Lynn teens spruce up senior center

LYNN – A dozen teen boys spent three weeks designing and painting two colorful murals that now mark the entryway of a Lynn senior center, in the process uniting two different demographics.The young artists were hired by RAW Art Works to come up with a mural for the Elder Service Plan of the North Shore, an alternative to nursing care. The program’s Market Street building needed something to brighten its two entrances, said Michelle Hagerty, an education and outreach coordinator with the plan’s PACE program.”They have brought us cheer into what was a plain old entryway,” Hagerty said Wednesday at an open house unveiling the mural.But the teens, mostly RAW Art Works participants, didn’t get to paint right away, said Bruce Orr, the director of the program that hired the teens. They spent days hanging out with PACE’s members, getting to know the seniors who use the center and what they would like to see on the center’s walls. The teens even joined a senior exercise class at one point, Hagerty said. Hagerty said the seniors enjoyed sharing memories with their visitors.”They looked forward to the days they were going to be here,” she said.And Orr said the teens learned a lot about their clients by spending time with them.”Each question led to a bigger dialogue and a lot of stories,” he said.Armed with information for their mural, the teens drew to-scale designs that they next presented to the seniors.Michael Aghahowa admitted to being nervous when they finally put paintbrushes to the wall.”I’ve never done murals before,” he said.But the teens combined their unique skills and artistic styles to create a dynamic, interpretive mural that spans five walls, several decades of music and a handful of key Lynn landmarks.Rayden Alba said Wednesday the biggest reward is seeing the finished mural put smiles on the group’s clients.”I liked seeing how happy it makes the participants,” he said. “It looks amazing.”Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].