Groundswell partnered with SCO Family of Services and PS 41 to complete three murals for the school to generate one large project. Each section focused on either respect, responsibility, or reason. The keywords brought an overall focus to the initiative of how youth come together in harmony and community as respectful leaders in their community. For the winter project, the youth focused on responsibility. During the research phase, they researched socially responsible artists such as Kara Walker, Diego Rivera, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. They also created several collages that told stories about their community, their school, and their definitions of responsibility. The final work includes an example of public activism, mentorship of youth, a student completing their homework, and people engaging in art. The mural includes an image of Respect: Respect Yourself, Your Peers, Your Elders, The Spaces we share in progress. As a background, the artists used African-based fabrics to add color and dimension to the work.
