ANNUAL REPORT
“RECOVERY DIASPORA” PHOTO CREDIT: RANDY DUCHAINE
Over Groundswell’s 17-year history, we have completed nearly 450 public art projects in over 75 neighborhoods, engaging hundreds of artists and thousands of young people.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Letter from the Board Chair .................... 3 A Message from the Executive Director ..... 4 Summer Leadership Institute .................... 6 2012/2013 In Review ................................... 8 Afterschool Programs .............................. 10 School and Community-Based Programs ................... 12 Special Initiatives ...................................... 14 Our Donors ................................................ 16 2012/2013 Financials ................................ 17
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 1
GROUNDSWELL BOARD CHAIR DAVID GOLDSTEIN WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AMY SANANMAN
LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
2 GROUNDSWELL
Groundswell works with 50+ community partners and serves 800 youth each year.
LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
DEAR FRIENDS
During the past year, Groundswell celebrated many meaningful accomplishments, several of which might have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago and which together mark an exciting new phase of organizational growth and maturity. Most importantly, during the past year Groundswell adopted an ambitious three-year Strategic Plan. The development of this plan offered Groundswell an opportunity to crystallize our mission and reaffirm our vision.
BOARD David Goldstein President Cedric Gaddy Treasurer Menshahat Ebron Secretary Ricardo Cortés Jay DeDapper Didi Goldenhar Maura Greaney Christine Haney Carolina Jannicelli Rob Krulak Raquiba LaBrie Jenny Laden Nazli Parvizi
At Groundswell we believe that art creates community and that community creates change.
As our Strategic Plan outlines: •
Our vision of youth development is to engage underserved, marginalized, and economically disadvantaged youth in public artmaking to gain the inspiration, tools, and agency to take ownership of their futures.
•
Our vision of community change is to encourage dialogue and activism, in partnership with organizations that share our values and aspirations.
•
Our vision of public art is to link personal expression to community activism, resulting in high-quality work that conveys compelling messages and reflects the concerns of our participants and partners.
•
Our vision of positive social change is a more just and equitable world.
There was no more important way to honor this vision than with the unveiling of “Recovery Diaspora,” one of more than 35 public art projects collaboratively created by Groundswell youth and artists in FY13. “Recovery Diaspora” represented the capstone mural of a citywide public art installation developed by acclaimed street artist Swoon, together with youth from neighborhoods deeply impacted by Superstorm Sandy. Temporarily installed on the famed Bowery Mural Wall, the mural was dedicated on the one-year anniversary of this devastating storm, and highlighted the importance of continued relief efforts by and for Sandy’s victims.
This collaboratively generated community change is also known as collective impact – a philosophy to describe It is also my pleasure to announce that in 2013 Groundswell was awarded the prestigious and the engagement of multiple actors to a common agenda highly competitive “Our Town” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, after being bestowed the honor of being New York City’s sole nomination for the prize. Through this for solving complex social problems.
funding, Groundswell will significantly expand our work with young adult probation clients in Brownsville, in partnership with the New York City Department of Probation and the Pitkin Avenue Business Improvement District. We look forward to sharing our progress over the next two years.
In Groundswell’s case, we focus on the collective impact of Youth, Community Partners, and Art, toward a more just and equitable world. Finally, as you will see in the enclosed financials, Groundswell continued to demonstrate a high
level of fiscal discipline and financial stability, with steady growth in operating revenue and net assets. Groundswell also established an investment fund, which will support us in achieving our ambitious vision in the coming years. As always, I am inspired by the many talented individuals that contribute each day to Groundswell’s efforts to use art as a tool for social change, including our staff, artists, young people, Board members, and partners. I welcome the chance to share my profound thanks and gratitude, particularly to my friends and colleagues Susan Ochshorn, Robin Deutsch Edwards, and Joanne Nerenberg, who recently stepped down from Groundswell’s Board of Directors. And, of course, thank you for all that you do to support Groundswell’s efforts to bring about the better world we all envision. SINCERELY, DAVID GOLDSTEIN BOARD CHAIR
Samantha Rhulen ANNUAL REPORT 2013 3
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A COLLECTIVE MASTERPIECE
Creating a masterpiece requires people, skills, collaboration, and planning.
Evidence of inspiration – that spark or aha! moment when an artist, youth, community partner, or neighborhood resident feels a new connection, sees new potential, looks at a problem in a new way, or decides to get involved.
It requires inspiration, tools, and a sense of agency.
•
Through “Recovery Diaspora,” teens visit the studio of acclaimed street artist Swoon, and then create their own artworks inspired by her community-based technique.
It requires strong values and an aspirational vision.
•
A first-time participant discovers an artistic talent he never knew he had and now “is hungry to learn more.”
The ‘masterpiece’ Groundswell aspires to create is a more just and Evidence of tools– the skills acquired through Groundswell programs and projects. equitable world. •
Through our Summer Leadership Institute, 50% of participants demonstrate advanced mastery through Scaffold Up! and progress to new levels of leadership and opportunity.
•
90% of Groundswell community partners leverage our public artmaking process as a tool to more deeply fulfill their missions.
Our masterpiece is, in essence, our mission. Inspired by this vision, we exert our power, our sense of agency, by using art as a tool for social change. As you review the enclosed pages, we hope you will see evidence of the inspiration, tools, and agency we offer to participants, partners, and passersby.
Evidence of agency – the ability to make change toward personal or collective goals. A belief – I can make it happen! – that results from the inspiration and tools acquired through our programs. •
Through StreetWise: Hunts Point, South Bronx residents come together across racial, economic, and generational divides to prioritize policy change suggestions to NYC DOT.
•
Through our Portfolio Development program, 92% of graduating seniors apply to and enroll in fine art college.
At Groundswell we believe in the transformative potential of the creative process. We believe that when you are inspired, and given training in the tools you need, the result is a feeling of power. We believe that one must be inspired to aspire. Only once we are all inspired, will we be able to achieve our collective masterpiece of a more just and equitable world. We cannot thank you, our committed friends and supporters, enough for all that you do to make this inspiration and aspiration possible.
SINCERELY, AMY SANANMAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
4 GROUNDSWELL
In FY13, Groundswell completed 36 new works of public art.
MISSION
“MOVING ALONG�
Groundswell brings together youth, artists, and community organizations to make public art that advances social change, for a more just and equitable world. 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.
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 5
SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Groundswell’s Summer Leadership Institute is an intensive jobs training opportunity that employs up to 120 young people over seven weeks each summer. Two professional artists lead each youth mural team through the research, design, and creation of a high-quality, permanently installed work of public art for an underserved New York City neighborhood. In 2013, 97 youth, nearly all of them public school students or recent graduates, created eight monumental works of public art. Beautifying Riverbank
Bronx Rising
“Beautifying Riverbank” celebrates NYC’s local water cycle and tells the story of Riverbank State Park’s creation. The mural begins as community activists organize for a state-ofthe-art park to be built atop a planned wastewater treatment plant, and ends as these same activists, now grandparents and friends of the park, enjoy all that the park has to offer and envision its future legacy.
“Bronx Rising,” created as a part of the StreetWise: Hunts Point series, presents a community-inspired vision for Hunts Point as a neighborhood on the rise, much as the phoenix rises from the ashes to achieve new life. In the mural, a central figure of a young girl is supported on either side by elders from her neighborhood who have worked to achieve a safer, more sustainable community. Figures above plant trees, re-imagine the streetscape, and direct residents to newly created neighborhood parks.
In collaboration with NYC Department of Environmental Protection and NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
In collaboration with NYC DOT Medium & Size Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 260 x 15 ft Location 679 Riverside Drive Harlem, Manhattan Lead Artist Paul Deo
Ejiro Oghfor Groundswell Youth Participant
6 GROUNDSWELL
Assistant Artist Olivia Fu “INTERSECTIONS HUMANIZED”
I learned that I have an artistic talent that I never knew I had. It has been really encouraging to start learning the skill of painting and then notice that I’m good at it. Now I am hungry to learn more. Not only have I learned to paint better, but I’m also learning to work with people and collaborate to turn many ideas into one cohesive concept.
Youth Artists Susan Aghedo, Sandra Aghedo, Fabio Gomez, Khalil Maule, Clayton Mednick, Mandy Mei, Zhane Murray, Oluwatobi (Tobi) Oniyinde, Brayan Ramales, Jimmy Ramirez, Keyla Rijo, Daniella Rijo, Justine Rivera, Angelica Severino, Devonte Thomas, and Michelle Tineo
Medium & Size Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 18 x 30 ft Location 854 Hunts Point Avenue Hunts Point, Bronx Lead Artist Crystal Bruno Assistant Artist Adam Kidder Youth Artists Dajean Aiken, Christina Conney, Cody Levy, Kalia Loadholt, Rashawn Love, Joseph Mejias, Mariana Nava, Christian Nunez, Angie Roman, Deshawn Ruddock, Kokayi Snowden, Oyindamola Sunmonu, Keshani Whint, and Jeremy Whyte
During summer 2013, 100% of SLI participants achieved at least one of the four Ground Tier Scaffold Up! Pins.
Coney Island Rising Up
Intersections Humanized
Moving Along
People Helping People
We Rose Above the Challenge
The design for “Coney Island Rising Up, ” a part of Groundswell’s Recovery Diaspora series, centers around a central mermaid figure, evoking the iconic image of the Coney Island boardwalk, and honoring local mom-and-pop businesses on Mermaid Avenue. Movement is created through repetition, in a reference to Master Artist Swoon’s signature printmaking technique.
In “Intersections Humanized,” a central constellation of individual portraits overlooks historic Pitkin Avenue. Together, these individual portraits highlight the strength and diversity present in Brownsville, while creating a positive shared identity for the neighborhood’s residents. The image is a powerful reminder of the critical role each of us has to play in transforming our community and promoting the livability of our streets.
“Moving Along” creates an inviting gateway between the Atlantic Avenue shopping district and Brooklyn Bridge Park, to be safely shared by pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles alike. By incorporating both historical elements to evoke the rich history of the site, as well as bright colors and a wave-like composition to create movement, the mural reminds viewers that there is always more to see along this corridor. In collaboration with NYC DOT and Altantic Avenue BID
“People Helping People” was created as a part of Groundswell’s city-wide Recovery Diaspora project. The mural incorporates sitespecific Red Hook imagery, including hands clasped to resemble the hull of a ship, a nod to Red Hook’s history as a busy freight port. The mural celebrates Red Hook’s efforts to work together to deliver aid to hardest hit residents following the destruction of Superstorm Sandy and to ultimately rebuild their community.
Teen artists researched the impact of Superstorm Sandy on the Rockaways through a series of interviews and site visits with local residents. As a response to these interviews, the young people drew from stories of devastation and recovery to create a mural design that captures both the concerns and optimism of the people of the Rockaways. A beacon in the mural symbolizes the important role the Challenge Preparatory Charter School played within the community in the days and months following the storm.
Medium & Size Acrylic on Wall, 120 x 19 ft
In collaboration with LISC New York City, Fifth Avenue Committee, and Swoon
In collaboration with LISC New York City, Ocean Bay Community Development Corporation, and Swoon
Medium & Size Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 8 x 15 ft
Medium & Size Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 35 x 5 ft
Location Red Hook, Brooklyn
Location 710 Hartman Lane Far Rockaway, Queens
Lead Artist Yana Dimitrova
Lead Artist Misha Tyutyunik
Lead Artist Jazmine Hayes
Assistant Artist Angel Garcia
Youth Artists Khalayha Ashley, Anayshah Bashier, Mercy Carpenter, Kenya Frazier, Jacinta Gonzalez, Shawntell James, Jillian Kong, Alyssa Lau, Malikah Mahone, Keianna Noble, Melanie Perez, Tiana Ratcliffe, Maria Rivas, Jonell Santiago, Tasleem Sheikh, Collene Thomas, Shanice Thompsion, and Desmonae Wilson
In collaboration with LISC New York City, Astella Development Corporation, and Swoon Medium & Size Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 7 x 20 ft Location 2114 Mermaid Avenue Coney Island, Brooklyn Lead Artist Yana Dimitrova Lead Artist Jazmine Hayes Youth Artists Khalayha Ashley, Anayshah Bashier, Mercy Carpenter, Kenya Frazier, Jacinta Gonzalez, Shawntell James, Jillian Kong, Alyssa Lau, Malikah Mahone, Keianna Noble, Melanie Perez, Tiana Ratcliffe, Maria Rivas, Jonell Santiago, Tasleem Sheikh, Collene Thomas, Shanice Thompsion, and Desmonae Wilson
In collaboration with NYC DOT, Brownsville Community Justice Center, and Pitkin Avenue BID Medium & Size Acrylic on Wall, 55 x 35 ft Location 1550 Pitkin Avenue Brownsville, Brooklyn Lead Artist Chris Soria Lead Artist DonChristian Jones Youth Artists Nakira “NuNu” Adams, Alexander Battle, Massiah Berkley, Julian Best, Shannen Bristow, Andre Cuenca, Dashawn Hayes, Robert Howell, Marinique Mora, Roman Nembhard, Abdul Nixon, Giovanni Olivera, Eric Palermo-Rojas, Anthony Smith, and Joseph Yee
Location Atlantic Avenue and Columbia Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Lead Artist Esteban del Valle Assistant Artist Marc Evan Youth Artists Weng “Sammi” Chan, Tiffany Chen, Kara Chichester, Justina England, Yessenia Fabian, Ranasia Gale, Keone Germain, Miyah Harris, Emmanuel Knight, Frank Li, Anthony Lopez, Stephanie Nan, Shakima Patterson, Gina Roseborough, Laron Wages, Abie “Tymell” Williams, and Helen Zhen
Lead Artist Misha Tyutyunik Assistant Artist Angel Garcia Youth Artists Damarcus Bruno, Davin Collins, Michael Cox, Marcos Diaz, Latrell Dickerson, Christopher Foli, Phillip Green, Brandon Larracuente, Brandon Merlos, Kadeem Noel, Ejiro Oghafor, Raymond Reyes, McRonald Russell, and Dwayne Williamson
Youth Artists Damarcus Bruno, Davin Collins, Michael Cox, Marcos Diaz, Latrell Dickerson, Christopher Foli, Phillip Green, Brandon Larracuente, Brandon Merlos, Kadeem Noel, Ejiro Oghafor, Raymond Reyes, McRonald Russell, and Dwayne Williamson
You Can Take Our Homes But You Can’t Take Our Hearts
This Recovery Diaspora mural illustrates the hope and optimism of the people of Staten Island following Superstorm Sandy. The mural takes the form of the human heart, stronger and more resilient as families return and homes are rebuilt. The stained glass motif suggests that the school where the mural is installed is also a sacred space, where neighbors helped one another following the storm. In collaboration with LISC New York City, Northfield Community LDC, and Swoon Medium & Size Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 12 x 17 ft Location 465 New Dorp Lane New Dorp, Staten Island
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 7
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Astella Development Corporation
Northfield Community LDC
Atlantic Avenue BID
NU Hotel
Boys Town New York
NYC Department of Correction
Brooklyn Frontiers High School
NYC Department of Education
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation
NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership
NYC Department of Transportation
Brownsville Community Justice Center
NYC Housing Authority
Chinatown YMCA
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
Deloitte & Touche LLP Downtown Brooklyn Partnership East Brooklyn Community High School East River Academy Fifth Avenue Committee Pathways to Graduation at Bronx Regional High School Goddard Riverside Community Center Herbert H. Lehman High School IS 318 JHS 157 JHS 162 Kappa V MS 518 LISC New York City Montefiore Medical Center MS 424 New Museum New Rochelle Council on the Arts
Ocean Bay Community Development Corporation Pio Mendez Senior Center Pitkin Avenue BID PS 39 PS 100 PS 116 PS 149 PS 175 PS 186 PS 194 Red Hook Initiative The Partnership for a Healthier New York City The Trust for Public Land The Urban Assembly School of Music and Art at Waters Edge University Settlement Woodhull Medical Center
“BRONX RISING”
New Rochelle School District
8 GROUNDSWELL
90% of community partners believe a partnership with Groundswell supports their outreach efforts and raises awareness of the issue addressed by the artwork.
YEAR IN REVIEW 1
Attack of the Second Hand Smoke, WILLIAMSBURG
2
Beautifying Riverbank, HARLEM
3
Bronx Rising, HUNTS POINT
4
Coney Island Rising Up, CONEY ISLAND
5
Intersections Humanized, BROWNSVILLE
6
Justice Mandalas, DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN
7
Kaleidoscope Dream, BROOKLYN NAVY YARD
8
Knowledge is Power, DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN
9
Moving Along, COBBLE HILL
10 My New Rochelle, NEW ROCHELLE
11 New Decisions and Second Chances, RIKERS ISLAND 12 Participatory Budgeting Banners, GOWANUS 13 Peace Bridge, FORT GREENE
14 People Helping People, RED HOOK
18 Safety Sign Project Look When Crossing,
28 Safety Sign Project Use the Crosswalk,
UPPER WEST SIDE
10
NORTH SHORE
19 Safety Sign Project Reach for the Stars,
29 Stewardship of Nature,
JACKSON HEIGHTS
30 The City as Living Body,
20 Safety Sign Project Respect: Embrace Your Community, HUNTS POINT 21 Safety Sign Project Respect is Correct,
SUNNYSIDE
32
LOWER EAST SIDE
31 The Four Elements,
MANHATTAN
WILLIAMSBURG
23
2,24
32 The Game of Not Playing,
BRONX
34
3,20,25,26
MORRIS HEIGHTS
BENSONHURST
22 Safety Sign Project Safety Grows in Brooklyn,
17
33 We Rose Above the Challenge, FAR ROCKAWAY
18
34 Women in the Park,
BROWNSVILLE
23 Safety Sign Project Stop! School Ahead, WESTCHESTER VILLAGE
24 Safety Sign Project The Fantastic Supersenses,
SCHUYLERVILLE
11
35 You Can Take Our Homes But You Can’t Take Our Hearts, NEW DORP
19
36 You Smoke...We All Smoke, 29
WILLIAMSBURG
HARLEM
25 Safety Sign Project This is Our Safety Zone,
30
HUNTS POINT
7
26 Safety Sign Project Walk Wisely, HUNTS POINT
1,27,31,36 13
17
9 6,8
27 Safety Sign Project Watch Your Every Move,
14,15
12
BROOKLYN
WILLIAMSBURG
5,22 34
15 Rebound and Rebuild, RED HOOK
16 Renewal and Rebirth, CANARSIE
16 28
17 Safety Sign Project Be Safe! ¡Ten Cuidado!, 21
BUSHWICK
33 35 4
QUEENS
STATEN ISLAND
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 9
AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS
Youth Artists Roger Aguilar, Dajean Aiken, Dakota Austin, Tricia Browne, Bryan DelValle, Marcos Diaz, Kaianna Griffith, Nathaniel James, Shauntell Jennings, Maleek Jospeh, Cianni Martin, Erick Orduna, Jazmine Perez, Tiberius Perez, Brayan Ramales, Khandakar Risterlatullah, Jonell Santiago, Amber Smalls, Michelle Tineo, Michael Toledo, and Safiyyah Wilkerson
The Game of Not Playing Kaleidoscope Dream
This series of eight mural panels honor the new industries and workforce that have revitalized the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The apprentices tackled issues such as the relationship of race and class to today’s work and economy and the gentrification and de-industrialization of Brooklyn. The imagery celebrates the interconnectedness of work and industry. The mural imitates the movement of a kaleidoscope, representing the merging of stakeholders to create a dynamic and interdependent community.
Inspired by their own educational experiences, the apprentices explored how individuals can define “success” for themselves. As a community, they sought to advocate for those who take creative paths towards education and achievement. They developed imagery to illuminate how the traditional high school may fail to engage many students. The mural serves as a vehicle to discuss how the educational system can change to better support all students, and honors individuals who leave traditional high schools and yet fight to continue their education.
In collaboration with Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation
In collaboration with Pathways to Graduation at Bronx Regional High School
Medium & Size Acrylic on Wood Panel, Eight panels 4 x 8 ft each
Medium & Size Acrylic on Parachute Cloth, 7 x 8 ft
Location BLDG 92, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn
Location 1010 Rev. James A Polite Avenue, Morris Heights, Bronx
Lead Artist Tanya Linn Albrigtsen-Frable
Lead Artist Nicole Schulman
Assistant Artist Jules Joseph
Assistant Artist Pablo Acona
10 GROUNDSWELL
Youth Artists Anzia Anderson, Gloryann Anderson, Shannon Bristow, Chenice Campbell, Elijah Crispon, Samuel Huddle, Catherine Hunt, Danya Levy, Tobi Oninyinde, Jimmy Ramirez, and Raymond Reyes
VOICES HER’D VISIONARIES and MAKING HIS’TORY During a spring afterschool session, Groundswell’s Voices Her’d Visionaries program for talented young women and Making His’tory program for exceptional young men met weekly to research and discuss ideas for a summer public art project. The teams both focused on Superstorm Sandy recovery in NYC’s most affected neighborhoods. As a part of their research, the teams collaborated with socially engaged street artist Swoon to learn more about her printmaking style and technique as well as her work in disaster-affected communities globally. This research helped to inform each team’s Recovery Diaspora murals created during the summer sessions. PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT Portfolio Development serves as a capstone to Groundswell’s broader youth programs. This pre-professional training program offers a unique opportunity for young artists interested in pursuing post-secondary art education. The curriculum is challenging, and it encourages youth to build technical skills, discover their artistic voices, and achieve their creative potentials. Of the college-eligible graduating seniors enrolled in the spring 2013 session, 92% were accepted into and enrolled in art school and college programs, including Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt Institute, Parsons the New School for Design, and California Institute of Design. Most received scholarships. PRENTICESHIP
TEEN EMPOWERMENT MURAL APPRENTICESHIP (TEMA)
TEMA supports the development of artistic skills while furthering broader youth development objectives. In FY13, two TEMA sections with a total enrollment of 32 teens met weekly during threehour sessions between October and June, for a total of 100 contact hours. Each section engaged participants in the creation of a work of art for a commissioning organization.
“KALEIDOSCOPE DREAM”
As a group, Groundswell’s afterschool programs offer a suite of opportunities for youth to strengthen their skills in Groundswell’s Four C’s: Collaboration; Critical Thinking/Decision Making; Compassion; and Creativity. Each program is designed based on a traditional apprenticeship and uses a series of sequential skill-building activities to support young people’s success in our programs and in their lives more generally.
95% of afterschool participants believe Groundswell helps them get better at gathering information and reviewing options before making a decision.
I never thought that I could ‌ express my feelings through art like this. You have to go against everything that is negative and think about positive things. I think seeing something nice produced in the neighborhood will help change it. The small things that we do will make it get better eventually. Sean Turner Groundswell Youth Participant
PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT
AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 11
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS
Attack of the Second Hand Smoke & You Smoke...We All Smoke
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. Groundswell is also commissioned by community groups, non-profit organizations, and public agencies to develop unique partnerships rooted in our collaborative artmaking process.
In this poster campaign, students explored smoking as a public health issue and learned about the dangers of first-, second-, and third-hand smoking and the relationship between smoking and asthma. They also explored how art has been the battleground between anti-smoking initiatives and cigarette advertising. In collaboration with IS 318, Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership, Woodhull Medical Center, and The Partnership for a Healthier New York City Medium & Size Digital Prints on Stock Paper, 11 x 17 in each Location 101 Walton Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Lead Artist Christopher Cardinale Assistant Artist Leola Bermanzohn Participants 16 middle school students
Knowledge is Power
This mural explores the shared educational dreams and goals of the inaugural Brooklyn Frontiers class of overage under-credited students. Meaningful symbols such as the dream catcher, the feather, the hour glass, and the graduating student send a message of hope to students. In collaboration with Brooklyn Frontiers High School Medium & Size Acrylic on Tyvek, 10 x 50 ft
“PEACE BRIDGE”
Location 112 Schermerhorn Street, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn
12 GROUNDSWELL
Lead Artist Yana Dimitrova Assistant Artist Jules Joseph Participants 14 high school students
My New Rochelle
This mural showcases the teen participants’ visions and impressions of their city, New Rochelle, highlighting its strengths that include an emphasis on healthy living, athletics, community, the visual and performing arts, and vibrant economic centers. In collaboration with New Rochelle Council on the Arts and New Rochelle School District Medium & Size Acrylic on parachute cloth, 250 sq ft Location 11 Lincoln Road, New Rochelle, Westchester Lead Artist Mauricio Trenard Assistant Artist Alison Kruvant Participants 19 high school students
Participatory Budgeting Banners
Boys Town residents developed a banner series for local Participatory Budgeting sites. Boys Town youth not only contributed their artistic skills but also advocated for themselves and their communities during participatory budgeting working groups. They engaged in discussions about what resources would benefit the community and developed proposals with community members. In collaboration with Boys Town New York and Councilmember Brad Lander Medium & Size Three acrylic on canvas banners, 8 x 4 ft each Location Participatory Budgeting sites, 39th City Council District Lead Artist Katie Yamasaki Assistant Artist DonChristian Jones Participants Eight Boys Town residents
98% of youth participants believe they will use skills learned at Groundswell in other aspects of their lives.
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS
Peace Bridge
Renewal and Rebirth
The City as Living Body
Women in the Park
Through “Peace Bridge,” youth artists transformed a pedestrian overpass connecting the Ingersoll and Whitman residential communities. Their design celebrates how the bridge connects and unifies these two communities.
This mural offers solidarity around issues relevant to the EBCHS community, such as environmental pressures and stereotyping. It also celebrates the students’ capacity to generate knowledge, power, and justice. The mural is filled with hope and action, and demonstrates that creative articulation brings us closer to our dreams.
This mural was created for IDEAS CITY, a biennial festival and conference series bringing together arts, education, and community organizations to collaborate around change. The artists were interested in the similarities between a living organism and a metropolis and how urban stakeholders collaborate to share, grow, and thrive.
In partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, Groundswell artists collaborated with youth recruited from Lehman High School to create a mural celebrating health and wellness. The mural was installed in the waiting area of a Montefiore community health center.
In collaboration with East Brooklyn Community High School
In collaboration with Chinatown YMCA, New Museum, and University Settlement
Medium & Size Acrylic on parachute cloth, 10 x 15 ft
Medium & Size Acrylic on Brick, 250 sq ft
Medium & Size Acrylic on Wood, 4 x 8 ft
Location 9517 Kings Highway, Canarsie, Brooklyn
Location 273 Bowery, Lower East Side, Manhattan
Location 3000 East Tremont Avenue, Schuylerville, Bronx
Lead Artist Misha Tyutyunik
Lead Artist Yana Dimitrova
Assistant Artist Jonita Griffith
Assistant Artist Esteban del Valle
Participants Six high school students
Participants 20 students from New Museum’s Global Classroom
Stewardship of Nature
The Four Elements
Students reflected on the diversity and beauty found in nature, and the benefits and challenges of living in harmony with the environment. To foster a connection to nature among their peers, they developed images to celebrate the many creatures and habitats found around the globe.
This mural was created to revitalize a neglected school yard in a neighborhood with limited outdoor recreation space. The mural contains imagery representing earth, water, fire, and wind, including plants, birds, a volcano, and a dolphin.
In collaboration with The Trust for Public Land and JHS 157
In collaboration with The Trust for Public Land and JHS 162
Medium & Size Acrylic on Cement, 150 sq feet
Medium & Size Acrylic on Brick, 250 sq ft
Location 55-63 102nd Street, Sunnyside, Queens
Location 1390 Willoughby Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn
Lead Artist Joel Bergner
Lead Artist Yana Dimitrova
Assistant Artist Olivia Fu
Assistant Artist Jonita Griffith
Participants Junior high school students
Participants 15 junior high school students
In collaboration with NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Housing Authority, and The Urban Assembly School of Music and Art at Waters Edge Medium & Size Acrylic on Cement, 250 sq ft Location Fleet and Navy Streets, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Lead Artist Chris Soria Assistant Artist Marc Evan Participants 12 high school students
In collaboration with Lehman High School and Montefiore Medical Center
Lead Artist Tanya Linn Albrigtsen-Frable Participants Six high school students
Rebound and Rebuild
Groundswell artists met with a committee of young adults representing the Red Hook Initiative to explore the experience and impact of Superstorm Sandy within the community. Then during a one day mural painting event, Deloitte & Touche LLP employees expressed their solidarity with Red Hook through the creation of this mural. In collaboration with Deloitte & Touche LLP and Red Hook Initiative Medium & Size Acrylic on canvas, 8 x 8 ft Location 767 Hicks Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn Lead Artist Esteban del Valle Assistant Artist DonChristian Jones Participants Deloitte & Touche LLP volunteers
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 13
SPECIAL INITIATIVES
Driven by meaningful partnerships with alternative sentencing programs, city agencies, and educational institutions, Groundswell’s special initiatives serve a diverse community of young people and adults not engaged by our broader youth programs.
STREETWISE: HUNTS POINT
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
JUVENILE JUSTICE
With support from the Rockefeller Foundation and its Cultural Innovation Fund, Groundswell presented StreetWise: Hunts Point, a two-year campaign designed to engage community members in identifying transportation and related environmental concerns in their South Bronx community through artmaking projects to recommend design, signage, and policy solutions, in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT).
Each year, Groundswell presents a series of educational public art tours to enhance the critical discourse around community-based murals in New York City. Attendees learn more about the impact of murals on the civic and visual landscape of their neighborhoods. Tours often visit a mural-in-process worksite, to connect attendees to the artists and young people behind their creation. In FY13, Groundswell presented six educational tours, cultivating a new and diverse audience for public art.
Groundswell’s juvenile justice programming serves marginalized young people involved at all stages of the criminal justice continuum. Through sustained involvement, Groundswell positively affects their growth and development while supporting them in avoiding recidivism.
In its second year, Groundswell engaged forty middle school students, elderly residents, and young adults in the creation of a series of public artworks, including original traffic safety signs which addressed local traffic issues. The final project built on the preceding two years of artworks and translated the community’s collective findings into a culminating mural, entitled “Bronx Rising.”
SAFETY SIGN INITIATIVE
“Bronx Rising” presents a community-inspired vision for Hunts Point as a neighborhood on the rise, much as the phoenix rises from the ashes to achieve new life. The mural illustrates prioritized policy change suggestions, such as repainted bike lanes and way-finding signage, for the NYC DOT.
Groundswell and the NYC DOT designed the Traffic Safety Sign Residency Program to engage public school students in exploring traffic safety information by creating original street signs. Signs designed collaboratively by students at each of our partner schools are digitally rendered by Groundswell artists, fabricated by the NYC DOT’s Sign Shop, and temporarily installed at locations in need of signage. Through this program, students learn how signs and symbols can work to communicate ideas and explore visual art techniques to develop graphic images. These signs then help increase safety awareness and prevent accidents in locations around each school community.
At a moment in New York City when there are limited opportunities for individuals to come together across racial, economic, and generational divides to make change, StreetWise: Hunts Point provided a unique opportunity for South Bronx community members to have access to decision-making structures and the city’s agenda for their neighborhood.
In FY13, Groundswell and NYC DOT reached over 300 students at ten schools and also engaged seniors at the Goddard Riverside Community Center, a partnership which will serve as a model for continued collaboration with seniors in the coming year. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture hosted a culminating event to celebrate the work of these youth and seniors.
14 GROUNDSWELL
Groundswell’s mural residency program for incarcerated youth is the centerpiece of our juvenile justice offerings. Through this initiative, Groundswell’s professional artists work with young people onsite at public high schools within juvenile detention facilities. In FY13, Groundswell completed our eighth mural onsite in secure facilities. During FY13, 46 young people were sanctioned to Groundswell’s TurnStyle program by the NYC Department of Probation, the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, and our community partner, the Center for Court Innovation. During court-mandated community service hours at our studio, these youth completed basic office and facilities maintenance tasks and developed work readiness skills. Six of these young people transitioned to Segue, where they had the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to participate in our broader youth programs. In addition to young people transitioning from TurnStyle, Segue also engaged teens referred to us by our social service agency partners who expressed interest in developing art skills.
Each year, upwards of 30% of Groundswell mural apprentices are court-involved, wards of the state, over-aged and under-credited, or undocumented.
“NEW DECISIONS AND SECOND CHANCES”
SPECIAL INITIATIVES
Justice Mandalas
New Decisions and Second Chances
Court-involved youth in Groundswell’s Segue program created a series of Tibetan-inspired mandalas for the Brooklyn Detention Complex exterior. Youth researched restorative justice: seeking solutions that repair, reconcile, and rebuild relationships. They visited the Rubin Museum to learn about Himalayan art. The first mandala promotes compassion and unity through portraiture set into a lotus flower design. A second mandala continues this motif using layered portraiture, the butterfly, and the key.
“New Decisions and Second Chances” was created by young men at East River Academy on Rikers Island. Through this project, the incarcerated youth were able to take ownership of their space and transform a blank hallway into a celebration of their creative vision and generative power. The mural design emphasizes the potential to turn a new corner by making positive decisions towards personal growth.
I have been continually impressed by Groundswell’s success in engaging young people in the creation of works of art that reflect their concerns, their lived experiences, and their values. Groundswell has introduced New York City’s most underserved youth to the power and potential of the visual arts to shape civic dialogue, revitalize public space, and transform their lives. Elizabeth Méndez-Berry Program Officer, Thriving Cultures Surdna Foundation
In collaboration with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, NYC Department of Correction, and NU Hotel Brooklyn
Medium & Size Acrylic on Wall, 9 x 26 ft
Medium & Size Acrylic on parachute cloth, 90 x 18 ft
Location East River Academy, Rikers Island, New York
Location 275 Atlantic Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn
Lead Artist Esteban del Valle
Lead Artist Chris Soria
Assistant Artist DonChristian Jones
Participants Youth in Groundswell’s Segue program
Participants Twelve incarcerated youth aged 16 – 18 years old
“JUSTICE MANDALA”
In collaboration with NYC Department of Correction and NYC Department of Education
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 15
OUR DONORS Groundswell warmly thanks the following generous contributors. Public Funders National Endowment for the Arts New York State Council on the Arts New York City Department of Cultural Affairs New York City Department of Youth and Community Development New York State Assemblymember Joan Millman New York State Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz Councilmember Sara M. Gonzalez Councilmember Letitia James Councilmember Brad Lander Councilmember Stephen Levin Councilmember Darlene Mealy Annual Campaign $25,000 + Bloomberg Philanthropies Davis, Polk & Wardwell LLP Marc Gross and Susan Ochshorn Lambent Foundation LISC New York City Surdna Foundation The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation $10,000 – 24,999 Altman Foundation Catskill Watershed Corporation Charles Lawrence Keith and Clara Miller Foundation Colgate Scaffolding David Rockefeller Fund Dedalus Foundation Jay Eisenhofer and Anne Jameson Irene B. Wolt Lifetime Trust Sills Family Foundation Sweet’N Low The Bay and Paul Foundations The Beth M. Uffner Arts Fund The Lily Auchincloss Foundation 16 GROUNDSWELL
Variety The Children’s Charity of New York William T. Grant Foundation Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation $5,000 – 9,999 Brooklyn Nets Con Edison Patrick and Rebecca Dahlstrom Jay DeDapper and Tod Wohlfarth Goldstein Hall PLLC Hayward Industries Rob Krulak Pomerantz, Grossman, Hufford, Dahlstrom, and Gross LLP Samantha Rhulen Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation Leila Yassa and David Mendels $1,000 – 4,999 Dana Albarella Benchmark Title Agency LLC Max and Dale Berger Dan and Melissa Berger Peter Bourbeau Peter Brodie and Corrine Rodriquez Brooklyn Community Foundation Ricardo Cortés Robert and Lenore Davis Robert Deutsch Robin Deutsch Edwards and David Edwards EILEEN FISHER Jay and Patricia Freeman Cedric and Joanne Gaddy Glancy Binkow and Goldberg LLC Didi Goldenhar and Bill Kornblum David Goldstein Maura Greaney Stanley and Nancy Grossman Hamlin Ventures Christine and Timothy Haney Jeanne Haney and Diego Gomez Jenny Holzer Studio Paula Krulak M&T Bank Sean Meenan Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Nathan and Fannye Shafran
Foundation Jordan and Jean Nerenberg Joanne Nerenberg and Aaron Naparstek Nirit Resnick Sagalyn Family Fund Peter Sananman Michelle Scheer and John Siemer The Ethel and W. George Kennedy Family Foundation Weaver Popcorn Company Susan Weiswasser Wells Fargo Advisors LLC Richard and Lisa Witten $500 – 999 Amy Bohannon and Martin Gilmore Jessica Bynoe Chris Chambers Paola Citterio Nick Cope and Rachel Mosler Nancy and Morris Deutsch Menshahat Ebron Neil Falcone Federated Title Services LLC Stuart and Randi Feiner Diane Feirman Leslie Findlen Deborah Fineman, Supreme Energy Inc. Sarah Frank and Andy Otesker Elaine Goodman Nicolas Grabar and Jennifer Sage Kathleen Hackett and Stephen Antonson Matthew and Annie Hopkins Karen Brooks Hopkins James Jubak and Marie D’Amico Julius and Evelyn Melnick Foundation Mary Beth Kelly Aaron Koffman Ellen Kozak Mike Lebowitz Natasha Logan Michela Martello and Mauro Bareti Trina and Robert McKeever Lesley Melincoff and Perry Lee Angelina Mike Herbert Milstein
Monadnock Construction Lauren Morrell David Ochshorn and Allison Barlow Andrew Petronio Michael Ratner and Karen Ranucci Ritholz, Levy, Sanders, Chidekel, and Fields LLP Elizabeth A. Sackler Joanna Samuels Mary Swartz The Lillian Fund, Inc Jon Ulanet $250 –499 Acquis Consulting Group LCC Dina Bleecker and Jon Thompson Janice Bloom and Adam Grumbach Jason Cowart and Ana Salper Olivier DeHousse Carolyn Dobbs Tim and Jo Drescher Fifth Avenue Committee Peter Florey Dan Jacobson and Amy Sumner Demetrio Kerrison Jenny Laden Legion Paper Gina Ma Michelle Matland and David Kener Elisabeth Mueller and Gara LaMarche Terri Naini Stephen Olson Steven Pavlakis and Bonnie Messing Radame Perez Robert Perry and Carolina Conde-Perry Eileen and Peter Rhulen Erik Rothman Amy Sananman and Mauricio Trenard Michael Sananman Elisa Sananman Sydnee Sanchez and John Jorgl Tara Sansone Launa Schweizer and Bill Lienhard Jeff Smith
Ron Tabak Ying Tao Transportation Alternatives Francine Wong Ellen Yaroshefsky and Eric Paulos $100 - 249 Rachel Adams Joshua Adler Paul Ancewicz Harriet Barlow and David Morris Meg Barnette and Brad Lander Adam Bayroff Albert Belman Matthew and Elissa Bernstein Kenneth and Lynn Blaydow Ali Bleecker Ronald and Ilene Blitzer Enrique and Jennifer Breceda Isolde Brielmaier and Mangue Banzima Michael Bykofsky Michael Capobianco Majora Carter Group Gregory Cohen and Viviane Arzoumanian Michelle De La Uz Penelope Dell Jessica Dell Lisa Deller Getta and David Denhardt Dennis Deutsch Nick Donovan Lauren Estrin Morton and Rosalie Farber Kirsten Fatzinger Adam Fawer and Meredith Davis Darlene Freeman and Michael Huss Nina Goldman and Douglas Legg Sidney and Susan Goldstein Eugene and Joan Goodheart Seth and Judith Greenwald James and Camilla Hagy Robert Harwood Hester Street Collaborative Thomas Houghton Marianna Houston Elizabeth Isakson and Gregg Fatzinger Dona Kahn Hiroko and Rich Karlen Sharryn Kasmir and Benjamin Dulchin
Michael Koehler and Cara Metz Dorchen Leidholdt Al and Emily Lemer Madeleine LeMieux and Camden Daily Keith Lulewich Tara Mack and Gary Younge Jill and Alan Madnick Linda McNamara Mersel, Klein & Company LLP Lloyd and Cassandra Metz Elizabeth Miller Gary Morgenroth Murals as Voice Fred Myers and Faye Ginsburg Anita Nager and Wally Wentworth Genevieve Outlaw Sharon Polli and Matt Gunn Lisa Pongrass Jennifer Pope and Rakesh Madhava Katherine Randall and Stephen Pred Carlos Remolina Eric Reschke and Lillian Hope Bryony Romer and Josh Mack Willson and Adrienne Ropp Shilu Roy Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes Anne and Jeff Smith Lila Staab Lawrence and Fran Sucharow Pilar Tan Maureen Tarulli Julia Travers Edwin Triestman Barbara Turk Urban Justice Center Eric Usinger Marisa Wallin Heidi Wendorff Edward and Margaret Williams Mariel Wong Kim and Maria Yamasaki Susan and Lowell Yemin Groundswell is grateful to all our supporters. This list includes gifts of $100 and above that supported Groundswell’s FY13 activities.
90¢ of each dollar donated directly underwrites Groundswell’s programs.
88¢ of each dollar contribu
16 GROUNDSW
uted directly supports Groundswell’s programs for NYC youth.
WELL
FINANCIALS
UNRESTRICTED
TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED
TOTAL
$323,377
$432,214
$755,591
INCOME
UNRESTRICTED ASSETS
Contributions
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Fundraising Benefits
172,517
172,517
Unrestricted
Less Direct Benefit Expenses
(15,984)
(15,984)
Board Designated Operating Reserve
210,628
Temporarily Restricted
193,000
Donated Services, Materials, and Supplies
68,623
68,623
280,899
280,899
Interest Income
7,749
7,749
Unrealized Gain on Investments
(1,033)
(1,033)
Accounts Receivable
Other Income
1,592
1,592
Prepaid Expenses
Program Fees
Net Assets Released from Restrictions TOTAL REVENUE AND PUBLIC SUPPORT
387,528
(387,528)
-
$1,225,268
$44,686
$1,269,954
$193,234
Unconditional Promises to Give Unrestricted
9,250
Restricted
244,214 59,200 22,921
Investments`
153,602
Property and Equipment, at cost, net of accumulated depreciation
EXPENSES
105,977
Security Deposit
Program Services
9,650
$860,665
$860,665
Management and General
136,874
136,874
LIABILITIES
Fundraising
111,253
111,253
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
248,127
248,127
Refundable Advances
69,445
$1,108,792
$1,108,792
Deferred Revenue
10,000 31,482
TOTAL ASSETS
$1,201,676
Supporting Services
Total Supporting Services TOTAL EXPENSES CHANGE IN NET ASSETS
116,476
44,686
161,162
Deferred Rent
NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF YEAR
445,689
467,250
912,939
TOTAL LIABILITIES
$562,165
$511,936
$1,074,101
NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR
$16,648
$127,575
NET ASSETS Unrestricted Board Designated Operating Reserve Other INCOME $1,269,954 60% Contributions 12% Benefit 6% Interest, donated services, & other income 22% Program fees
EXPENSES $1,108,792 78% Program expenses 12% Management & general expenses
$210,628 351,537
Total Unrestricted
562,165
Temporarily Restricted
511,936
Total Net Assets TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
1,074,101 $1,201,676
10% Fundraising & development expenses
ANNUAL REPORT 2013 17
Amy Sananman Executive Director Patrick Dougher Program Director Sharon Polli Development and Communications Director Sophia Dawson Office Manager Chey Epps Studio Assistant Vanessa Hadox Development and Communications Associate Daonne Huff Project Manager
GROUNDSWELL Š
Jules Joseph Youth Advocate
Groundswell 540 President Street, Suite 1A Brooklyn, NY 11215 718.254.9782 www.groundswellmural.org