The South End Children’s Cafe is a community organization in Albany, New York dedicated to supporting local children and families. Founded in 2015 to provide after-school care and meals, the Cafe has become an anchor in the community. Apart from daily meals, it offers homework assistance, field trips, and arts and music workshops, creating a welcoming space for children and their families.
Ruth&Co. designed an interactive mural concept for the cafe to be completed with the children, who would be involved with the creation of the design. and the hands-on painting of the mural. Situated on a busy street corner, with a large empty wall of grey concrete facing the intersection, the mural would serve as a statement in the neighborhood of the positivity and loving work that the building houses. and to position the cafe as an anchor in the neighborhood.
Ruth&Co. worked with the children in the cafe by establishing a mural club, where children interested in learning about the power of public art as a form of expression could develop the message and iconography associated with the cafe. The children played a significant role in co-creating the mural, participating in discussions and debates over the direction of the project. Some preferred abstract designs, while others proposed symbols representing the community. After several rounds of sketches and group critiques, they collectively decided on the message “Love Lives Here,” adorned with bright colors and a silhouette of hands forming a heart. Not only did the message resonate with the children, but it echoed the Cafe’s mission, which includes “Cooking is Love made Visible.”
