On Saturday November 2, the Turner Free Library unveiled its first original mural with great fanfare. “Turner’s Titans” was envisioned by the Turner Free teen librarian, Melissa Bennett who facilitated this project that, “highlights the diversity and strength of Randolph teens that frequent the library.” The concept behind the mural was “Envision Your Superhero” and envision they did, as local Randolph teens submitted designs and photographs of themselves as their own kinds of superhero. Bennett worked with a local artist, Jamaal Eversley and his associate Matt Almeida to create a design based on the teen’s submissions. The artists worked for several weeks to outline a mural on an 8x4 sheet of plywood, which was then transported to the teen room at the library to be painted by the teens themselves.
Almeida states that, “Drawing the mural was the easy part - Jamaal and the kids transformed the original drawing into a truly amazing piece of art. I’m so proud of the work they put into Turner’s Titans. I’m beyond happy, and grateful, to have been a part of this, it was an amazing experience.” Over 30 teens assisted in painting the mural
under the careful guidance of Eversley who stated, "The “Turner’s Titans” mural shows that teamwork is a great power and with that power comes the greater responsibility to believe, support, and empower one another in order to create something that goes beyond what an individual can envision doing by themselves. My hope is that when the teens or any viewers take a look at “Turner’s Titans” they leave embodying the idea that it takes a community to create." They learned the painting process and were excited about seeing themselves envisioned in a piece of art. Another group of 10 teens assisted in the mounting of the mural in the video game room, a lounge in the library’s teen area, deemed the “Dungeon” by the kids.
Cliff Campbell, a member of the Friends of the Turner Free Library and seasoned volunteer, assisted the teens in learning to use power tools, ladders, and proper measuring techniques while mounting the mural. The mural was created to be moveable should the library decide to relocate it to another part of the building later, its artistic integrity will remain intact. At the unveiling event Library Director Elizabeth LaRosee and Town Manager Brian Howard thanked the teens and the artists for this wonderful new addition to our library and town. “When the library is able to facilitate a project that brings together local teens and artists; a project that both challenges and empowers our young adults, we feel we are doing right by our community,” state LaRosee. If you are interested in checking out more of Eversley’s art, you can view his portfolio at https://jamonit.carbonmade.com/ and Almeida’s work can be seen on his website at https://www.drawntoheal.com/. The mural was funded by a generous grant from the Library Initiative for Teens and Tweens.
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