Artwork > Community Mural Projects > Youth Projects > Afterschool Programs
Boston By Day and Night, 2009
Somerville Transition Shelter (STS)
Eight youth from the Somerville community worked throughout the summer to design and paint a colorful mural at the CRJ (Community Resources for Justice) Somerville Transition Shelter for adolescent males committed to DYS. Led by local artist Tova Speter, the DYS committed residents were also able to participate in the project as they designed and painted four panels for the mural. Their panels represented the four CRJ values of Integrity, Compassion, Creativity and Excellence, while the community youth created the rest of the mural inspired by the natural beauty and urban excitement of the Boston area.
The young artists worked through the rains of July and through the blistering heat of August to produce an amazing mural that will last for years to come. They were supervised not only by Ms. Speter but also by STS employee Nahum Perez and Laura Dennison from The Career Place of Woburn who assisted us with recruitment and hiring of community youth. Support of the project permeated different sectors of Somerville as local carpenter Steve Grindl volunteered his time to help install the panels and Home Depot manager Bryan McMakin donated a variety of plants and garden tools to complement the painted mural with some natural beauty.
The mural project was made possible thanks to a grant by the Metro North Regional Employment Board (MNREB), funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Maureen Devlin, STS's Education Coordinator, obtained the grant through the Summer Youth Employment Grants offered by the MNREB and used the funds to hire Tova Speter, a professional mural artist, to work with community youth and DYS committed youth to create the mural.