Kids Convey “My City, World” A Collaborative Mural: Unveiling on Thursday August 24th 2006 from 6:30-8:00pm, Children’s Museum of the Arts, 182 Lafayette Street.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Melanie Lowe
Education Outreach Manager
(212) 274-0986 (p)
(212) 274-1776 (f)
(215) 964-1444 (m)

Kids Convey “My City, World” A Collaborative Mural: Unveiling on Thursday August 24th 2006 from 6:30-8:00pm, Children’s Museum of the Arts, 182 Lafayette Street.

New York, August 18, 2006 - The Children’s Museum of the Arts has brought together children from the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Medical Center and from GOAL, a non-profit organization in Harlem to create a collaborative mural entitled “My City, World,” which expresses each child’s thoughts and feelings about New York City. This mural is the exciting pilot project of a new program “Creating Connections” which aspires to open lines of communication between the two diverse groups of children, helping them connect with on another through their similarities as well as gain a better understanding of their differences.

Throughout the five-week program, the children, ages 5 to 16, will work independently on an array of art projects as well as the collaborative mural that expresses their unique perspectives about the world they live in. This overall project aims to give the children the skills required to work cooperatively to create one voice that represents the youth of New York City. The mural is constructed from various sized boxes. Using the bottom of the box, the children construct pop-out artwork using decoupage and 3-D techniques. This dynamic traveling mural will have its unveiling at Children’s Museum of the Arts on Thursday August 24th, 2006 from 6:30-8:00 pm 182 Lafayette Street (between Broome and Grand Streets in Soho).

While many of the kids share common backgrounds such as urban youth, their life experiences and living situations have left them with little opportunity to socialize with one another. The physical and/or mental disabilities of the children from the Rusk Institute have brought them to the inpatient treatment program at NYU Medical Center so that they receive the therapy necessary to increase their independence, mobility, and quality of life. GOAL has selected its students from under-served, under-resourced schools in Harlem with the hopes of teaching them the necessary skills to help them succeed academically. The “Creating Connections” curriculum creating by Teaching Artists at the Children’s Museum of the Arts, uses the artists process to build a bridge of thoughts, opinions and emotions between these two groups. “My City, My World” will showcase what these children are truly capable of.


Organization Information
The Children’s Museum of the Arts (www.cmany.org) is the only children’s museum in New York City that brings artists and children together to create, exhibit, and celebrate children’s artwork.
The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (www.ruskinstitute.org) is the largest university-affiliated center devoted entirely to inpatient/outpatient care, research, and training in rehabilitative medicine. The Therapeutic Recreation, Child Life & Creative Arts Therapies staff create a supportive environment where children and adolescents can experience peer support, learning, and creative expression.
GOAL’s (www.goal4kids.org) mission is to provide structured educational and motivational programs to under-served young people exhibiting below average academic performance.