By Carol Tannenhauser

Have you ever wondered who creates those bold and colorful, beautifully drawn and painted murals you see on the sides of buildings around the city?

WSR met the artists behind the latest mural to appear in the neighborhood on a south-facing wall of Louis D. Brandeis High School, on West 84th Street off Columbus Avenue. It’s called “Girl Wonder,” and it was planned, designed, drawn, and painted by participants in New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), in partnership with the nonprofit, Creative Art Works (CAW). CAW hired more than 110 youth apprentices and 16 teaching artists for six weeks in July and August to complete seven large-scale public art works. The apprentices were paid $15 an hour for up to 25 hours a week, depending on their age.

On Wednesday morning, the artists gathered to unveil “Girl Wonder,” along with a video about what the mural means and how they felt creating it. According to the event program, “it is about how the dreams of one person can draw from a community, and, at the same time, contribute to that community.”

“The hardest part was trying not to make any mistakes,” one boy shared. “It was new. It was cool. I never really painted before,” said another. A third youth called the experience “valid.”

“I like the fact that you get to make a project that lasts,” Tunasia Culver, 19, told WSR. This was her second summer working for Creative Art Works. “Last year was extremely hard for me, because my mom passed away in the middle of the summer,” she wrote in the program. “I continued…last year in memory of her. This year, I hoped to make a beautiful piece of art, knowing she’s watching over me.”

SYEP serves youths from 14 – 24, who must apply for the 100,000 available spots in April, then enter a lottery, as applications usually exceed availability. Some young people, however, who might be facing certain barriers to employment, such as homelessness, foster care, and criminal justice involvement, “don’t have to go through the lottery system and can be directly referred to the jobs program through a city agency they’re working with,” Chalkbeat reported. For many, it’s their first job.

Tynasia, who was cheered on by a woman named Vanessa who called her “my daughter,” said she’ll be going to the State University of New York at Ulster next spring “to follow my aspirations” to become a veterinary technician and dog groomer.

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