in-process by our inaugural Making His’tory team, made up exclusively of young men. As part of Groundswell’s seven Summer Leadership Institute worksites, the team will create a monumental mural on male identity in Brownsville. At the site, tour participants will have the opportunity to engage with our youth mural artists and learn more about the complex challenges faced by young men today at the heart of this project. 

 

Space on the tour bus is limited. For more details about our itinerary and to RSVP, please contact Madeleine LeMieux by August 6 at Madeleine@groundswellmural.org or 718.254.9782.