Our Impact

Engaging the belief that art creates community and community creates change.
Four figures of young children killed by crash crashes are featured in this livable streets mural, which declares "Not One More Death."

Groundswell believes that art creates community and community creates change. We are committed to engaging diverse communities and young people in the arts to promote identity, creativity, and cultural literacy.

 

As a youth muralist with Groundswell, I felt successful every day just getting out of bed to do something creative. It's not only a positive experience for us as artists, but as activists as well. The murals that we paint are not just pictures but stories that provoke thought to the local people passing by. That's what I love about Groundswell. They talk about the struggles and problems and start to make change through art.

— Izaiah Herman, youth artist

 

Groundswell’s projects elicit a diversity of voices and underrepresented perspectives and are as diverse as the communities who help create them. Our model of inclusivity has allowed us to explore a diverse range of issues in our murals and promote community art as an integral part of the art historical canon. 

 

In 2024, Groundswell served 332 students through our afterschool and summer programs, created 17 new murals, and engaged 597 community members. And we continue to reach countless individuals daily through our over 600 murals across New York City. Yet our impact goes even deeper than numbers. Our programs create experiences for all involved. In their words, our youth artists see "art that impacts communities." They hear "the quiet focus of young people who want to continue their art journey," and they feel "a warm presence - almost like a big warm hug."