Lynn mural project a joint effort

LYNN – Art classes at four schools in Lynn have students donning safety glasses.Students from Pickering Middle School, Breed Middle School, Thurgood Marshall Middle School and St. Mary?s Junior Senior High School are working on a large mosaic design to be part of the “Lynn Mural Project.”St. Mary?s students have been working on their portion of the display, two 3 foot-by-5 foot panels, for the past few weeks, says art teacher Patricia Richard.But before students could begin working on the project, they had to undergo training on how to cut the small glass tiles for the mosaic, which involves wearing safety glasses.?We chose to do a mosaic using pieces of colored glass since it wears better in weather than paint,” said Richard. “We trained students and took the necessary precautions. It?s a more advanced art project, but students are loving it.”The mural will transform the side of the LynnArts building in downtown Lynn hopefully by mid-summer, says LynnArts Executive Director Susan Halter.?Our board of directors began talking about the idea of creating a mural on the side of our building about two years ago,” said Halter. “We wanted to involve the community in the project to accurately reflect the city of Lynn.”What is now a gray, drab three-story building in Central Square that houses LynnArts will be transformed into a three-story mural designed and created by students in Lynn with help from three professional artists, as well as interested members of the Lynn community, says Halter.Students have been working on the mural during art classes with three professional artists.The artists, David Fichter, Joshua Winer and Yetti Frenkel, have created murals around the world and were selected out of 15 other applicants for their impressive backgrounds in community projects, said Halter.?We are privileged to be working with them and have no doubt that they?re helping to create something outstanding,” said Halter.Richard says students chose the themes “Sports in Lynn” and “Civic Pride” to reflect the city.?Students drew pictures of what they thought should be on the panels and then we chose what looked best together and projected the ideas onto the main board,” said Richard. “The main board was then split up into sections for students to work on and will fit together like a puzzle once the separate panels are completed.”The civic pride-themed board includes pictures of a female mail carrier, My Brother?s Table food pantry and portraits of Lynn police officers and firefighters.Richard said one of the portraits of a firefighter is the face of the father of a senior at St. Mary?s.?It?s really neat that we were able to personalize the picture,” said Richard.Theresa Klosiewicz, a seventh-grader at St. Mary?s, said she looks forward to going to school just so she can work on the project.?I like to draw but I?ve never worked on a mosaic so this has been really fun,” she said. “We?re all really excited to see the final product, to see our hard work pay off.”Student Jean Marie LaPointe never considered herself an artist until she started working on the project.?I don?t have much talent when it comes to art but that doesn?t matter with this (mosaic),” she said. “Anyone can do it. When you take a step back and look at it, it really looks like a professional piece of art.”Frenkel says the community mural is more than just an art project.?This will be a great landmark for the city of Lynn,” said Frenkel. “We?re hoping it will be a generational project, where students will bring their kids and grandkids back at some point to show them what they created.”Richard said she is planning on having an art fair after students have completed the panels so parents can see the work.The final mural will be displayed on the side of the LynnArts building, located at 25 Exchange St., and is visible to individuals arriving and departing from Lynn on the commuter rail.?This will significantly brighten up downtown Lynn,” said Halter. “We?re hoping people will come vi