groundswell's 2011 annual report

AnnuAl RepoRt 2011 1

AnnuAl RepoRt

Art as a tool for social change is the future of the field. We’ve tried for so long to engage community members in the consumption of art. I think we’ve realized over time that engaging them in the production of art is the best way for it to reflect their concerns, their lived experiences, their values. Groundswell is doing exactly that.Edwin Torres Associate DirectorThe Rockefeller Foundation

Over Groundswell’s 15-year history, we have completed 300 public art projects in over 40 neighborhoods, engaging 95 artists and thousands of young people.

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tABle oF ContentS

A Letter from the Board Chair .................... 3

A Message from the Executive Director ..... 4

Summer Leadership Institute .................... 6

2010/2011 In Review ................................... 8

Afterschool Programs .............................. 10

School-Based Programs .......................... 12

Special Initiatives ...................................... 14

Our Donors ................................................ 16

2010/2011 Financials ................................ 17

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Groundswell works with 30 community partners and serves 800 youth each year.


letteR FRoM tHe BoARd CHAIR

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David Goldstein President

Susan Ochshorn Vice President

Cedric Gaddy Treasurer

Robin Deutsch Edwards Secretary

Jay DeDapper

Menshahat Ebron

Didi Goldenhar

Maura Greaney

Jenny Laden

Joanne Nerenberg

Samantha Rhulen

On September 30, Groundswell completed an extraordinary fiscal year. I am pleased to now present Groundswell’s FY11 Annual Report, highlighting the remarkable range of opportunities for young people and public art projects made possible thanks to your generous support.

Washington Heights. Sunset Park. East New York. Chelsea. As you will see in the enclosed pages, Groundswell truly is a city-wide organization with a city-wide impact. From Rikers Island to the NYC Lab School, The LGBT Center to the Brooklyn Detention Complex, Groundswell is in the community and on the streets, confronting the day-to-day issues facing our neighbors and kids.

This fiscal year was particularly meaningful in that it marked Groundswell’s 15th anniversary as New York City’s leading organization dedicated to community public art. As Groundswell celebrates this milestone, the organization is in the strongest financial and programmatic position in its history.

The enclosed financial figures demonstrate the fiscal health and discipline that remain core Groundswell values, and reflect the diverse group of stakeholders that we serve.

In FY11, Groundswell also achieved a number of institutional accomplishments which strengthened our ability to fulfill our mission to use art as a tool for social change and set the stage for the continued growth of our programs and operations well into the next 15 years.

We moved to a beautiful new studio space in the heart of the vibrant Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn. This new home tripled our square footage, providing us the critical space needed to expand our programs (and store the hundreds of gallons of paint we use each year!). If you haven’t already, I invite you to stop by our offices to see our artmaking studio and youth muralists in action.

We also continued to build our support services for Groundswell youth, to ensure they succeed both in our programs and in their lives outside of Groundswell. We welcomed a Youth Advocate to our staff and launched a new program database to help us better understand and track the impact of our work.

Finally, we’ve rolled out a fresh new identity that celebrates our growth as an organization and clearly communicates our vision for the future. We hope you’ll agree that this new look captures the power and energy of Groundswell. Watch for a revamped website later this summer as well, which will make it easier for you to connect with us and discover public art in your neighborhood and beyond.

Groundswell has grown significantly over the past 15 years, on the strength of increased demand for our programs from both youth and community partners, and the confidence of a diverse array of supporters like you.

I am particularly excited to share that Groundswell was one of 16 organizations selected to receive a 2011 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Cultural Innovation Fund. Thanks to this support, Groundswell will launch StreetWise: Hunts Point, a two-year, multi-project partnership with Majora Carter Group and the New York City Department of Transportation in the South Bronx.

This grant represents a tremendous investment in Groundswell and our effort to engage, empower, and transform our community through public art, and we look forward to updating you on our progress.

In closing, I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to all members of the Groundswell community – my dedicated Board colleagues, the visionary staff and artists hard at work each day, our diverse array of community partners, and the hundreds of talented and engaged young people.

And, of course, thank you for all that you do to make Groundswell’s work possible.

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Despite the singularity of each finished work, all were created through the same rigorous collaborative process. This process empowers young people to use art as a tool for social change and offers an unexpectedly rich lightning rod to engage the broader community.

The process begins when a group of disparate stakeholders – teens, artists, community organiza-tions, funders, a willing wall owner – come together around a shared vision and objective.

To transform a vacant lot. To speak out against gun violence. To mobilize local residents to improve their streets.

Tasked with a specific mission, each team of youth artists dives into intensive research, which might include meeting with experts, going on field trips, and/or interviewing community members.

Through hands-on design sessions, these young people develop a unique visual language and vocabulary of images, colors, and gestures.

Groundswell artists integrate these visual ideas into a design that has its own artistic integrity, while preserving the contributions of individual team members.

Once an initial design is complete, young people share their work publicly with neighborhood residents for feedback and concerns.

They return to the studio armed with this community input, prepared to revise and improve the design, before seeking final approval from each project partner.

Finally, fabrication begins. Each youth gains experience in all aspects of the artmaking process, working onsite (and largely outdoors) where they continue to engage with community members and share their work.

The process ends with a joyous public dedication – an opportunity for the community to celebrate the hard work of Groundswell youth while coming together in consideration of the broader project topic.

Through this process, we’ve seen over and over again how public art can activate space and convert it into something extraordinary – inspiring reflection, revelation, action, and change.

A groundswell is a sudden surge of growth or a wave of energy surfacing from beneath the ocean. At Groundswell, we support the energy and stories hidden behind walls to be expressed on the walls.

And we thank you for YOUR support, which makes all of this and more possible.

A MoMent to ReFleCt

SInCeRely,AMy SAnAnMAnexeCutIVe dIReCtoR

As Groundswell prepares our new and improved Annual Report, it is tremendously gratifying to spend a few moments reflecting on how the organization has grown since our founding 15 years ago.

Over our history, Groundswell has worked with thousands of young people, artists, and community members to create more than 300 collaboratively designed public artworks across New York City.

As you will see in the enclosed pages, each Groundswell artwork is unique. It could only have been made by that particular group of people in that particular moment in time.

Fifteen remarkable young women use public art to make their voices heard in the fight against teen dating abuse.

A group of incarcerated students brings a vision of balance and harmony to a corridor on Rikers Island.

LGBT youth respond to a string of highly-publicized suicides by gay teenagers with optimism in a vibrant and hopeful mural for The Center.

In FY11, Groundswell completed 27 new works of public art.


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.

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Participating in the program this summer was a great opportunity. It allowed me to use art as a way to give back to the community and create a strong message for the public. I really enjoyed working with Groundswell and have learned a lot from this program.Mei Kazama Groundswell youth participant

Groundswell’s flagship program is a seven-week summer jobs training intensive that employs up to 100 young people each year. In six teams, each led by two professional artists, these young people research, design, and create high-quality, permanently installed works of public art across New York City. Eighty-six youth participated in our 2011 Summer Leadership Institute, nearly all of them public school students or recent graduates.

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Over the course of a single summer, Groundswell uses 140 pints of acrylic paint and 45 gallons of primer.


∞ dreams (Infinite dreams)

∞ Dreams (Infinite Dreams) was created in partnership with The Trust for Public Land as part of a larger effort to transform PS 164’s blacktop schoolyard into a green play space. Groundswell youth artists designed and installed a vivid mosaic for elementary school children and community members from the ethnically diverse neighborhood of Borough Park to enjoy.In collaboration with The Trust for Public Land and PS 164

Medium Mosaic tile on wall

Size 15 x 70 ft

location 4211 14th Avenue Borough Park, Brooklyn

lead Artist Clare Herron

Assistant Artist Grace Baley

youth Artists Tiquan Arnon, Immanuel Barnett, Donovan Dawson, Celina Greene, Hasaanul Haq, Emani Hears, Xavier Jackson, Moise Joseph, Danielle Jordan, Jana Lindsay, Nelaja Muhammed, Arielle Negron, Jalen Pringle, Rosemarie Ratcliffe, and Valentin Rodriguez

Justice Mandala

Justice Mandala explores restorative justice: the act of seeking solutions that repair, reconcile, and rebuild relationships. Youth muralists, including some formerly incarcerated teenagers, connected their personal experiences to a broader conversation about criminal justice to transform the State Street side of the Brooklyn Detention Complex.Sponsored by NU Hotel Brooklyn, Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership In collaboration with NYC Department of Correction

Medium Acrylic on Wall

Size 90 x 8 ft

location 275 Atlantic Avenue (State Street Side), Downtown Brooklyn

lead Artist Chris Soria

Assistant Artist Misha Tyutyunik

youth Artists Akeem Bedward, Jelissa Caldwell, John Cepeda, David Hunter, Badley Jules, Mei Kazama, Annie Lee, Alexis Meza, Maya Pruitt, Raymond Reyes, Elijah Rodriguez, Thomas Torchio, and Isaac Treadwell

love Should Always Be Safe

During the school year, young women participating in Groundswell’s Voices Her’d Visionaries program researched intimate partner abuse in teen relationships. In the summer, these emerging artists created a unique public art campaign entitled Love Should Always Be Safe to raise awareness of this issue among their peers. The young women also launched a blog (www.groundswellvhv.wordpress.com) to track the process of their campaign.In collaboration with Day ONE

Medium Poster Campaign, Screen Printing, Blog

lead Artist Nicole Schulman

Assistant Artist Tanya Linn Albrigtsen-Frable

youth Artists Sandra Aghedo, Tichina Alexander, Gloryann Anderson, Dakota Austin, Shianti Bratcher, Rebecca Cocks, Dominique Delouis, Emeli Herrera, Casey Jones, Michelle Lopez, Joanna Palermo, Saradyn Sanon, Jonell Santiago, and Cherry Sompanya

React, Respect, Intersect

React, Respect, Intersect was designed by Groundswell apprentice artists to promote traffic safety at a dangerous intersection in Kensington. With its bright colors and large central figure of a young girl holding up her hand as if to say “Stop,” the mural is a visual speed bump that reminds passing drivers what is at stake when they break traffic laws and endanger others.In collaboration with NYC Department of Transportation’s Office of Safety Education and its Urban Art Program division


Size 25 x 64 ft

location 338 East 5th Street Kensington, Brooklyn

lead Artist Yana Dimitrova

Assistant Artist Adam Kidder

youth Artists Ariel Azore, Ra-Shawn Barino, Michael Coleman, Yves Fatal, Nataya Friedan, Jazmine Hayes, Ivan Jacobson, Peter Kehinde, Bill Ng, Cassandra Parbolus, and Joanna Roberts

Stop, look, listen

Before taking on a massive 270 ft pedestrian and vehicle overpass, Groundswell teen artists explored safety and traffic statistics, studied sign-making, and interviewed local Sunset Park residents. Stop, Look, Listen is a vibrant reminder that it is everyone’s responsibility to improve safety conditions within our community.In collaboration with NYC Department of Transportation’s Office of Safety Education and its Urban Art Program division


Size 8 x 270 ft

location Overpass at 7th Avenue and 63rd Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn

lead Artist Conor McGrady

Assistant Artist Amy Mahnick

youth Artists Alexander Battle, Zhenyao Chen, Kevin Gales, Calvin Lin, Wy Ming Lin, Christian Matias-Cortes, Stephanie Moore, Flabio Tiberius Perez, Joshua Rich, Keyla Rijo, Kassandra Trinidad, and Niyah Williams

weaving Change Beyond the Shadows

Weaving Change Beyond the Shadows addresses the devastating impact of gun use in New York City and offers alternatives to violence for young people. In the mural, a series of diverse figures are connected by a long, beautiful cloth. The cloth is whole in some places, torn in others. By standing together, the figures take responsibility to mend the fabric and restore peace to their community.In collaboration with American Friends Service Committee and Community League of the Heights (CLOTH)


Size 14 x 70 ft

location 500 W 159th Street Washington Heights, New York

lead Artists Crystal Bruno and Frank Parga

youth Artists Tadina De La Rosa, Dranisleidi Disla, Travis Hewitt-Roach, Melissa Lopez, Pamela Luna, Malikah Mahone, Sarah Martinez, Adan Palermo, Miguel Paulino, Stephanie Pena, Angel Sanchez, Danilsa Santana, Shadey Rojas, Kimberley Valcarcel, and Averi WilliamsSU

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1996the Golden BirdcageGroundswell creates first mural, “How Our People Left Everything Behind/The Golden Birdcage,” with Mexican-born youth in Williamsburg. The upsurge of energy generated by the project inspires the name, Groundswell.

1997everyone Holds a worldGroundswell incorporates as a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support participatory mural-making projects driven by New York’s marginalized communities.

1998we Are Here to Awaken from the Illusion of our SeparatenessGroundswell runs two summer programs employing ten teens and serving an additional thirty youth through two murals in partnership with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice and Gowanus Houses.

1999peace is not a dream in StorageBarnard College and Pew Charitable Trusts study Groundswell’s innovative approach to civic engagement. “Peace is not a Dream in Storage” attracts attention from The New York Times, NBC, and Oxygen Media. First Benefit raises $3,000.

2000elephantsGroundswell completes first Three Year Strategic Plan, laying out our vision to bring a renaissance of creativity, community, and color to the streets by organizing community residents through murals, workshops, and apprenticeships.

2001Sunset park unity MuralGroundswell receives two-year capacity building grant from the Open Society Institute, enabling us to hire part-time staff and plan for a permanent home.

15-year timeline

1 ∞ Dreams (Infinite Dreams), BOROUGH PARK

2 Balance, RIKERS ISLAND

3 Be Alert, EAST NEW YORK

4 Be Smart, Don’t Double Park, ELTINGVILLE

5 BRC Mosaic, LOWER EAST SIDE

6 Communidad Global, Global Community, SUNSET PARK

7 Cross Carefully, WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

8 Diversity is a Rich Tapestry, CHELSEA

9 First Impression, CHELSEA

10 Justice Mandala, DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN

11 Love Should Always Be Safe, GOWANUS

12 MetrOrganism, EAST NEW YORK

13 Pay Attention, WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

14 Pay Attention, QUEENS VILLAGE

15 Rainforest and Butterflies, EAST CHESTER

16 React, Respect, Intersect, KENSINGTON

17 Respect Your World, HUNTS POINT

18 Stop at Red, JAMAICA ESTATES

19 Stop, Look, BOROUGH PARK

20 Stop, Look, Listen, SUNSET PARK

21 The People of Sunset Park, SUNSET PARK

22 Transformative Moments, BEDFORD

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23 Transforming Your Transit to Tranquility,

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24 Use the Crosswalk,

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25 Utopian Time Machine, WILLIAMSBURG

26 Wear Your Helmet, MARBLE HILL

27 Weaving Change Beyond the Shadows, WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

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90% of community partners feel Groundswell successfully met or exceeded their project expectations.


2002the Children’s GroveGroundswell sets up studio/office at 339 Douglass Street, Brooklyn. Eighty people create eight murals around New York. Thirty teens participate in our summer jobs program.

2003House everyoneGroundswell launches Teen Empowerment Mural Apprenticeship (TEMA) program, serving seven youth. Fifth Art Auction Benefit raises $10,000.

2004I deal, I dream, I doFirst bronze reliefs created with public/private school partnership. Board expands to fourteen members, including a youth representative, and Artistic Advisory Committee is founded.

2005VoicesGroundswell is recognized with a Union Square Award. TEMA afterschool program doubles. Over 150 youth and adults create twelve murals. Groundswell completes Strategic Plan 2006-2009.

2006our CommunityGroundswell celebrates ten years in mural making. Honorary Advisory Board is established.

2007Art Builds Community, Community Creates ChangeGroundswell serves 350 youth, who design and create fifteen socially relevant works of public art.

2008Informed, empoweredVoices Her’d Visionaries speak out against military recruitment targeting youth in low-income areas through “Informed Empowered.” Groundswell partners with the Office of the Mayor to revitalize the entrance to a 900-foot-long subway underpass with “New York City is a Rollercoaster.”

2009piece out, peace InGroundswell launches Portfolio Development program, and its inaugural class secures acceptances

to FIT, NYU, and Evergreen College. City of Newark contracts Groundswell to train its government agencies, community-based organizations, and artists in our collaborative method.

2010Some walls Are InvisibleGroundswell relocates to newly renovated office/studio space at 540 President Street, tripling our square footage. This relocation is fully funded by a private capital campaign.

2011weaving Change Beyond the ShadowsGroundswell celebrates 15th anniversary as New York’s leading organization dedicated to community public art. 15th Anniversary Art Auction Benefit raises $100,000. Groundswell partners with over 30 community organizations, engages 800 youth, and launches first digital media public art campaign.

American Friends Service Committee

Aspirations Diploma Plus High School, East New York

BRC

Community League of the Heights (CLOTH)

Court-Livingston- Schermerhorn BID

Day One

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

Ella McQueen Reception Center

Farrow & Ball

IS 143, Washington Heights

IS 238, Jamaica Estates

IS 367, Hunts Point

Lutheran Medical Center

New Lang School

Nu Hotel

NYC Department of Correction

NYC Department of Education

NYC Department of Transportation

NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies, Chelsea

NYS Office of Children and Family Services

PS 20, Flushing

PS 24, Sunset Park

PS 33, Queens Village

PS 55, Eltingville

PS 78, Eastchester

PS 105, Borough Park

PS 128, Washington Heights

PS 164, Borough Park

PS 310, Marble Hill

PS 345, East New York

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center

Trust for Public Land

Williamsburg Northside School

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teen eMpoweRMent MuRAl AppRentICeSHIp (teMA)

The largest of our afterschool programs, TEMA supports the development of artistic skills while furthering broader youth development objectives. In FY11, two TEMA sections with a total enrollment of 33 teens met weekly during three hour sessions between October and June, for a total of 100 supervised contact hours. Each session engaged participants in the creation of a work of art for a commissioning organization.

the people of Sunset park In collaboration with Lutheran Medical Center and its Sunset Park Family Health Center for Women and Children

Medium Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 5 x 22 ft

location 5610 Second Avenue, Sunset Park, Brooklyn


Assistant Artist Sophia Dawson

youth Artists Royale Bastien, Shianti Bratcher, Jesus Castillo, Ronson Cezile, Gabriella Grafakos, Catherine Hunt, Casey Jones, Shakara Jones, Alexis Meza, Kevon Nicholas, Adan Palermo, Eric Palermo, Maribel Sanchez, Susana Sanchez, Thomas Torchio, Niyah Williams, and Lena Yu

The People of Sunset Park is inspired by the medical staff, hospital administrators, and local residents who have helped make the

Sunset Park Family Health Center a vibrant community health center. The mural evokes a digital image viewer, with a rolling landscape of Sunset Park serving as background to a series of floating individual portraits.

transforming your transit to tranquility In collaboration with NYC Department of Transportation and its Urban Art Program

Medium Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 100 ft

location Tillary Street between Jay and Adams Streets in Downtown Brooklyn

lead Artist Chris Beck

Assistant Artist Tanya Albrigtsen-Frable

youth Artists Renangie Alcantara-Polanco, Alexander Battle, John Cepeda, Fanta Conde, Ariel Estrella, Leandi Gaton, Anthony Huertero, Lin Liao, Kabrina McRae, Abel Peralta, Jalen Pringle. Raymond Reyes, Valentin Rodriguez, Jaylene Santos, Tiffany Yao, and Wen Lian Zhang

Transforming Your Transit to Tranquility was designed in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation and its Urban Art Program’s traffic barrier beautification project. Nine panels face pedestrian and bicycle traffic along a 100 ft concrete structure. The mural suggests transformation and motion, portraying a single sheet of paper transforming from a plane into a boat.

Voices Her’d Visionaries (VHV)

lead Artists Nicole Schulman and Katie Yamasaki

During a spring afterschool session, Groundswell’s Voices Her’d Visionaries program for exceptional young women met weekly to research and discuss ideas for a summer public art project. The team of ten Visionaries identified the topic “women and healthy relationships in an age of new technology.” The women investigated different types of teen dating abuse and how those abuses are played out in today’s technology-dependent age. Over 60% of participants in the spring VHV session returned to the summer project, mentoring new additions to the team of visionary artists. poRtFolIo deVelopMent

lead Artist Conor McGrady

Portfolio Development serves as a capstone to Groundswell’s broader youth programs. This pre-professional training program offers a unique opportunity for talented youth artists interested in pursuing postsecondary art education. The curriculum is challenging, and it encourages emerging artists to build technical skills, discover their artistic voice, and achieve their creative potential. In FY11, seven youth worked with artist Conor McGrady in a studio environment between October and December. Of the year’s graduating class, 80% of participants completed portfolios and were accepted into art programs of their choice, including California College of the Arts and Fashion Institute of Technology.

Groundswell’s afterschool programs provide youth opportunities to learn creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and compassion (“the Four C’s”) through a traditional apprenticeship model. Each program is designed on a template of sequential activities that support the creation of collaborative public art. In FY11, two-thirds of youth enrolled were returning participants, offered the chance to develop advanced artistic and leadership skills and serve as mentors to their peers.

99% of youth participants believe they will use skills learned at Groundswell in other aspects of their lives.

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My time at Groundswell has helped me to become more confident in myself, improve my capabilities in group dynamics, and be more open to the world. All the things I gained at Groundswell I know I can apply in my other pursuits.Alexander Battle Groundswell youth participant

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100% of parents strongly agree that Groundswell teaches their children community involvement.

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The PS 24 students took great pride in making visual decisions throughout the project and then telling everyone that passed which parts they had painted. Many, many people from PS 24 (which is fully accessible) stopped to comment on how thrilled they were to see children who are differently-abled represented in the mural.Katie Yamasaki Groundswell artist

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Communidad Global, Global Community in collaboration with PS 24

Medium & Size Acrylic on Concrete, 6 panels, 2 x 8 ft

lead Artist Katie Yamasaki


youth Artists Twelve 3rd and 4th grade students

location 427 38th Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Communidad Global, Global Community celebrates the diversity of the PS 24 school community. PS 24 students of different races, physical abilities, and personality traits coexist peacefully within the mural. A series of kites serves as a visual thread with text in Spanish, English, Bengali, Arabic, Polish, and Chinese to represent the different languages spoken at the school.

diversity is a Rich tapestry in collaboration with NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies

Medium & Size Acrylic on Brick, 8 x 45 ft

lead Artist Nicole Schulman

youth Artists 60 8th grade students

location 333 W 17th Street, Chelsea, New York

Diversity is a Rich Tapestry memorializes NYC Lab School student Jabulani Summers, age eleven. The mural process supported the school community’s healing for the loss of Jabulani. All eighth grade students participated, with those who knew him well taking a lead role in the design. In the mural, Jabulani speaks the Maya Angelou quote, “Diversity makes for a rich tapestry. All threads are equal, no matter what color.” Silhouettes of children playing span the bottom of the image.

First Impression in collaboration with Farrow & Ball and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center


Assistant Artist Crystal Bruno

youth Artists Ten LGBT youth aged 16–20 years old

location 208 West 13th Street, Chelsea, New York

Medium & Size Farrow & Ball Paint on Wood Panel, 12 x 7.5 ft.

First Impression was created by a group of teens at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center. At the time of its creation, a string of highly publicized suicides by gay teens generated a national discussion about gay kids’ experiences. The mural’s dark edges suggest we are witnessing a moment of illumination. Beams of color burst from the middle of the composition and illuminate a diverse array of silhouetted heads.

Metrorganism in collaboration with Aspirations Diploma Plus High School

Medium & Size Acrylic on Pillars, 3 pillars 8 x 11 ft


Assistant Artist Frank Parga

youth Artists Six high school students aged 16–20 years old

location 1495 Herkimer Street, East New York, Brooklyn

MetrOrganism was created for three cylindrical pillars in the Aspirations Diploma Plus High School library. Student artists developed imagery through observation of the immediate neighborhood and environment. Free association exercises led to a vision of the city as living organism. Each image in the triptych is continuous to the left and right in either direction.

Rainforest and Butterflies in collaboration with Trust for Public Land and PS 78

Medium & Size Acrylic on Wall, 8 x 36 ft


Assistant Artist Amy Mahnick

youth Artists 30 fifth grade students

location 1400 Needham Avenue, Eastchester, Bronx

Rainforest and Butterflies was designed in partnership with Trust for Public Land as part of its larger transformation of a vacant lot at PS 78 into a new community playground. The mural supports the students’ vision for a vibrant natural green space in which to play and grow. Imagery is inspired by the fifth grade artists’ classroom study of the rainforest and its many different species of butterflies.

utopian time Machine in collaboration with Williamsburg Northside School

lead Artist Frank Parga


youth Artists 17 elementary school students aged 5–6 years old

Medium & Size Acrylic on Wall, 11 x 24 ft

location 70 Havemeyer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Utopian Time Machine realizes a group of elementary school students’ vision of Utopia, or a perfect day in their community. The central image of the mural is a lightning-powered machine which can transport the students anywhere, anytime. Japanese cranes are visible throughout the image, included by the students following the 2011 tsunami.

Through school-based mural residencies, Groundswell works in public school classrooms to enhance the standard curricula and expose young people to the arts while creating cross-disciplinary connections between the arts and other academic disciplines.

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14 GRoundSwell

SpeCIAl InItIAtIVeS

Safety Sign InitiativeThrough a unique curriculum designed in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation and its Office of Education and Outreach, Groundswell engages 5th and 8th grade public school students in the creation of original traffic safety signs for their communities. These young people explore traffic conditions on streets adjacent to their school and then create a personalized safety message for pedestrians and motorists. A selection of signs designed collaboratively by the students are fabricated by the DOT sign shop and temporarily installed in local locations identified by the students. In FY11, Groundswell and the Department of Transportation partnered with ten schools throughout the five boroughs, engaging 300 students. The students’ work was celebrated through “Young Artists for Safer Streets,” an exhibition of traffic safety signs installed at Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Lower Manhattan and St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island between May and October.

public programsThroughout the year, Groundswell presents educational mural tours designed to engage a broad audience in our collaborative artmaking process. Attendees learn more about the history of public art and discover how murals have influenced and shaped the New York City landscape. When possible, tours visit a mural-in-process worksite, to introduce attendees to the young artists at the heart of Groundswell’s work. In FY11, Groundswell presented six educational tours, helping to build our audience and inspiring an ongoing conversation about public art.

Juvenile JusticeGroundswell’s juvenile justice initiative serves New York City young people involved at all stages of the criminal justice continuum. Our work emphasizes sustained involvement with court-involved, incarcerated, and formerly incarcerated youth to provide them the ongoing support needed to avoid delinquent behavior and promote their positive growth over time. Through a mural residency program for incarcerated youth, Groundswell artists work onsite at public high schools located within City- and State-run detention facilities. Each residency supports staff and corrections officers in their efforts to improve academic performance and prepare students for a successful

discharge. In FY11, Groundswell completed our fourth and fifth murals onsite in juvenile detention facilities. Groundswell’s alternative detention program, TurnStyle, is focused on accountability and skill-building for youth arrested for minor offenses such as vandalism, fare evasion, and truancy. Appropriate young people are sentenced to Groundswell by the New York City Department of Probation, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, and our community partner, the Center for Court Innovation. During community services hours fulfilled at our office, participants complete basic office and facilities maintenance tasks, fostering the development of work readiness skills. Segue affords graduates of TurnStyle an opportunity to develop more specialized art skills needed to participate in Groundswell’s afterschool and summer artmaking programs. During intensive skill-building workshops with Groundswell artists, Segue participants complete hands-on artmaking activities which contribute to the completion of a public art project in partnership with a community-based organization. In FY11, TurnStyle engaged 40 youth participants. Five of these young people successfully transitioned to Segue and were invited to join our summer and afterschool programs.

Each year, 65% of Groundswell mural apprentices participate in both our summer and afterschool offerings, for a total annual contact time of 275 hours.

Groundswell’s special initiatives are designed to reach a greater community of young people and adults not engaged by our summer, afterschool, and school-based programs. These initiatives are driven by meaningful partnerships with alternative sentencing programs, city agencies, and educational institutions.

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SpeCIAl InItIAtIVeS

Balance in collaboration with NYC Department of Correction and NYC Department of Education

Medium and Size Acrylic on wall, 8 x 24 ft

location Youthful Offender RNDC corridor, Rikers Island, New York


Assistant Artist Misha Tyutyunik

youth Artists Twelve incarcerated youth aged 16–18 years old

Created by East River Academy high school students incarcerated on Rikers Island, Balance explores how the Feng Shui ideal of balance might be realized in the students’ every day lives. The development of the mural involved youth from diverse backgrounds in a collaborative and inclusive process. Its unveiling was celebrated by students, detainees, and Department of Correction staff, and its presence has inspired other detainees to create their own works of creative writing, poetry, and artwork.

transformative Momentsin collaboration with NYS Department of Children and Family Services and the Ella McQueen Reception Center for Boys

Medium and Size Acrylic on wall, 8 x 24 ft

location 41 Howard Avenue, Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn


youth Artists Five incarcerated youth aged 14–16 years old

Transformative Moments was developed in partnership with Ella McQueen Residential Center, a New York State juvenile detention center in Bedford Stuyvesant. The mural, installed in the Center’s reception room, greets residents with a message of personal and collective transformation. Aphorisms inscribed throughout the mural read “Life is a circle. We are each responsible for our own actions,” and “There was never night that had no morn.”

BRC Mosaicin collaboration with BRC and its Casa de los Vecinos Transitional Housing Facility

Medium Mosaic tile on wall

location 91 Pitt Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan

lead Artist Jessica Poplawski

youth Artists Participants in Groundswell’s Segue program for juvenile offenders

Through Groundswell’s Segue program, juvenile offenders worked with artist Jessica Poplawski and community partner BRC to create a mosaic for the entryway of Casa De Los Vecinos, a transitional housing residence for individuals living with mental illness. The mosaic welcomes all to the facility with a message of hope, health, and home.

The Department of Correction believes it’s important that kids are given opportunities to be agents of social change. Groundswell murals represent what we can do together, and that we can do more together than we can do alone.Winette Saunders HalyardNYC Department of Correction Assistant Commissioner

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public FundersNational Endowment for the ArtsNew York State Council on the ArtsNew York Council for the HumanitiesNew York City Department of Cultural AffairsNew York City Department of EducationNew York City Department of Youth and Community DevelopmentMayor Michael R. BloombergBrooklyn Borough President Marty MarkowitzState Senator Velmanette MontgomeryCouncilmember Sara M. GonzalezCouncilmember Letitia JamesCouncilmember Brad LanderCouncilmember Stephen LevinCouncilmember Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. Capital Campaign Booth Ferris FoundationMarc I. Gross and Susan OchshornHyde and Watson FoundationRob Krulak Annual Campaign $25,000 +Catalog for Giving Davis, Polk, & Wardwell LLP Lambent Foundation

$10,000 – 24,999Altman FoundationBrooklyn Community FoundationColgate Scaffolding David Rockefeller FundEILEEN FISHER Marc I. Gross and Susan Ochshorn Hersha Hospitality Rob Krulak

Two West FoundationValentine Perry Snyder FundWinifred Johnson Clive Foundation $5,000 – 9,999Charles Lawrence Keith and Clara Miller FoundationJay DeDapper and Tod Wohlfarth Robin Deutsch Edwards and David EdwardsGoldstein Hall PLLCDavid GoldsteinJohnson Ohana Charitable TrustPomerantz, Haudek, Block, Grossman and Gross LLP Michael Ratner and Karen RanucciLeila Yassa and David Mendels

$1,000 – 4,999AnonymousArtforum D.J. Edelman Family FoundationLenore and Robert DavisDefinition 6 Deutsch, A Lowe and Partners CompanySarah DharKevin Dotson and Betsy WittenElectric ArtistsEthel and W. George Kennedy Family FoundationJay and Patricia FreemanCedric and Joanne Gaddy Jill GerstenblattGlobal Novations LLCDidi Goldenhar and Bill KornblumMaura Greaney Hayward Pools Hannah Senesh Community Day SchoolHBOJewish Federation of ClevelandPaula S. Krulak Sandy Krulak

Jenny LadenDaniel LeBlancLutheran Medical CenterM. Booth and AssociatesRay MasterMilton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Nathan and Fannye Shafran FoundationAnne NelsonJoanne Nerenberg and Aaron NaparstekMajken and Bo NielsenEllen Ratner and Cholene EspinozaSamantha RhulenSagalyn Family FundPeter SananmanBradley Solomon and David KaufmanTheodore StachiarisNola SteinbergDavid SweeneyThe Fortunoff FoundationWeaver Popcorn Company

$500 – 999AnonymousMargaret BarnetteDan and Melissa BergerDina Bleecker and Jon ThompsonJill Bokor and Sanford SmithBoston Consulting GroupMarie de Lucia and Lee SolotJennifer EisenbergGeorge Ulanet CompanyRenata GomesNicholas Grabar and Jennifer SageNeil HirschJulius and Evelyn Melnick FoundationChristine KlotzWendy MaddenMichael Ness Matthew PattersonRobert Perry and Carolina Conde-PerryChristina RuppElizabeth Sackler

Elisa SananmanJoan Shafran and Rob HaimesMichael Sturmer and Caroline Samuels

$250 – 499Acme ProjectsAmerican Express CompanyKathy Banfe Allison Barlow and David OchshomZola Bruce and Sandy ScottLidy ChuGiro Desimone and Jennifer NypRobert DeutschMenshahat EbronFarrow & BallEvan GaffneyNina Goldman and Douglas LeggHester Street CollaborativeDaniel Jacobson and Amy Sumner James Jubak and Marie D’AmicoAmy KatcherianMary Beth KellyDavid Kener and Michelle MatlandLegion PaperJimena Martinez and Michael Hirschhorn Pulse Art FairAmy Sananman and Mauricio TrenardMichael SananmanSanford Smith and AssociatesLauna Schweizer and Bill Lienhard Carla SolomonGil WolchockMaria Yamasaki

$100 – 249Acquis Consulting Group LLCHerbert and Ann AlterMarsha BaldingerAlbert BelmanDebbie BilmanLauren Blum

Greg BrooksMichael BucciMichael CapobiancoJackie Chang and Joe MatunisLaura CroninColleen CunninghamSooky and Scott DavisJon and Nina DayRachel DeckerDerek Denckla and Lara VapnekAndrew DeutschNancy and Morris DeutschCarolyn DobbsNicole DooskinTim and Jo DrescherJohn DumeySaranne Durkacs Jordana DworkinNeil FalconeFederated Title Services Randi and Stuart FeinerFifth Avenue CommitteeLeslie FindlenKate Fitzgerald Amy FitzgibbonsSheldon FoxFaye Ginsburg and Fred MyersSidney and Susan GoldsteinEugene and Joan GoodheartSeth and Judy GreenwaldAlice GriffithsHoward HechtDavid HoffmanJamle HoudeElizabeth Isakson and Gregg FatzingerDona KahnHiroko and Rich KarlenSharryn Kasmir and Benjamin DulchinMark and Susan KendallAaron KoffmanDiane KolyerEllen KozakDorchen LeidholdtJacqueline LeitzesJanet LiffTara Mack and Gary YoungeMastermind ManagementCynthia Mayeda

Mersel, Klein, and Company LLPElizabeth MillerGary MorgenrothLisa Mueller and Gara LaMarcheErik MullerKimberly Neuhaus and Kedin KilgoreGenevieve Outlaw Park Slope YogaStuart PostSam PottsPunched in the Head ProductionsKatherine Randall and Stephen PredRachel Ratner and Richard GreenspanEileen and Peter RhulenSloane RhulenKaren and Robert RomanoffAndrew RosenbergMuzzy RosenblattCarol and Arnold RubinJoanne SciulliJonathan and Shannon SharpDoris Ullendorff and Kenneth GorfinkleVee CorpAndrew Vernon-JonesChoresh Wald and Tal PritzkerMariel WongEllen Yaroshefsky

This list includes gifts which supported Groundswell’s FY11 activities.

Groundswell is grateful to all our supporters. This list includes gifts of $100 and above.

Groundswell warmly thanks the following generous contributors.

16 GRoundSwell 89¢ of every dollar contributed directly supports Groundswell’s programs for NYC youth.


FInAnCIAlS

teMpoRARIly unReStRICted ReStRICted totAl

InCoMe Contributions $277,520 $337,460 $614,980

Fundraising Benefits 89,519 89,519

Less Direct Benefit Expenses (5,059) (5,059)

Donated Services,

Materials, and Supplies 58,052 58,052

Program Fees 213,895 213,895

Interest Income 1,884 1,884

Other Income 1,950 1,950

Net Assets Released from Restrictions 186,592 (186,592)

totAl ReVenue And puBlIC SuppoRt $824,353 $150,868 $975,221

expenSeSProgram Services $632,486 $632,486

Supporting Services

Management and General 154,618 154,618

Fundraising 98,063 98,063

Total Supporting Services 252,681 252,681

totAl expenSeS $885,167 $885,167CHAnGe In net ASSetS (60,814) 150,868 90,054net ASSetS, BeGInnInG oF yeAR 414,621 303,260 717,881

net ASSetS, end oF yeAR $353,807 $454,128 $807,935

unReStRICted

ASSetS Cash and Cash Equivalents

Unrestricted $177,287

Board Designated Operating Reserve 180,000

Temporarily Restricted 262,500

Unconditional Promises to Give

Unrestricted 3,200

Restricted 91,250

Accounts Receivable 27,100

Prepaid Expenses 2,189

Property and Equipment, at cost,

net of accumulated depreciation 130,963

Security Deposits 9,000

totAl ASSetS $883,489 lIABIlItIeS Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses $6,670

Refundable Advances 43,205

Deferred Rent 25,679

totAl lIABIlItIeS $75,554

net ASSetS

Unrestricted

Board Designated Operating Reserve $180,000

Other 173,807

Total Unrestricted 353,807

Temporarily Restricted 454,128

Total Net Assets 807,935

totAl lIABIlItIeS And net ASSetS $883,489InCoMe $975,221

63% Contributions

9% Benefit

6% Interest, donate services, other income

22% Program fees

expenSeS $885,167

72% Program expenses

17% Management & general expenses

11% Fundraising & development expenses

Amy Sananman Executive Director

Patrick Dougher Program Director

Sharon Polli Development and Communications Director

Sophia Dawson Office Manager

Trey Gantt Youth Advocate

Madeleine LeMieux Development and Communications Associate

Adan Palermo Program Intern

Jess Poplawski Program Manager

Groundswell 540 President Street, Suite 1A Brooklyn, NY 11215 718.254.9782 www.groundswellmural.org

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