Garage is seeking creative mural makeover

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on February 9, 2016

Every Saturday during the school year and every day for seven weeks in the summer, the Garage Community & Youth Center in Kennett Square offers free drop-in art classes, a partnership with the Chester County Art Association (CCAA).

The Garage is seeking design proposals in hopes of redoing its exterior door.

Since 2006, the classes, supported by donors, serve a population in Kennett Square and the surrounding area who, without this opportunity, would not otherwise experience these focused fine-art lessons, said a CCAA press release.

For that reason, CCAA said it was delighted to learn that The Garage is planning a community Youth Give Back Day on Saturday, April 16, and has reached out to CCAA as well as the community to help plan a new design for the welcoming mural on the organization’s exterior garage door.

Mikey Gabrielle Glass, who directs the Kennett center, said the borough needs to sign off on any change so she wants to submit proposals to borough officials by Monday, Feb. 15.

If all goes according to plan, the new door design, consistent with the organization’s focus on creative outreach, would be implemented by a team of helpers on Youth Give Back Day. At that time, more than 100 youth, staff, volunteers, mentors, alumni, and friends will fan out over the Kennett and West Grove communities to serve at 15 local charities. The goal will be to bring awareness to The Garage, give back to community, and raise funds for its programs.

The Garage Community & Youth Center was a vacant car garage until 2001, when a local business leader and youth pastor envisioned its roof sheltering something more valuable than vehicles. The renovated building now is home to services for middle and high school students, according to its website.

After 10 successful years serving students in the Kennett community, The Garage opened a second center in West Grove. Between the two centers, more than 400 students pass through its doors each week for tutoring, mentoring, community service opportunities, computer lab use, youth groups, and enrichment activities.

Glass said anyone from the community can email design ideas to her at michael.glass@garageyouthcenter.org. Any member or groups of CCAA members interested in submissions should contact CCAA Executive Director Karen Delaney at kdelaney@chestercountyarts.org. Delaney said she has already received three proposals.