In conjunction with the exhibition “Emory Douglas: Black Panther,” the New Museum partnered with the Studio Museum in Harlem and Groundswell Community Mural Project to develop a mural, What We Want, What We Believe, based on the work of Emory Douglas. In preparation for the project, students attended workshops at the New Museum and the Studio Museum to discuss the social and political history that gave rise to the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and the larger Black Power movement. The mural team consisted of fifteen teens chosen through lottery and employed by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, through the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The mural project involved students in the New Museum’s G:Class high school program, and introduced some students to both museums, while others were already familiar. In keeping with a goal of G:Class to provide students with an opportunity to work with professional artists, the mural team participated in an art-making workshop with Douglas, brainstormed in design sessions with him, and attended an artist talk by Douglas. Making connections to the social and political issues that lead up to Douglas’s work, students also learned critical thinking, art-making, and collaboration skills.
Students participated in a walking tour of Harlem with John Reddick, an architectural preservationist, and attended an interactive workshop on protest music facilitated by DJ Reborn. The team met with peers from Mayseles Cinema’s youth program, and engaged in dialogue with photographer Jamel Shabbaz, who lead a workshop on documenting Harlem’s history through photography.
On August 13, the New Museum hosted a celebration for all 100 of Groundswell’s project’s youth to acknowledge their accomplishments around New York.
What We Want, What We Believe
122nd Street and Third Avenue
This project was made possible by support from: New Museum, the Studio Museum Harlem, Rolin Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation and individual donors like you.
New Museum
The Global Classroom (G:Class) is made possible by The Bloomingdale’s Fund of the Macy’s Foundation and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support is generously provided by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation. Endowment support is provided by The Keith Haring Foundation School and Youth Programs Fund and the Skadden, Arps Education Programs Fund. Additional endowment support provided by the JPMorgan Chase Professional Development Workshop Program for Teachers, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs at the New Museum.
The Studio Museum in Harlem
Youth Programs at the Studio Museum in Harlem are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; Colgate-Palmolive; Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, JPMorgan Chase Foundation and Time Warner Inc.
Groundswell Community Mural Project
Rolin Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation and individual donors like you.