Spokane7
50°
August 2, 2010 in Business, City
Project puts Spokane teens to work on downtown murals
Mitch Osorno stands at the underpass south of First Avene and Monroe Street where he helped produce the colorful murals that line both walls.
(Full-size photo)
Mitch Osorno was struggling earlier this summer to land a job. That changed several weeks ago when the 17-year-old became part of a team of young workers painting downtown murals.
“It’s a cool way to get experience. Plus maybe this will help me find other jobs, even painting houses,” Osorno said.
He is one of six students involved in a summer mural project organized through the Spokane City Arts Commission and WorkSource Spokane. It’s the first mural project in many years between the city and the state-funded group that matches workers with employers. And the collaboration comes at a time when teen joblessness nationally is 25 percent, three times Washington’s overall unemployment rate.
The ongoing recession is complicating the usual challenge many teens face finding good jobs.
“One-third of the jobs we’ve lost (locally) are in the categories teens usually turn to,” said Doug Tweedy, regional labor economist with Washington’s Department of Employment Security. Those include retail, and leisure and hospitality, he said.
The Spokane murals project produced five multicolored walls on three separate underpasses — at Fourth Avenue under Sunset Boulevard; on Monroe Street between First and Second avenues; and along Lincoln Street between First and Second avenues.
Four of the six teens who painted the murals are enrolled in the Next Generation Zone program, developed through WorkSource. That program provides training for more than 400 Spokane-area youths, ages 16 to 21, helping them develop job skills or discover career options.
Using a variety of funding sources, the painters spent six weeks on the murals, earning the $8.55 per hour minimum wage. Two other students worked as volunteers, said Spokane artist Melissa Cole, who was hired to supervise the murals.
When Osorno first met with Cole, she asked him why he wanted to take on the work.
“Because it’s cool to be able to see my paintings on a wall for the next few years,” he told her.
Heidi Peterson, Youth Services Manager for the Next Generation Zone, said the murals were a solution for young residents who want to find a job related to the visual arts.
Apart from spending money, the program provides job search benefits, she said.
“They learn how to take responsibility for a project, show up regularly at a job site, take feedback and directions, and get tasks done in a timely manner,” Peterson said.
Garco awarded $35.8 million Joint Base Lewis-McChord contract 
PhiltheBibliophil on August 02 at 6:26 p.m.
All recipiants of unemployment or welfare should be required to work or retrain into jobs for the future. All teens should be required to either serve two years in the military or do community service. It is time to rebuild America and take pride in it again, NOT do nation building in Muslim countries!!
Rock60 on August 02 at 6:35 p.m.
Sounds good Phil but not on the taxpayer’s dime please.
karl2002 on August 02 at 6:47 p.m.
Phil, you make no sense.
flutieflakes on August 02 at 8:20 p.m.
Lead the way, Phil!
terryalan on August 02 at 10:01 p.m.
Whatever. This is a very cool use of the funding coming down from the federal level. The overpass art is one of the notably unique qualities Spokane has…the skills and basic ‘work maturities’ the lucky ones involved are developing…all in all GOOD learning for youth who otherwise would not have had a chance…WE all benefit from the art…..
Coolness……..
Good job Next Gen Zone staff whoever it was who set this one up….
Bee509 on August 02 at 10:35 p.m.
This sounds like a good gig for “Megazord!”, the NOTORIOUS tagger!
monkeyman on August 02 at 10:54 p.m.
I assume these murals will be different from the work of the artist who was painting the downtown for free not too long ago. (…Graffiti if you get it for free, murals if you pay for them?)
Still a cool sounding program to know about.
Finally, just out of curiosity - do they have a program for ‘regular’ painting? My house can use some painters who will work for the minimum wage…
SpokaneLiberal on August 03 at 7:48 a.m.
Rock 60
Why not - improve the workforce, decrease crime (idle hands of young men), increase beauty, instill civic commitment and pride. It has economic value. If we are going to pay unemployment and welfare anyway why not just pay them to do civic works?
MrNatural on August 03 at 10:12 a.m.
…good idea SpokaneLiberal…just like the old WPA-CCC’s
My compliments to the artists…the underpasses look wonderful