Story

Youth in the East Harlem/PS 72 2021 SYEP and Bridge Summer Camp programs (36) participated in a series of workshops that fused visual art and poetry as a vehicle to process the racial injustice that lead to the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Sean Bell. The end goal was to create a collaborative 18” x 24” grid-style art piece, each student designing a rectangle that would be 1/16th of a portrait of the subject that they were learning about.

Beginning with read-alouds of factual articles relating to the events surrounding each person who was to be the focus of their artwork, thoughtful reflections and meaningful conversations laid the groundwork for self-expression. Students were challenged to articulate their feelings in writing, using only six words, which would eventually be incorporated into their design. Using bright colors, bold shapes and their poetry, beautiful pop-art portraits were assembled to create powerful statements and brilliant visuals.

Participants at CA East Harlem/PS 72, CA Hope Leadership Academy, Variety BGCA, MMCC BGCA, Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, and Educational Alliance are looking forward to continuing and expanding on this project during the 2021/2022 school year through the Amazon RISE grant, extending it into a service project focused on raising awareness around reporting acts of racism in NYC.