The Rack-and-Roll art show that since 2003 has added splashes of exuberant color to downtown Lawrence has grown to include another dozen works.

“The first year we did 10 boxes, and this year we did 12, so there will be 22 locations downtown, and we, of course, hope to make it an ongoing thing,” said Lynne Green, executive director of Van Go Mobile Arts.

Yoda Nazarenko, 14, left, and Denzel Clendon, 14, help unveil the newly painted newspaper racks outside The World Company's News Center, 645 N.H. The boys are part of the Van Go Mobile Arts youth team that has finished the second round of painted racks for The World Company Rack-and-Roll project. The new racks were unveiled Wednesday.

Young artists from Van Go’s Jobs in the Arts Make Sense program were commissioned by The World Company to paint metal newspaper vending racks for the Lawrence Journal-World. The lavishly hued boxes, each painted by a pair of young artists, were unveiled Wednesday in front of the News Center, 645 N.H. At the bottom of each painted box is a photo of the artists who painted it.

“It’s a good place to work for easy money if you have a creative mind,” said Yaroslav “Yoda” Nazarenko, a 14-year-old South Junior High student and Van Go artist.

Van Go works with disadvantaged youths.

“They are very, very proud of the work they’ve done,” Green said. “Because it is so publicly displayed, it is great for their self confidence. It doesn’t get much better than having your artwork on Mass. (Street) all day long.”

Among those attending the unveiling were some of the Van Go artists, World Company chairman Dolph C. Simons Jr. and Journal-World advertising director Al Bonner. Bonner inaugurated the program in 2003 after hearing about a similar one in Vineland, N.J.

LHS senior Melanie Bolden, 17, helped paint the box that will be placed in front of a downtown drugstore.

6News video: Youths paint colorful newspaper racks

“Our spot was in front of Round Corner Drug Co. (801 Mass.) so we chose (to paint) things that were round to tie in with the name,” she said.

The artists chose themes to match the respective businesses or locations where the boxes will do double duty as art objects and news vending racks.