When asked what he will take away from his four years in programming at RAW, senior and aspiring animator Michael Aghahowa says, “I’ve learned to adapt to change and to communicate better. Teamwork is absolutely a skill I’ve learned and will carry on to college.” Michael clearly reflects the deep level of engagement we aim to achieve with all of our high school teens. His skills in communication and teamwork have been honed through his participation in Men 2 Be, a support group for teen boys led by art therapist Jason Cruz; Good 2 Go, a paid public art and mural program led by Jason and art therapist Bruce Orr; and through CORE, a portfolio development program led by teaching artist Silvia Lopez Chavez and Program Director Kathe Swaback. After meeting Jason, he was immediately sold, “I came to the exhibit opening when I was in 7th grade and kept telling Jason I wanted to come to RAW. It took me a while, but once I got here I couldn’t get away!” When asked about his favorite work, he points to a piece hanging in RAW’s gallery for our current show, “How Do You Frame Yourself?” Boys in Men 2 Be were asked to consider their “frame of mind” as they began to plan their futures and develop their life goals. They used PVC piping to represent the twists and turns in their lives and the choices they can make that will lead to new opportunities and lay a foundation for a positive future. Michael’s piece has a very obvious red heart in the center, which he says represents all the things that he has yet to accomplish – like attending college and becoming an animator. The thorns on the PVC piping represent the obstacles he has faced and will face along the way. To further refine his art skills and build his portfolio, Michael was selected to participate in Montserrat College of Art’s pre-college RAW ART WORKS summer program – on a full scholarship. This was something he didn’t even know was an option before RAW. “While I was at Montserrat, the biggest fear I faced was my animation class. I went in thinking ‘How hard could it be?’ But when our first project was making stick figures walk, I wanted to quit. I called my mom and was like, ‘Yea, I don’t think I want to be an animator anymore.’ She told me ‘Don’t quit! You’ve wanted to be an animator since you were little, it’s going to be hard, you just have to work at it!’ That opened my eyes up really wide and I went into my next project confidently and rocked it! It wasn’t the best animation in the class but I was proud of it because I put my heart into it.” At the end of that program, Michael was offered a four year scholarship to Montserrat worth $20,000 a year! Reflecting on his experience at RAW and at Montserrat, Michael realized the keys to his success are his communication and teamwork skills, critical skills he learned as a member of Good 2 Go. As Michael participates in CORE, Men 2 Be, Good 2 Go, and now RAW’s college access program, Project LAUNCH, he heads into his senior year with a scholarship, a near-complete portfolio, and clear and passionate goals for his future. For our many donors who have sponsored a senior, Michael’s story is an amazing example of the opportunities our seniors are able to access because of your support. We congratulate Michael on his success in the program, and are so thankful to our donors for supporting teens like him each year! A Newsletter from Raw Art Works Fall 2012 I AM. Michael’s piece from the current “How Do You Frame Yourself?” Exhibit
Transcript
When asked what he will take away from his four years in programming at RAW, senior and aspiring animator Michael Aghahowa says, “I’ve learned to adapt to change and to communicate better. Teamwork is absolutely a skill I’ve learned and will carry on to college.”
Michael clearly reflects the deep level of engagement we aim to achieve with all of our high school teens. His skills in communication and teamwork have been honed through his participation in Men 2 Be, a support group for teen boys led by art therapist Jason Cruz; Good 2 Go, a paid public art and mural program led by Jason and art therapist Bruce Orr; and through CORE, a portfolio development program led by teaching artist Silvia Lopez Chavez and Program Director Kathe Swaback. After meeting Jason, he was immediately sold, “I came to the exhibit opening when I was in 7th grade and kept telling Jason I wanted to come to RAW. It took me a while, but once I got here I couldn’t get away!”
When asked about his favorite work, he points to a piece hanging in RAW’s gallery for our current show, “How Do You Frame Yourself?” Boys in Men 2 Be were asked to consider their “frame of mind” as they began to plan their futures and develop their life goals. They used PVC piping to represent the twists and turns in their lives and the choices they can make that will lead to new opportunities and lay a foundation for a positive future. Michael’s piece has a very obvious red heart in the center, which he says represents all the things that he has yet to accomplish – like attending college and becoming an animator. The thorns on the PVC piping represent the obstacles he has faced and will face along the way.
To further refine his art skills and build his portfolio, Michael was selected to participate in Montserrat College of Art’s pre-college
RAW ART WORKS
summer program – on a full scholarship. This was something he didn’t even know was an option before RAW. “While I was at Montserrat, the biggest fear I faced was my animation class. I went in thinking ‘How hard could it be?’ But when our first project was making stick figures walk, I wanted to quit. I called my mom and was like, ‘Yea, I don’t think I want to be an animator anymore.’ She told me ‘Don’t quit! You’ve wanted to be an animator since you were little, it’s going to be hard, you just have to work at it!’ That opened my eyes up really wide and I went into my next project confidently and rocked it! It wasn’t the best animation in the class but I was proud of it because I put my heart into it.” At the end of that program, Michael was offered a four year scholarship to Montserrat worth $20,000 a year! Reflecting on his experience at RAW and at Montserrat, Michael realized the keys to his success are his communication and teamwork skills, critical skills he learned as a member of Good 2 Go. As Michael participates in CORE, Men 2 Be, Good 2 Go, and now RAW’s college access program, Project LAUNCH, he heads into his senior year with a scholarship, a near-complete portfolio, and clear and passionate goals for his future. For our many donors who have sponsored a senior, Michael’s story is an amazing example of the opportunities our seniors are able to access because of your support. We congratulate Michael on his success in the program, and are so thankful to our donors for supporting teens like him each year!
A Newsletter from Raw Art Works
Fall 2012
I AM.
Michael’s piece from the current “How Do You Frame Yourself?” Exhibit
WE CONNECT. This summer, the creation of art was not confined to RAW’s studios. Two groups of teen muralists set out to beautify a public park, an elderly service program’s recreation room, and a corporate office space. While Good 2 Go, a mural and public art employment and entrepreneurship program for teen boys, has always been popular and in demand, this year RAW was able to expand the opportunity to teen girls in WAM (Women Art Muralists). In Good 2 Go and WAM, highly�dedicated and motivated teenage young men and women are hired to create murals and large�scale public art. Teens work collaboratively with each other, with RAW staff, and with clients to develop
creative concepts and a scope of services for prospective clients.
In the severe heat of July, the boys in Good 2 Go worked tirelessly on a large mural project at Hood Park for Lynn Youth Soccer (LYS). The goal was to transform an old concrete concession stand into a work of public art. The boys focused on teamwork and communication to meet LYS goals for the project in terms of the timeline and ultimate design. “The boys held each other accountable through the entire process,” says Jason Cruz, M.A., who has led the group for 10 years. “Positive and constructive feedback is always expected
Inspired by a visit to guest artist Deb Putnoi’s Brighton studio and her collaged wooden totems, teen artists were asked to create a totem of their own for the current exhibit “How Do You Frame Yourself?”
Founder Mary Flannery challenged the teens to consider the idea of what would mean to take a “core sample” ofthemselves. What elements would be needed to create that sample? They were asked to dig deep and reflect on a moment in their lives that has helped to frame who they are at the most essential level. Through their totems, they conveyed the core of those transformative moments.
Teaching artists Silvia Lopez-Chavez and Alison Miller helped the teens to carefully choose materials that were reflective of their moment and message. They also wrote a piece to go along with their visual artwork. Some of the teens wrote artist statements, while others went a step further and wrote poetry.
Greg, a senior, wrote about the loss of his grandfather to accompany his totem:
“It seemed like any other day; I was just cooking at my friend’s house and I got a call; my grandfather had passed. After that moment, I saw my mom from a different perspective. She was not only a parent, but a daughter as well.”
Lisa, also a senior, reflected on a turning point in her attitude toward being bullied:
Lost in commotion, but I’m coming to motion.Deemed as passionately resisting the negative forces of her human nature,
do I find beautiful to never let myself slip. Be myself, in the sense of the most
actual reality. Feel everything and more, deeply, and softly.
Despite the suffocating grip around my heart, repeatedly echoing:I am everything she is not.
I CREATE.
It is RAW’s core belief that our kids need to be seen and heard. It is RAW’s mission to provide our kids with the guiding questions, the paintbrushes, the video cameras, and the encouragement to tell their stories through their creative work. We are so grateful to each and every donor who helps us to fund this mission, day after day!
A section of the mural from PACE
The fall is always an exciting time here at RAW. By 3:00, the doorbell is buzzing endlessly as nearly 90 young artists enter the building each day. The studio walls are fi lled with art-in-progress, and our Project LAUNCH Mentors are working tirelessly with their high school senior mentees as they get ready to hit “submit” on their college applications.
It’s hard to believe that we’re closer to the holidays than to this past summer – which was by far our busiest yet. Old favorites like “Van Go”(where RAW group leaders go out into the community in our newly-painted van to make art with kids) were joined by new programming. We introduced a teen Sculpture Studio led by Alison Miller, an alum and teaching artist, and “Visiting Artists Workshops”, where our teens were introduced to new techniques like silk screening and printmaking by professional Boston-based artists.
There were many “fi rsts” for RAW this summer. We introduced SCENE, led by teaching artist Silvia Lopez Chavez. Silvia piled our teen artists into the van and visited RISD Museum in Providence, RI, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston – and even Mass MOCA in North Adams, a three-hour drive! It was a remarkable opportunity for our artists to see and discuss the work of artists both classic and contemporary. After each trip, they were let loose in the studio to create their own vibrant works of art that were directly inspired by the exhibits they saw!
Another fi rst was CAMP!, a week-long program that brought together two staples at RAW – fi lm and visual art. Film School Director Chris Gaines guided the group in creating a short script, while Art Therapist Bruce Orr worked with the middle school artists to bring their ideas to life, and we were all amazed as cardboard morphed into props and costumes. The week culminated with a screening in our gallery, with parents and friends coming to see the debut of “Attack of the Humanoid Hippo” and “Steve Pennyworth and the Robot of Doom,” both of which can be seen by visiting our video gallery: www.rawartworks.org/videogallery and click on “Best of Experimental and Music Videos.”
We were able to create new and exciting programming and reach more kids than ever this summer, and could not have done it without your support. For this opportunity, to spend long days and evenings with our RAW kids– we want to thank you. We could NOT do what we do with you!
Mary Flannery, FounderKit Jenkins, Executive Director
MESSAGE FROM MARY AND KIT
and encouraged within the group. It was such a good feeling to have folks from the community stop by on some of the hottest days and give the boys great feedback. That definitely gave them motivation.” Jason also went on to explain his metric for a successful project: “At the end of the day I always ask the guys ‘Did you do your best?’ and they know if they hesitate when they respond that they need review their work for the day and make a plan for the next day. This set a high bar for the project which they stepped up to – and the bar is always high.”
Good2Go was certainly busy – as soon as they wrapped up at Hood Park, they were off to start another set of murals at PACE, an elderly day program in downtown Lynn, an organization that serves the elderly as an alternative to nursing care. The boys worked collaboratively with the seniors to identify the themes they wanted represented in the mural: nature, music, and the city of Lynn. From there, they were given full autonomy. In the spirit of engaging the client, they even found themselves in an exercise class with seniors! “I liked seeing how happy it made them” said Rayden Alba, a first-year member of Good 2 Go. The end product, two boldly colored murals with scenes of High Rock Tower, The Supremes (a favorite band of the attendees), and a highly detailed nature scene that integrated realism and abstract art was well received by all. The project was celebrated in an open house at PACE which was widely attended by community leaders, residents, staff, and the artists’ families.
While RAW’s teen boys were busy in Lynn, a NEW all-girls mural group, WAM, came together to create a mural at Cell Signaling Technology in Danvers. After a RAW exhibition at their office space earlier this year, David Comb, Creative Director for CST, invited RAW artists back to create something more permanent in their space. Our teenage girls toured the facility, met with staff, and looked at images of cells underneath high-powered microscopes, which inspired their design.They created a mural that incorporated images of cells and words that they felt represented the core values of the company. As an unexpected bonus, the mural came to life when a staff person provided 3-D glasses. The images literally popped off the wall!
RAW’s young artists worked hard this summer and their work is still having an impact long after they have headed back to high school! As Mary Ellen Gibb, coordinator for the Hood Park mural says, “The murals are fantastic! The unique and clever artwork is definitely enjoyed by people of all ages. The artists certainly did their homework and gave kids a reason to be proud of the city they live in. Their artwork has absolutely brought new life to the city, and we hope they will come back to share their talents again.”
Girls from WAM hard at work on their mural!
Raw Art WorksBoard of Directors
Mary Flannery, FounderKit Jenkins, Executive Director Bruce Herring, ChairRich CoffmanWilliam HutchinsonEden MilroyTrish MooreDuncan PettigrewMario RicciardelliKatie RoyKathy SherbrookeBobbye Lou Sims
RAW Staff
Mary Flannery, FounderKit Jenkins, Executive DirectorSara Barrientos*Collette CrowleyJason CruzMasiel Encarnación*Matthew Feener*Chris GainesTracie HinesSusannah HorwitzThary Sun Lim*Erin McCarthy* Desiree McMahon*Laura Menucci
Newsletter Fall 2012www.rawartworks.org
RAW ART WORKS37 CENTRAL SQUARE, LYNN, MA 01901
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LYNN MAPERMIT NO. 16
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UPCOMING EVENTSBreakfast Tours at RAW
We want you to connect to RAW at our hour-long breakfast tours. Have breakfast on us, meet with our Executive Director, Kit Jenkins, learn about RAW’s history and programs, take a tour of RAW’s building, and view art by RAW artists, including the current “How Do You Frame Yourself” exhibit.
These events are free of charge, and last 1 hour.February 6th 9:00 amApril 3rd 8:00 am
