Environmentally Themed Mural

In 2014, through a competitive process, a partnership between the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and Groundswell, a youth and arts non-profit, received a $25,000 GCEF grant (and provided $25,000 in matching funds) to design and create a large-scale mural celebrating environmentalism in Greenpoint. The project engaged a team of youth muralists, including seven Greenpoint-based youths aged 14 to 21, in a curriculum that emphasized the history of environmental activism in the community. To develop the mural’s themes, the team did research, went on educational field trips, and collected input from Greenpoint residents and community stakeholders through outreach and public events.

The culmination of the project was the creation of a 65-by-32-foot mural, entitled “Our Journey to Clean Water,” on an exterior wall of John Ericsson M.S. 126. The mural depicts Greenpoint’s rich history of environmental advocacy, and promotes the importance of local environmental engagement and stewardship.

For more information, visit Groundswell’s project page: Groundswell.NYC/Projects/Our-Journey-to-Clean-Water-122

• Created a public mural at John Ericsson M.S. 126 entitled “Our Journey to Clean Water” that celebrates Greenpoint’s history of environmental activism
• Involved 20 youth muralists, including 7 from Greenpoint, working a total of 196 hours to design and create the mural
• Incorporated input from over 150 Greenpoint residents and community stakeholders in creating the mural’s themes

Greenpoint Chamber, Groundswell Mural Tackles Local Environmentalism (Greenpoint Gazette, August 6, 2014)