MassArt exhibit honors young Lynn artists improving their lives through art
RAW GETS IT RIGHT: For more than 20 years, Mary Flannery and Kit Jenkins have been dedicated to Raw Art Works and its mission to ignite the desire to create and the confidence to succeed in youth from Lynn and surrounding communities.
Flannery founded RAW in 1988, and Jenkins, one of its original art therapists, became executive director in 1999. Meanwhile, they continued creating their own art.
In celebration of the group's track record of giving kids the tools they need to create exceptional art, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design is presenting an exhibit of the work of Flannery, Jenkins, and 12 RAW alumni who went on to attend MassArt.
A reception with the artists will be held Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m., and the exhibit runs through Oct. 30.
RAW's aim is to provide a place where young people can safely explore difficult personal and community issues through the creation of art. In 2002, it created Project Launch, a mentoring program that helps juniors and seniors set and achieve goals for life after high school. Since then, 95 percent of RAW's graduates have gone on to college.
"RAW's efforts to guide students both to learn visual skills and to explore their own personal content for creative expression have been exceptional and profound," said Kay Sloan, president of MassArt. "RAW students who apply and are accepted to MassArt arrive with confidence, well-rounded art-making skills, and creative and critical thinking skills."
Corey Corcoran, an alumnus of RAW whose work is included in the exhibit, said, "It is overwhelming to try to encapsulate the ways in which Mary, Kit, the RAW staff, and fellow RAW artists have contributed to my life, but if I had to select a gift that I am especially grateful for, it would be RAW's helping me think like a serious artist so early on."
Other RAW alumni artists featured in the exhibit are Jeremy Correnti, Thonah Ep, Matt Feener, Brandon Gorski, Andrea Gourley, Ashley Holzwasser, Chrissy Jackson, Alison Miller, Guarionex Rodriquez Jr., Angela Santora, and Adam Tibbets.
The exhibit and reception are in the Arnheim Gallery at MassArt, 621 Huntington Ave., Boston. Visit rawart.org.
AUTHOR'S CORNER: The Book Rack in Newburyport will celebrate Halloween with a party and spooky storytelling with author Jennifer Karin Sidford from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Sidford, of Newburyport, is the author of "The Bear Who Loves Halloween" and "The DreamStarter Book." The party includes a costume contest, tarot readings, and a raffle. All proceeds benefit Anna Jaques Hospital. . . . Gary Braver will read from his latest novel, "Skin Deep," at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport at 7 p.m. Friday. The psychological thriller explores how medical advances, as well as celebrity worship, have escalated the pursuit of beauty. Braver is the author of "Gray Matter," "Elixir," and "Flashback," which won the 2006 Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction.
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: Wood End Studio Associates, a collaborative of established and emerging artists in Lynn, will present a group show at LynnArts Saturday through Nov. 14. An opening reception is from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit includes the work of 17 artists and more than 50 original oil paintings. In a range of styles, the artists explore New England's mix of urban, rural, recreational, and farming landscapes. . . . Pastels by Michael Ramseur focused on the former Danvers State Hospital are featured at the Mingo Gallery in Beverly through Nov. 22. . . . The Bridge Gallery in Newburyport exhibits new oil paintings by Rick Hayes through Nov. 3. A reception with the artist is 5-7 p.m. Saturday. Hayes is a retired emergency room physician who continues to do international health work. He will present a gallery talk at 2 p.m. Nov. 9.
Items can be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com. Photos can be sent, as jpeg attachments, to globenorth@globe.com. 