Program Overview. Thanks to a modest grant from Burners Without Borders, Graffic Traffic is a program for youth who have been disciplined for tagging/vandalism or otherwise demonstrated interest in street art. Legendary graffiti artist Trixter and acclaimed youth mentor Keith Brownlee will teach this 5-week program through a combination of visits to local establishments, workshops at Consensus, and a public mural painting. The goal is to teach youth how to use street art to build respectful attitudes in their community.

Program Goals. Graffic Traffic fits into Consensus’ overall goal of peacebuilding in three primary ways:

• It enhances community dialogue around the meaning, ownership, and consequences of public space across institutional sectors as well as generations within our most immediate neighborhoods.

• It challenges youth to use their powers of creative expression for positive, professional outcomes.

• It allows youth to produce works of art that will be publicly exhibited as collaborative symbols of community identity.  

   

Program Participants. The program entails four groups of participants:

• At-Risk Youth (5-10): Teenagers who have been disciplined for tagging or otherwise demonstrate interest in street art. We have chosen Gage Park High School due to existing relationships we garnered by co-producing their first annual Community Resource Fair and Mini Conference on March 7-8 of this year in partnership with the school’s Parent Advisory Council. 

• Community Partners (4): Neighborhood institutions including 1) Chicago Public Library - Back of the Yards Branch; 2) The Plant; 3) Hot Mexican Pepper Inc. and 4) Family Dollar

• Teaching Artists (2) -

  • TYRONE "TRIXTER" WHITESIDE. Tyrone has been doing visual and performing arts around Chicago for 30 years. In the 1980s, he gained fame under his legendary graffiti moniker, Trixter, and continues as a freelance painter. For the past 20 years, Tyrone has focused on youth education, information technology, and nonprofit resource development. He has served as an arts/technology instructor with After School Matters, Coop Image Group, and Austin Polytech High School. He has also developed training curricula for the Center for Neighborhood Technology and Digital Development Corporation. In his work with these and other community organizations, Tyrone has raised over a quarter million dollars in program development grants. tyrone@consensuschicago.org

  • KEITH BROWNLEE. See kayaart.com.

• Crew (2-4) - This will include team members who help with the administration and documentation of the program. 

Program Structure. We plan to run the first pilot program for five weeks. Exact dates and times TBA depending on the availability of the youth participants, but we are planning to start around mid-September during afterschool hours, twice a week. 

• Weeks 1-4

  • The first session of the week will be spent on site with a community partner in an interactive seminar format based on each partner’s role in the community. Students will have opportunities to discuss topics of concern with community leaders, photograph their experience, and share their creative talent. 

  • The second session of the week will be spent at Consensus for workshop time that allows the students to translate their experience in the field into visual and literary produces under the guidance of our teaching artists.

• Week 5

  • Public Mural Painting: both sessions each week will be used to produce the program’s final collaborative project, a community mural outside of Family Dollar near Consensus, at 51st and Artesian.