I LOVE MY HOOD is a proud vendor for the Department of Education and MBE certified. Our collective of artists, educators, and social justice activists are dedicated to improving our communities.
Many schools don't reflect the efforts of their hardworking students and faculty. Colorless walls create a monotonous environment, extinguishing the creative spark vital to our youth.
Our creative exercises serve as opportunities to develop expression, social awareness, and social change. These actions improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods while empowering our youth.
“Murals in Schools” allow local artists, students, and teachers to visually enhance and inspire the school’s surroundings. We paint murals that reflect the culture and aesthetics of each community.
We teach the importance of social dynamics and how the American (in)justice system unintentionally helped shape the greatest artistic and cultural revolution. Students get to provide input on what visuals get placed and gain hands-on experience in the process.
Students working with I LOVE MY HOOD as “participant-artists” learn the therapeutic process of art-making, practicing the skills and techniques needed to produce high-quality public art. Our projects emphasize a high standard of aesthetics, community building, cultural significance, and enhanced social awareness.
We work to disengage from the notion that “making it” requires leaving. Instead, we focus on the importance of staying and building within your own community as a path to success.
We specialize in small and large-scale murals that focus on cultural and community aesthetics, bringing vibrancy and inspiration to educational spaces.
Naturally, what we see on a daily basis is powerful and influential, particularly as it pertains to the shaping of our youth.
These are samples of what many of the recurrent walls look like. There is an immense amount of potential, yet regrettably, the efforts are usually limited to disproportionate flyers, posters or construction paper soaked into the vast tedium walls.
Investing in Positive Perception:
The payoff is by no means limited to beautification. Undoubtedly, a healthier and progressing atmosphere is produced when the students, faculty and visitors alike see a familiar Culture being embraced while speaking to the innovative spirit of each school and its members.
Images of Black/Latino/Native, including young Women of color are not positively represented by mass media. We enthusiastically counter that narrative by creating an environment that boosts pride, self-worth and highlights the true aspects that exist in our community.
To have the walls creatively express what we traditionally only see in textbooks is a step towards artistically expanding and strengthening how we educate. There is immense power in reprogramming our biases by representing young people of color in positions of success, leadership and everyday life.
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Engagement
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Workshops with students
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Roundtable discussions
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Examining how popular media depicts different groups.
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Brainstorming for solutions
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Equipment/tools overview
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Cultural referencing
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Execution
