Bronx students create peace mural at Spuyten Duyvil Playground through CITYarts project

Students from two Bronx schools came together to create a new mural surrounding the Spuyten Duyvil Playground. The kids designed and painted the wall themselves, prompted by the question ‘What does peace look like to you?’ 

The mural was sponsored by CITYarts, a not-for-profit that inspires children around the world to create public art. With the help of U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, as well as two city-based artists, the organization connected Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy and the Theatre Arts Production Company.  

Tsipi Ben-Haim, founder, executive and creative director of CITYarts, founded the organization in 1989. Since then, CITYarts has created more than 380 projects, including Pieces for Peace, an exhibition featuring the works of children from 124 different countries. CITYarts aims to empower children to connect with their community and realize their potential as individuals.

This Bronx mural is part of a new collection, titled the Unity Peace Wall project. 

In April, CITYarts approached the schools to begin brainstorming. Ben-Haim proposed the idea of a jigsaw puzzle in which each piece could be designed by a student. It was representative of not only unity, but of the organization itself, as every project requires multiple working parts to come together. 

In this case, the professional artists, officials like Torres and the city park all play a key role, but the most important factor is the students. 

“It all comes from their curiosity, their imagination, their ideas,” Ben-Haim said. “We are building from there. Their ideas are the ingredients that go into the mural, and the [professional] artist brings them together.” 

After CITYarts explained the nature of the work, the kids were given a piece of paper to draw what peace looks like to them. Ronit Levin Delgado, a city-based multidisciplinary artist, was there to guide them. 

“As they were drawing it, I walked around and helped them with specifics — how to draw this, how to draw that — to develop ideas with them. I gave them some feedback until they had the final draft,” Levin Delgado said. 

She worked in collaboration with Lovie Pignata, a Bronx-based artist who often works with public spaces. 

The students helped sand and prime the wall, then returned a few days later to start painting. The mural should be completed sometime this week, Ben-Haim said. 

The project drew inspiration from Torres, who initially contacted SAR about the mural, citing the power public art has to bring people together. 

“The Unity Peace Wall is a powerful symbol of … unity, peace and pride in our shared Bronx community,” Torres said. 

The mural features a bright array of symbols the students associate with peace: flowers, hearts, handprints, rainbows, beaches, cities and more. One piece says “Choose peace not violence.” 

“We believe in experimental learning,” Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, SAR Academy principal said. “Any time there’s an opportunity for our kids to express themselves through doing something, we jump on it.” 

Krauss said the SAR students enjoyed meeting kids from Theatre Arts Production Company, and that exposure to the broader community, as well as those from different faiths and cultures, is enriching. 

The Peace and Unity mural can be found on Douglas Avenue and West 235th Street, across from Seton Park. CITYarts didn’t want the location to be specific to either school, but instead in a central location the whole community could enjoy, Ben-Haim said. 

“We want to spread light and instill hope in our youth,” she said, “and give them the opportunity to do the best they can to build a better world for themselves.”

This story was updated July 3.