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Soledad Bee
Grab a brush and help paint a mural in the community
July 24, 2002 - This summer, elected
officials and the public are invited to pick up a paintbrush and paint
alongside youth muralists as part of the seventh annual One Voice Arts
& Leadership Program.
The Office for Employment Training's Community
Paint Days will be held July 24,25,26,29,31, August 2, and 6 at various
sites throughout Monterey County.
As part of the award-winning One Voice
Arts & Leadership Program, 16 murals at 14 sites (Prunedale and
Moss Landing have two murals each) are being painted in 11 cities: the
Fire District building in Aromas; the Giant Artichoke restaurant in
Castroville; La Gloria Elementary School in Gonzales; Greenfield Public
Library; Marina Post Office; Monterey Peninsula College's Student Activities
Center; Moss Landing Middle School; Prunedale Library; in Salinas, at
the National Steinbeck Center and Salinas Californian; in ,Seaside,
at San Pablo Bakery and Interior Concepts; in Soledad, at Mike's Pizza
and Soledad Furniture.
A mural depicting the history of information
technology has recently been completed at the Monterey County Departrnent
of Information Technology in Salinas.
During the Community Paint Days, the youth
muralists will demonstrate where and what to paint, how to mix the paint,
and the significance of each mural theme. During these fun and participatory
events, elected officials and community members can become personally
engaged and demonstrate their support of the mural project.
According to Joseph Werner, executive
director of the Office for Employment Training, who conducts the One
Voice Arts & Leadership Program, these mural programs are more about
changing lives than changing the landscape. It's not about the art but
about the changes that art makes in youth. These positive changes in
turn yield returns to the community that go beyond the beautification
of its walls.
The federally funded seven-week youth employment
program is the largest and most successful in the tri-county area. The
One Voice Arts & Leadership Program has been honored by the National
Endowment for the Arts and has been on display in the California Capitol,
in Sacramento and in the Monterey County Courthouse. It recently received
a Business Excellence Award from the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
At the end of the summer, 74 murals will have been completed throughout
Monterey County, making it the most influential public arts program
in recent history.
During this period, more than 550 economically
disadvantaged youth will have received significant training in the arts
and leadership curriculum, with many having received academic credit
at both college and high school levels. Youths are paid $6.75-$8.25
per hour for their work.
Through the One Voice Arts & Leadership
Program, youth muralists learn many valuable job-related skills including
teamwork, group dynamics, creative thinking, and problem solving. The
program also provides a positive and motivating role-modeling alternative
leadership activity for the youth.
For more information, call Joseph Werner,
executive director of the Office for Employment Training, at 796-3313.
Monterey County One Voice Arts & Leadership
Program Community Paint Days schedule:
Thursday, July 25
Greenfield Public Library, 315 EI Camino, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monday, July 29
La Gloria Elementary School, Gonzales, 220 Elko Street, 10 a.m. to 1
p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 6
Mike's Pizza, 585 Front Street and Soledad Furniture, 431 Front Street,
10 a.m. to I p.m.
Take
a LOOK at the murals this article is referring to.
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