A fresh canvas for young artists

Standing in their bedrooms, the teenage girls are given 11 seconds to grab a precious possession and leave. Val Sapozhnikova, 17, snatches a photograph of herself dressed as a snowflake, when she was a toddler living in Russia.

''My mom made my costume and it was really special," Sapozhnikova says. Cassie O'Connell, 18, chooses an old photo of her parents. ''Everyone says I look like my mom in that picture," she says. ''My parents don't look like that anymore."

Another girl clutches a picture of her best friend, who committed suicide 1 1/2 years ago. Portraits of the girls with their valued possessions later become elements in three-dimensional, collage sculptures they create at Raw Art Works in Lynn, an art therapy program. And now, the pieces are showcased in ''Developing," the debut exhibit in a new gallery at LynnArts dedicated to the work of artists 18 and under.

''The space is so badly needed," says Mary Flannery, co-founder and artistic director of RAW. ''These are amazing, creative kids who keep producing artwork, but there's no place anyone will see it." The Hartman-Leigh Gallery for the Work of Children aims to change that.

''We want to give anyone who is thinking about art or making art access to the space," says Susan Halter, associate director at the private, nonprofit LynnArts in Central Square. ''We want to prepare them for college or for the idea of becoming a professional artist and let them just explore it."

The space is available to students from public and private schools, independent groups, or even a bunch of friends who want to share their art. Use of the gallery is free. Halter said LynnArts hopes to get funding to run the intimate space, which was previously offices, as a professional gallery with mailed announcements of shows and opening receptions.

And, she plans to hire someone to show students in local schools how to pull together an art show. The instructor, she said, will ''help them make the work, help them collect the work, and write statements about the work."

The students will also have the opportunity to meet professional artists who have studio space in the building and exhibit in Lynn-Arts' two other galleries. Halter says opening a new gallery is part of LynnArts' overall mission to contribute to the economic revitalization of the city, which is active with new residential and commercial development and an emerging arts and cultural district.

The response has been positive. The gallery, coordinated by Jocelyn Almy-Testa, already has a full schedule, including art shows by LynnArt's summer programs, opening Sept. 24; Project Summit, a program for gifted students in the Lynn schools, Nov. 5; The School of Refrigerator Door Art in Nahant, Dec. 5; and The Greenhouse School in Salem, next year.

Carol Hanson, who offers classes for ages 2 to adults at The School of Refrigerator Art in the Nahant Community Center, is thrilled to have her students' work featured. ''It's making it real, making it authentic," she says. Flannery agreed. ''When [young artists] see their work exhibited and in a space where other people are commenting and soliciting feedback from them, that's the full circle RAW is always looking for," she says. ''It's a defining moment."

Since 1994, RAW has provided art therapy programs for youth at its Central Square studios. Sapozhnikova and O'Connell, who are both headed to Clark University in Worcester in the fall, were part of the Women 2 Be group the past two years.

''I had tried art classes and groups but didn't like it. I don't like following directions," says Sapozhnikova. ''At RAW you can express yourself in your own way." O'Connell participated in programs at RAW with her mother and brother when she was younger, and was happy to return. Both were inspired by their recent project called ''Beneath the Surface," which included the sculptures in the LynnArts exhibit.

It began with a ride to the 10 girls' homes in Lynn and Swampscott and a visit to their bedrooms. ''Every girl had created a shrine in their room of who they are," Flannery says. ''It's absolutely their refuge." They took photographs of what was special to each girl about her room. And the owner of the room was asked to choose her most treasured possession, which included a guitar, diaries, blankets, dolls, and jewelry boxes.

Later they discussed the different spaces people live in and their own families, Flannery says. They then went to a professional photography studio in Lynn, took pictures of each other holding the special object, and developed the shots. The portraits became part of sculptures, which also include the photos of their rooms and words that describe how they feel when they are in their rooms, just as ''peace" and ''happiness."

''It was invigorating," says Sapozhnikova. ''What we had to do was get beneath our surface and bring it out through art. Our rooms say a lot about us." The young women were happy to have their work displayed at RAW. But, the show at LynnArts offers even more opportunity.

''It feels more important to be in a place like this, because it's an actual gallery," O'Connell says. Sapozhnikova agrees, ''It was cool at RAW, but it's even cooler that it's spreading. Lynn is developing in an artistic way."

''Developing" at LynnArts, 25 Exchange St., Lynn, through Sept. 16. Call 781-598-5244 or visit www.lynnarts.org. For more on RAW, visit www.rawart.org.