Add your brush strokes to city mural

WOONSOCKET — All are invited to join in a celebration of art and paint Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. as participants express their creativity through painting their own square of a paint-by-number mural that will highlight the city’s historic architecture.

Upon completion, the mural will reside at Universal Cutts barbershop on North Main Street.

The event will take place in the basement of 40 South Main St., recently renovated by NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVP cre8woonsocket@gmail.com if you’re planning to join.

Event hosts Shanikqua Dandy and Sering Matarr Mbeye got the idea for the project when they saw how other “paint nights” were taking off in communities all over the country. Dandy, who has worked with various youth and arts programs in the city, saw the event as opportunity to bring people together for a project that would beautify the neighborhood and generate excitement around art.

“Cre8 Woonsocket is going to promote community engagement,” said Dandy. “This event will provide a fun, safe environment to meet your neighbors and build community!”

The event takes the traditional paint night a step further. Instead of guiding participants through the painting of a uniform image, in true community fashion, each participant will be painting just a small canvas which will become part of a massive aerial landscape measuring 15 feet by 5 feet, focusing on historic Woonsocket.

Cre8 Woonsocket is sponsored by the NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley Creative Placemaking Initiative, a larger effort to support arts and culture in the city.