RAW Arts holding annual Works Party with a Purpose

LYNN-It has a reputation for rocking Central Square.It’s a party and auction where patrons can buy original art for a fraction of gallery cost.It’s the hippest, liveliest bash north of Boston and it’s coming to Lynn on Saturday, May 16.The seventh annual Raw Art Works Party with a Purpose will take over RAW Space, the studio at 37 Central Square, from 7-11:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online at www.rawart.org.RAW is still looking for volunteers to help out with the party. Volunteers receive a complimentary ticket to the bash. Tasks include assisting with guest check-in for those who have pre-paid tickets, and those who are paying at the door. The first volunteer door shift is 6:30-8 p.m. and the second from 8-9:30 p.m.The RAW auction team also needs volunteers to work behind the scenes at both the silent and live auctions.Volunteers for the door check-in and the auction are required to walk through RAW Space on Thursday, May 14, from 6:30-8 p.m. to familiarize themselves with the layout. Pizza and soda will be served during the orientation, according to Kit Jenkins, executive director of RAW.RAW is also seeking volunteers to help clean up after the party and replenish trash bags during the event. Additionally, volunteers can work selling RAWsome swag ? tote bags, T-shirts and other items. Sales team shifts are 45 minutes, beginning at 7 p.m.Besides the auction and live entertainment by the ACME Blues Band, the bash offers an opportunity to participate in the Sponsor a Kid program, and to attend screenings of “new work” by RAW’s nationally-acclaimed Real to Reel film school. The bar and hors d’oeuvres are complimentary.RAW, which opened in 1994, has been repeatedly honored for its work as a youth arts organization, often taking those at risk and transforming them through the making of art into self-assured individuals. Mary Flannery, RAW’s founder and artistic director, said more than 1,400 youth between the ages of 6 and 19 attend the organization’s free programs each year, including visual and expressive art groups, film school and leadership development groups. Through Project Launch, mentors from the community guide RAW’s high school juniors and seniors through the daunting college admissions and financial-aid process, she said.The annual bash ? namely through its auction ? helps RAW continues its meaningful work, Flannery said.The event is supported by Bank of America, Comcast, The Daily Item of Lynn, Eastern Bank, Fireside Catering, Insource Services and New England BioLabs.