Nonviolence was created in partnership with Inwood Houses Youth-for-R.E.A.L. afterschool program and the Community Change Institute. Commissioned to design and paint an indoor mural in the lobby of MS 399, the students used a variety of media to grapple with a complex issue that directly impacts their community violence. Through the creative process, the students were able to safely express their own opinions about how situations of violence can be changed. In the mural workshops, they developed powerful imagery that depicts some of the problems leading to violence, including anger, frustration, guns, and police harassment. They also designed creative, uplifting imagery to promote positive alternatives to violence such as friendship, recreational activities, and open communication. The mural sends a positive message to the school community: it is better to try to resolve problems peacefully and amicably than to resort to violence.
