Community Mural Project
The Brick House Hosts Community Painting Day

The Brick House Community Resource Center in Turners Falls will again be offering members of the community the chance to express themselves creatively in paint, as they continue the mural on the exterior walls of the Unity Park Field House on First Street this summer. To kick off this year's mural, which marks The Brick House's 4th annual project, The Brick House will be hosting a Community Painting Day on Saturday, July 18th at Unity Park from 10:00am to 6:00pm. All ages are encouraged to participate.

The theme, which embraces the flora, fauna, land forms, and waterways of this area, is a continuation of the beautiful 800 square foot mural that was created last summer by more than 73 volunteer community artists. The design plan, created by Kerry Kazokas, the local artist who facilitated the three previous projects, will be implemented and facilitated by Karen Stinchfield of The Brick House. While Kazokas' involvement will be less intensive during the day-to-day implementation than over the past three summers, she is key to the development and final presentation of this year's design. Kazokas, with the help of Stinchfield, will be putting in any final touches at the end of the project in August. Assisting Stinchfield throughout the summer will be Julianne Rosewarne, a Wagner College student who lives in the area and is a Brick House volunteer, along with a few young adults who will be working at The Brick House as part of its Summer Youth Employment Program.

Monetary support of this ongoing endeavor would be greatly appreciated, as would donations of quality brushes, acrylic and latex paints, sturdy drop cloths, and lidded containers for custom-mixed paints. Any businesses or individuals that/who would be interested in supporting this project or community members who would be interested in painting, please contact Karen Stinchfield at karen@thebrickhouseinc.org or 413-863-9576. Following the kick-off on July 18th, additional Community Painting Days will be on Tuesdays, July 28th, August 4th and 11th, from 10:00 to 4:00.

The Brick House Community Mural Project is funded in part by Art Angels, a donor-informed granter who also funded a portion of two previous mural projects. The Brick House Summer Youth Employment Program is funded by the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board, which is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For more information about The Brick House and its programs, please visit www.thebrickhouseinc.org. You can follow the progress of the mural online also or, better yet, drop by Unity Park and check it out in person!