Nestled in the "Westside" "Eastside" debate captured by HBO's series "The Wire" is the implied question of "how a community can reclaim it's lost generations?" We have seen time and time again how politicians' quickly loose sight of their community responsibility once elected. The politics of American society have left those in need for those with coffers of cash. Even with private corporate investment to fill some of the gap created by limited to no funding by public governments, American communities are being forgotten. The inner city for most US cities runs the extremes from at marginal risk - where gentrification and ever changing economics is reclaiming communities like Denver's Five Points, Chicago's River North or St. Louis' Soulard District to immediate risk or complete despair as extremely portrayed for Baltimore's "Westside" on HBO.
GALLERY M artist Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen (JWSC) found a method to impact change for the "forgotten" in the US. As an Open Society Fellow, JWSC has been able to instill his fine art skills in some of Baltimore's toughest neighborhoods.  In one recent situation, a Kindergarten to 5th grade elementary school reclaimed it's own life by employing his art program and teachings. Schlossberg-Cohen initially was asked due to his other local and national "Social Justice" installations to help the school bring life and vitality to it's core - the library. As a pre-requisite, students were required to complete their homework for other, non-art classes. The passion and zeal that Schlossberg-Cohen's art programs explore entitled the library to have a new set of guardians - students (and their parents) - who told their friends of the meaning of each freshly painted wall. Prior to the installation, the barren walls lacked life, knowledge and unbelievably books; afterwards local companies, public and private entities and citizens donated new books for the updated library. Schlossberg-Cohen mentioned during our interview: "Being able to create a painting, take ownership in it, and then connect the hope generated from participation, the transformed student affected change for him/herself academically and for the community."
One noticeable change is being reflected in this particular school's MSA results (Maryland State Assessment Exam). Jay noted that prior to the mural the students' aptitude scores were in serious decline; after the mural student's scores rose. The drastic change is attributed to teachers employing the creative elements of the art installation. While JWSC mentioned how teachers in non-art classes were having students participate in art projects, the interaction of applying the golden rule to the mural placed perspective for each student. Art empowered a student to realize their inner strengths and capabilities so that test scores dramatically improved for other subjects. Like suburban schools in American society, the library mural became the equivalent to walking the halls and finding a pennant, team photograph or trophy that a student achieved with his/her peers, teachers and family.
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