Public Art
From Posters to Progress. Powered by Youth
Grades 5 - 12
Now in its 19th year, LEAP’s Signature Public Art program is a visual art-based poster design program that invites students to cultivate identity, civic responsibility, and social wellness through the creation of Public Service Announcement (PSA) posters. At a community unveiling, students present their posters and the stories behind them, empowering young artists to raise awareness and make change through collaborative, message-driven design. By the end of the program, youth leave with meaningful peer connections, sharpened communication skills, deeper self-awareness, and a tangible sense of their creative power as changemakers.
Social-Emotional Objectives
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Inspire youth to expand interests in social wellness and art & design
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Promote authentic engagement with self, class, and community
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Cultivate communal accountability and shared power
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Build peer-to-peer collaboration and collective decision-making
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Strengthen goal management, peer leadership and self-confidence
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Foster creativity and challenge growth in visual artmaking
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Invest in healthy creative habits and community connection
Program Outcomes
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Collaborate with their peers to create and design a PSA poster about a social cause
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Integrate a collaborative work of art into the community
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Build foundational skills in visual storytelling, design principles, and media literacy
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Understand the historical impact of how posters shape public awareness, political change and social progress
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Reduce digital dependency through purposeful, embodied creation
21 Session Outline: Public Art’s 5 key phases
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Phase 1 (Sessions 1 - 3): Introduce social justice, “public” art, & community integration
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Phase 2 (Sessions 4 - 6): Select, research, analyze, and visually map project topics of awareness
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Phase 3 (Sessions 7 - 10): Explore poster visual art techniques for poster design
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Phase 4 (Sessions 11 - 20): Collaborate, create and refine poster designs and artist statements
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Phase 5 (Session 21): Present posters at a community-facing “unveiling”
"These kids are so brave. Their art speaks volumes about how we shape their growing brains and psyches. We need to remember just how much we influence their sense of security, hope, and kindness."