Identifying issues and injustices in their own backyard, some 40 young artists from lower-income parts of the city were encouraged to talk about their insecurities regarding the neighborhoods around them. Mentors like Russell McGee asked the students to condense their thoughts into a single word that would help them label, process and address the issues at hand.
Words like “equity,” “invest” and “growth” were the outcome.
McGee, known to many by his artist name of Genesis Greykid, worked with local nonprofit Mark Making to help students then create art to speak out on the social problems they see in their neighborhoods.
“The qualities that you develop through creating art – whether you’re an artist or not – is impactful to the soul,” McGee said.
Implementing writing exercises, art therapy and other group-focused conversations, the students were able to navigate difficult topics and share concerns with their peers. Some expressed their anxieties regarding violence and pressures to join a gang. Others discussed the strain of having to buy groceries at a gas station and having no access to fresh produce, a problem referred to as living in a “food desert.”