The RAW Project
The RAW Project is a nonprofit arts initiative in the United States that commissions murals on public school campuses and facilitates student workshops with visiting artists. Established in Miami in 2014, its first large campaign covered José de Diego Middle School in Wynwood with dozens of murals during Miami Art Week. Subsequent projects have taken place at additional Miami schools and, beginning in 2017, at schools in Denver.
History
The project began in 2014 in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, where artists were invited to paint the walls of José de Diego Middle School, a campus then lacking an arts program. Media coverage described the school’s transformation and later integration of art into the curriculum.The initiative expanded to Eneida M. Hartner Elementary in 2016 and returned for a repaint in 2019 that included contributions by Shepard Fairey and other artists. A further campaign took place at South Miami K–8 Center in 2019, and in 2022 murals were added at Dr. Henry W. Mack/West Little River K–8 Center.
In 2017 RAW expanded to Denver through a partnership with the city’s Urban Arts Fund. Projects at Eagleton, Cowell and Fairview Elementary schools were followed in 2018 by murals at Garden Place and Cheltenham Elementary.