New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Returning to the scene of the crime, NBAM/Artworks! students in the “Teens Reach Beyond” program were out there painting art on the electrical box at the corner of Purchase and Williams again.
Last year, the City of New Bedford Department of Public Infrastructure painted all of the electrical boxes black—including the one drawn by a previous Artworks! class.
NBAM/Artworks! education director Deb Smook and New Bedford artist Aaron Souza were on hand for the repainting of the box. Smook said that they had received permission from the mayor’s office—both times.
“The first box was painted with koi fish and had the theme “Perseverance through Adversity,” said Smook. So when it was removed, well, “That’s a life lesson, too—don’t give up. This is how you deal with it in an appropriate manner.”
Students meet after school once a week for a year in the “Teens Reach Beyond” program at NBAM/Artworks!. It culminates in a public art project.
“The teens from the last box painting will see this and go—‘Oh, good. They got something on it again.’ Things happen in life. You have to deal with it appropriately,” Smook said.
