Harlem Murals: Interview
By:
Anna-Sofiya Lupolover,
Jordanna Winfield,
Savannah Gordon
Written component:
Art in Urban Schools
Public education and public schools have been a part of New York City since the early 19th century. At that time, a great deal of the student population came from families of poor, recent immigrants, or was a first generation American, themselves. It was quickly realized that the future of this city, and of American democracy in the broader picture, would eventually rely on those being educated in public schools – those who now were part of the more disadvantaged class. It was at this point that social progressives took interest in the public school system. School design was re-examined, and art in the hallways and “school beautification” projects didn’t come long after – it seems that since 1880, administrators have known that murals and in-school projects would have a positive impact on the student body.
Almost all schools built in the five boroughs during the Progressive Era and during the New Deal feature intricate works of art in places such as the lobby, auditorium or library. Only a handful of schools, though, feature murals on the exterior of the school or on the walls of nearby playgrounds. Some such schools are the Louis Armstrong Middle School in Corona, Queens, and the Harlem School of the Arts in upper Manhattan. A number of schools have student-produced mural artwork on the interior of the buildings, usually in hallways and stairwells. Schools with these features include Bayside High School and the Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School, both located in Eastern Queens, and numerous others throughout the boroughs.
The Louis Armstrong Middle School in Corona houses a student body of about 1,4000 children, representing the full range of ethnic, social, academic and economic diversity found in a large city such as New York. The immediate surrounding area includes a public playground as well as local shops, delis, fast food restaurants and businesses. On an average school day, there is some form of police presence – often a light one – in the neighborhood. This is for the protection and safety of the school students, who, as young as 6th grade, are exposed to gang violence and influence in this area of Corona. To combat the sometimes-negative behaviors and attitudes surrounding the neighborhood, the administration at this school in the last decade decided to turn the front panel of the school’s building and entrance into an art canvas. Now, where there used to be plain red brick, there is a colorful mural depicting a NYC skyline, bridges that we know and love, jazz musicians, taxis, famous local icons and various city scenes.
According to Jane Weissman, a Brooklyn-based arts administrator and community muralist, murals act to “protest, celebrate, beautify, educate, organize and, on occasion, inspire action, often functioning as a window to the unofficial history of a neighborhood.” This is especially true of a mural created in Brooklyn this past summer. The artwork possesses a positive message, even though it stems from a negative occurrence.
In August of 2009, a 14 x 100 foot mural facing Brower Park in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was created by local high school students and collaborating professional artists. The topic? Gun violence. With images of both life and death depicted in the artwork, the piece answers the recent call by both President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg for citizens to take initiative to improve their communities. Sixteen-year-old Adan Palmero, a student at Fort Hamilton High School, said of the mural project in Crown Heights, “This experience has opened my mind towards the people around me.”
Art is undeniably a part of our day-to-day lives – it is being showcased and performed everywhere we look, in many different ways. It is a great thing, too, to see the important role that art in its more traditional form of paint on blank canvas is playing in the lives of children of all ages, uplifting their spirits and changing their attitudes.
