August 19, 2026 |Arts, Arts & Culture, Lynn Planning Department, News, Non-profits, Raw Art Works

RAW Finishes Ground Mural in Central Square, in Partnership With City of Lynn

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The City of Lynn and Raw Art Works have finished the work under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Grant

From Raw Art Works: Raw Art Works (RAW), a creative youth development organization rooted in art therapy and centered in the community of Lynn for 38 years, is proud to announce that we have completed installing a large street mural in Central Square supported by a Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative grant.

In partnership with the City of Lynn, this project will enhance our community building, transforming the street into a safer place to walk, gather, and experience the magic of Lynn. Benches and planters will be installed alongside a large-scale ground mural that was completed by teen artists from RAW’s paid public art teams. Under the leadership of RAW group leaders Helen Danz, Senior Art Therapist; Lauren Muller, LMHC, ATR, Art Therapist; and Michael Aghahowa, Program Lead, youth artists created a dazzling art piece celebrating the history, culture, and creativity of our city.

“Raw Art Works has an incredible depth of experience working with youth and implementing ambitious public art projects. They’ve hired an amazing group of creative and talented teens and are located right in Central Square, which is the heart of our city. This project is about giving the area the visionary improvement and upgrade it deserves. We hope that it will have a positive impact on the people who live here and the people who visit, and will encourage a safer, more welcoming environment for everybody,” says Lauren Drago, Associate Planner for the City of Lynn, who is excited about this partnership.

RAW is part of an international cohort of 10 cities participating in projects that use art and design to improve street safety, revitalize public space, and engage communities. The Asphalt Art Safety Study released by Bloomberg Philanthropies in collaboration with Sam Schwartz Consulting in 2022 shows considerable safety improvements across a cohort of 22 U.S. project sites after art was incorporated into roadway designs.

Results include:

● 50% drop in crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists
● 37% drop in crashes with injuries
● 27% increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians with the right-of-way
● 25% drop in the rate of conflicts between drivers and pedestrians

“This project is really special to me because I’ve walked around Central Square for a long time now, specifically to go to RAW” says Oghosa, Age 18. He’s been at RAW for the past 8 years, and has evolved into not only an incredible artist, but a true leader in the building. “To be able to work on a project as big as this and as local as this, so close to RAW, really means a lot to me. When I go off to college or into my future career, I can look back at this and think, ‘yeah, man, I – I really did this cool thing for my community.”

Oghosa is attending Endicott College this fall and participated in this project as part of Good 2 Go, our paid public art team for male-identifying artists. Good 2 Go is just one of RAW’s Talent and Purpose groups, our program that includes paid employment for teens to create opportunities to build workforce and leadership skills in their communities.

Finishing touches will be added to the mural this fall in time for a public celebration and art unveiling of the work completed. More information is coming soon.

All images courtesy of Raw Art Works.

About Raw Art Works:

Raw Art Works (RAW) is a creative youth development organization rooted in art therapy and centered in community. RAW’s mission is to ignite the desire to create and confidence to succeed in our youth.

RAW believes that all kids should be seen and heard and that everyone has a story to tell. Located in Lynn, Massachusetts, RAW offers a variety of free programming from painting to workforce development for kids in grades 4-12. RAW uses art to ask kids
“What is really going on?” in their lives, giving them the tools to create in unexpected ways, and envision new possibilities for their future.