For three consecutive summers in 2009, 2010, and 2011, the Harlem River Park Task Force (HRPTF) and Creative Arts Workshops for Kids partnered with the NYS Department of Transportation and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to create murals at Harlem River Park between 132nd and 140th streets. The murals - on brick and reaching 100 feet long and 17 feet high - depict artistic and literary icons, architecture, ecology, immigration and the heritage of the El Barrio/East Harlem and Central Harlem communities.
The local community was engaged in every stage of the creative process from conception to completion. HRPTF began by surveying individuals of the local community to gain input about the specific symbolic and cultural imagery that should be included in these artworks. After a consensus of the feedback was made, the HRPTF collaborated with local schoolchildren and professional teaching artists from Creative Arts Workshops for Kids to design the murals. The process culminated in three 6 week long summer youth employment programs during which the murals were painted and presented to the public. |
|