The mural was completed by young artists at the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens in partnership with
Community-Word Project muralist teaching artists. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
June 28, 2024 By Ramy Mahmoud and Queens Post Staff
The Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens unveiled a vibrant, clean energy-inspired mural, designed and painted by children in their after-school program with the creative guidance of artists from the Community-Word Project, on Tuesday, June 18.
The visual artists worked with children aged 6-14 to write a community poem about their ideas for building a cleaner future and extracted themes from the poem to inspire the mural’s design.
The central element of the design was blue, symbolizing water. The painting incorporates themes of clean energy, protecting our planet and building a greener future. The mural is located in the parking lot of the Variety Boys and Girls Club, located at 21-12 30th Rd. in Long Island City.
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
The collaborative art project was supported by Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) and developed in partnership with Hydro-Québec, Flushing Bank and the Community-Word Project.
CHPE is a 339-mile fully buried transmission line that will bring clean, renewable hydropower from Québec to Queens. Once operational in 2026, it aims to reduce New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions, which have historically created negative health impacts on youth and communities, especially in western Queens’ “Asthma Alley.”
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
“For decades, our youth have lived in the shadow of fossil fuel stacks that litter our landscape and pollute our air,” said Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens CEO Costa Constantinides. “CHPE is at the forefront of this transformation. Working in partnership with CHPE, Community-Word Project and Flushing Bank, our youth have been able to learn about the energy transition and express their feelings for a cleaner, greener future through this wonderful mural here at Variety Boys and Girls Club.”
“It was inspiring to see our youth in Queens generate ideas around clean energy and creating a path to a greener future as we continue to build CHPE,” said Hydro-Québec Senior Director of Stakeholder Relations Pete Rose. “This project with the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens and the Community-Word Project gives students opportunities to foster connections, discover their passions through education and develop an understanding of how our clean energy transition will benefit their community.”
Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
