HIT THE STREETS

For over seven hundred participants, Hit the Streets has been an opportunity to problem-solve creatively, handle a job successfully, and make a positive impact on their community.  Since the 1990’s, Hit the Streets youth have created permanent public art throughout the Central Area, from the Millennium Tree at Garfield Community Center to the entryways to Powell Barnett Park and Flo Ware Park to the Pillars or Equity at Thurgood Marshall Elementary. 

More recently Coyote has shifted the focus of Hit the Streets away from fixed permanent art to making public art that is portable and can be moved to different venues, which has greatly expanded the variety of materials available and has freed the youth to have more complete ownership of what they create.  We have also added performance art to each project to expand the range of talents that Hit the Streets can showcase and to create smaller creative teams with lower student to artist ratios.

PROJECT GOALS + VALUES

• Introduction to public art with a vision for how it could unfold in a student’s future

• Investment in community (impact/legacy/voice/change)

• Opportunity to work with professional artists and with professional equipment

• Direct opportunity for youth voice/perspective

• Development of community and SEL skills amongst a diverse range of students in a shared medium.

• Development of healthy habits regarding work environment  (ie: time management, timeliness, professional demeanor, communication skills, on task behavior)

• Quality, well thought out and produced artwork that represents students and Coyote well.