EL COLEGIO/BANCROFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Dare to Dream!
This project was again made possible by a graffiti prevention micro-grant from the City of Minneapolis. Through this grant Greta McLain in partnership with David Greenberg and El Colegio staff worked to construct curriculum to educate youth on graffiti and graffiti prevention while dove-tailing that conversation with the construction and creation of a community mural.

Fall semester 2008, McLain worked with a group of six El Colegio students, training them in the steps of painting a mural and informing them as youth leaders. These youth, guided by McLain, developed and facilitated activities to educate 50 Bancroft fifth graders (2 classes) on graffiti and graffiti prevention. While, during Bancroft’s art time, the El Colegio students worked as artist residents in Bancroft, facilitating conversations, sketching, designing and finally painting a community mural based on the questions: What is a dream? What are things that may prevent you from reaching your dreams? and What gives you hope for making your dreams come true? The resulting mural, painted on 2 sides of a garage (a once frequently tagged building) is an inspiring tribute to the dreams and potential carried within our youth and brightly declares the challenge: “Dare to Dream!”