
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, September 16, 1993                   TAG: 9309160370
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: S-14   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: PAT BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

YOUNG ARTISTS PUT THEIR FEELINGS INTO MURAL

Neither scorching sun nor pouring rain kept artist Robbie Muse and a group of Roanoke teen-agers from finishing a mural that was part of United Way's fall kickoff of its 1993 fund-raising campaign.

The mural decorates one wall of a building owned by Roanoke City Mills at Jefferson and Reserve streets. The artistic transformation was made on the Reserve Street side.

It depicts a summer background, with mountains and a river. In the mural's center, a cluster of four people represent a diverse group of volunteers.

It doesn't show how hot the sun has been on its surface during the weeks the group has been intermittently working on it. It won't show how rain, like several recent downpours, can halt mural work.

The mural was dedicated Tuesday as part of a "Day of Caring," a special event planned as the United Way's campaign kickoff. During the event, volunteers took on special projects at agencies funded by the United Way.

People painted rooms, built fences, read to children, delivered meals and cleaned facilities, United Way officials said.

The mural was designed by Muse. Under her supervision, it has been executed by teen-agers from Youth Haven I and Youth Haven II and Sanctuary, Roanoke area youth homes. It covers more than 19 feet by 90 feet.

Muse told her charges to "paint by their feelings," adding she gave them tips on technique, but they painted on their own.

"I've been pleasantly surprised by everybody this summer because they are very talented," she said. Muse sees art as an "intervention and therapeutic tool." She says some students labeled as troubled are happier once they "link up with their own creativity."

She has a ready list of what art can do for young people: It builds discipline, teaches them to stay with a project until it is finished, gives them belief in their own ability, and teaches them to respect work.

The students came to the mural with no previous art experience. Muse hopes art will help them replace negative outlets with positive ones. "They learn to work out [conflicts] creatively."

Muse has worked with young people in Roanoke to paint the underwater scene outside the Downtown Learning Center at 502 Second St. She is employed as an art therapist with the Children's Center, a branch of Mental Health Services of the Roanoke Valley.

by CNB