Presented by Groundswell — the same organization behind the Queensbridge mural — this exhibition brought murals painted by incarcerated youth on Rikers Island between 2008 and 2019 outside the jail's walls for the first time, alongside mobile murals by artists impacted by incarceration. It extends Groundswell's ongoing Rikers mural residency, running since at least 2016.
Brooklyn-based artist Mollie Hosmer-Dillard designed this asphalt art mural with On Your Mark, a Staten Island nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its infinity-symbol design and colors are drawn from the Disability Pride flag. The piece was shaped with input from the people On Your Mark serves, rather than added on top of a service after the fact.
Unveiled May 2026, this 1,500-sq-ft mural transformed the exterior of the Clay Ave Resident Association's space at Claremont Chilean muralist Dasic Fernández painted this piece for the Center for Popular Democracy, working with Make the Road NY and New York Communities for Change. It features real local activists and a bilingual message: "Vota por tu comunidad / Vote for your community." The mural sits in a Nassau County community with a large immigrant and working-class population.
Painted in 2020 by Next100, a progressive think tank, and spearheaded by Next100's Michael "Zaki" Smith, who lost a teaching job over an old record years after completing his sentence. Unveiled with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and other Black elected officials. The mural visualizes how a criminal record follows people into housing and job applications long after a sentence is technically served.
Young artists in Groundswell's Summer Leadership Institute created this mural with the Queensbridge Tenant Association and NYCHA, addressing HIV/AIDS, diabetes, food access, gun violence, and mental wellness. A mythical sphinx anchors four figures representing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Key words appear in English, Bengali, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Curated by the nonprofit Street Art for Mankind, this self-guided art walk depicts eight real stories of survivors of child labor and trafficking, spanning five continents. Inaugurated with UN agencies, the International Labour Organization, and NYC's Administration for Children's Services. A free app lets visitors scan each mural to hear the survivor's story directly, along with the artist's process.
Unveiled May 2026, this 1,500-sq-ft mural transformed the exterior of the Clay Ave Resident Association's space at Claremont Consolidated, a NYCHA development. Designed and painted by residents themselves — 100+ participants ages 2 to their 80s — with Artolution, the Public Housing Community Fund, and the NY Climate Exchange. The imagery moves between the neighborhood's past, residents' dreams for its future, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.