The goal of this community mural project is to inspire a new generation of children and move our community to action! ArtWorks, ProKids, and Cincinnati Public Schools are teaming up to create a brand new mural on the corner of William H. The goal of this community mural project is to honor the legacy of the site's previous artwork, while celebrating a new generation of organizations in the neighbo
rhood that work collaboratively to prepare youth for lifelong success. The hope is to move community members to action, and inspire youth to imagine and realize their dreams! In the 1980s, a group of students from then Merry Junior High School painted a mural along the retaining wall located at the corner of Burnet Avenue and William Howard Taft Road in Cincinnati’s Corryville neighborhood. This vivid and colorful mural celebrated the lives and talents of Cincinnati’s diverse youth. Over the years, due to the structural nature of the retaining wall, the mural’s colors began to fade and the paint began to chip and peel. Despite valiant efforts in 1996 and 2000 by other teams of youth to revitalize the wall, the mural has continued to degrade. Almost three years ago, thanks to the generosity of the Mayerson Foundation, ProKids moved to their current location at 2605 Burnet Ave. They were welcomed into this historic community and soon began receiving requests to address the blighted mural across from their office. Last summer, they met with ArtWorks to determine the steps needed to create a new and inspirational mural. ArtWorks Mural Program’s reputation for excellence and experience are unsurpassed in our community, both in terms of the quality of their public art and engagement of our youth. ArtWorks and ProKids met with officials from Cincinnati Public Schools, which owns the wall. CPS endorsed the project, joined the partnership, and granted permission to proceed. Shortly thereafter, ProKids submitted a proposal to ArtWorks for partnerships, funding, and mural design. The mural’s theme focuses on empowering and inspiring the community to become actively involved in child related services and education. Considerable time and expense have been invested to ensure this project’s success and lasting impact. The retaining wall must undergo considerable repair so that the new mural will have a long-lasting impact. With ArtWorks in the lead, the child protection community, arts community, and business community have come together to meet the challenge of raising the funds needed to see this project completed. We would like to invite all of you to join these committed community members and share in the common vision for a new generation of children and join with us to create a lasting and impactful child-focused work of art! About ArtWorks: Founded in 1996, ArtWorks is a non-profit arts organization that empowers and inspires the creative community to transform our everyday environments through employment, apprenticeships, education, community partnerships, and civic engagement. ArtWorks hires teen and professional artists to make innovative public art to enrich the Greater Cincinnati community. To date, ArtWorks Summer Program has provided job opportunities for more than 2,500 teen Apprentice Artists and 500 professional artists. ArtWorks is funded by the City of Cincinnati, Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./US Bank Foundation, ArtsWave, and the Ohio Arts Council. To learn more, visit ArtWorksCincinnati.org. About Cincinnati Public Schools: Cincinnati Public Schools – which ranks among the top 2 percent of Ohio districts for students’ learning growth – offers families more high-quality school choices and academic programs than any other system in the Tristate region. The district’s innovative approach to education, investment in effective and caring teachers, and vast array of collaborative partnerships have accelerated school performance to the highest level in decades – ensuring that its 33,000 students in grades preschool to 12 are able to thrive and graduate prepared for successful lives in the 21st century. CPS’ graduation rate has increased from just over 60 percent to 81.9 percent since 2002. Three of its high schools – Walnut Hills High School, Withrow University High School and Clark Montessori High School – are ranked among the top 1,000 public high schools in the United States, according to national magazines. In addition, Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School was awarded a National Blue Ribbon by the U.S. Department of Education. CPS operates 56 schools spread across 90 square miles. To learn more, visit www.cps-k12.org. About ProKids: ProKids works closely with government and other social service agencies to make sure foster children are safe, that their needs are met and that each child can have a safe, permanent and nurturing home as quickly as possible. For more than 30 years, ProKids has served Hamilton County as one of more than 900 CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer programs nationwide. Each CASA volunteer receives training from ProKids before being paired with a child who needs an advocate in the court system. If you would like to learn more, join us for a ProKids Snapshot! These are one hour information sessions where you will learn more about the ProKids mission, the incredible children we serve, and the many ways you can make an immediate impact in our local community. Sign up today & invite a friend to join you! Contact us at 513-281-2000 or visit us online at www.ProKids.org/Snapshot.
