Studio Programs

Groundswell studio programs are free and open to youth from across New York City. All programing takes place at Groundswell Studio allowing access to creative space, quality art materials and a variety of college/creative career workshops and opportunities for all participants. Here is a full list of programs we are offering this fall.

The 2024-25 Programs run from October 21st through March 21st. 

Portfolio: Making Art that Matters
Mondays, 4-7pm

The Portfolio: Making Art That Matters program supports students in developing their artistic practice and honing techniques to focus and strengthen their unqiue voices. Throughour the sessions, youth will explore the intersections of identity politics, systems of oppression, and create impactful imagery with a clear vision and narrative. The Portfolio class underscores the power of personal expression to promote critical thinking and foster positive change.

Simultaneously, participants will prepare for art portfolio applications, honing skills in figure drawing, composition, and design. Throughout the program, students are expected to generate at least two portfolio-ready pieces that embody the chosen social justice concepts discussed among the program cohort. Each student will receive one-on-one mentorship from Groundswell Teaching Artists.

• Refine your existing portfolio for art school & professional opportunities
• Explore advanced art techniques and access premium art materials
• One-on-One support for portfolio development
• Art institution and college application support

Voices Her'd: Community Project
Tuesdays, 4-7pm

The Voices Her'd program explores how artistic expression can be used to encourage personal and societal transformation. This community mural project creates an intentional space for young women and gender-expansive youth to connect with an intergenerational group of women living with HIV, who use art to reduce stigma, build community, and foster empowerment. 

Together youth will work with the Visual AIDS Women's Empowerment Group to explore the therapeutic aspects of art making, discuss themes around mental health, health equity, and create a visual monument around the experience of those living with AIDS/HIV. This project will explore the lineage of art and activism during the AIDS epidemic, and bring light to the unique experience of those still deeply impacted by AIDS and HIV today. 

• Learn about the power of murals and art muralism
• Develop research skills and practices
• Support the design and fabrication of a historic Groundswell mural

Murals for Change
Wednesdays, 4-7pm

In the Murals for Change program, students immerse themselves in a collective mural project that uplifts a social justice issue within a specific community. Participants will work with the Center for Social Capital (SoCa) through the Weill Cornell Medicine Center to research, design, and fabricate a mural that uplifts SoCa's mission to reduce cancer health inequities. As part of the overarching process, students will research the history of an injustice facing a community and design an artwork that depicts a clear vision for the future. Students build research skills by participating in community conversations, canvassing, and site visits- developing a final mural project that synthesizes research into a narrative-based design. 

Groundswell's Mural projects create space for representation and highlight the power of social justice-focused art and cultural preservation. Murals for Change is more than just a program- it allows participants an opportunity to become part of a historical, international creative movement that is mural making. 

• Learn about the power of murals and art of muralism
• Develop research skills and practices
• Support the design and fabrication of historic Groundswell mural 

Print Power
Thursdays, 4-6pm

In the Print Power program, youth learn about the fundamentals of printmaking through its relationship to social movements in the last century. Print Power introduces participants to community resources, and culturally relevant printmakers to inspire personal applications of the art form. Throughout the program, student voice is highlighted and uplifted to bring light to the pressing social justice issues of our time, such as economic inequality, migrant, gender and racial justice. 

Students build foundational skills in drawing, research, design, and composition while emphasizing the meaning behind each print. Print Power exposes participants to diverse styles of printmaking, beginning with the basics of relief printmaking and then transitioning into other forms of printmaking such as screen printing and zine making. 

• Introduction to printmaking and advanced print techniques
• Field trips to print shops and community spaces
• Learn how to utilize public space as gallery space

 

Applications for Groundswell's 2024-2025 in-studio After School Program Year are now open. Click here to access to application.

To stay connected, please join our mailing list here or contact groundswellremote@gmail.com