In this picture, you can see a group of young adults who seem to be working together to build something. I checked out the link on the syllabus and it turns out that these youth are actually working together to build a new playground for an urban elementary school in the south side of Providence.
The picture is not really an "artwork" that was painted by someone else but it does send a strong message to its audience. It shows how a community project has brought together a group of young adults to work together and give back to their community. The picture shows dedication, values, teamwork, and most importantly hard work.
This picture caught my attention because Fall 2017 and Spring 2018, I was able to complete 45+ hours of volunteer/practicum work at Charles Fortes Elementary school, which happens to be right next to Leviton Elementry School where this playground was built. It warmed my heart to know that these youth were able to provide such an amazing structure for these children who might not have access to free play when they are out of school hours.
- DownCity Design was founded in 2009 by Adrienne Gagnon and Manuel Cordero.
- Their mission was to improve Providence spaces by engaging youth to design and build solutions for their communities.
- Since their finding, DownCity Design has improved the lives of over 1,200 youth by engaging them in the community and the spaces they work in.
DownCity Design has over 50 projects in which they have created playgrounds, bike racks, benches, shelves, greenhouses and much more artwork all throughout the city of Providence.
Below are some pictures of other projects that they have been a part of, and a link to their website:
Leviton Elementary Play Pavilion
Providence Public Library Teen Space
Ellery Park Play Village
Thanks for this post Marishell--and how cool that you know the school where this structure was built. One of the things that struck me in your description of the project and Downcity Design, are the different layers of community work and benefits that this program engages--work with teens (doing the design + build), but then also the work with and for the young folks at Leviton and community residents who can appreciate the beauty of their work.
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