A colorful collection of outdoor art is improving the aesthetics of the Federal Way Senior Center.

The center, located at 4016 S. 352nd St., Auburn, has on display four pieces of temporary site-specific art. Removable wall murals painted by Tacoma’s Rachael Dotson and a mosaic created by Elma’s Jennifer Kuhns welcome guests. The art is an installment associated with the center’s Intentional Community and Network (ICAN) project. The art is funded by a grant from King County’s cultural services agency, 4Culture. Already the murals and mosaic are attracting attention, said Nathan Brown, Federal Way Senior Center executive director.

“It’s brought a whole series of seniors to the center,” he said.

Three murals depicting senior citizens working in a garden are hung on outdoor structures at the senior center. The murals mirror the activity that takes place regularly in the center’s on-site community garden. Each mural is painted on several large pieces of board and hung side-by-side. This way the murals can be moved around.

A framed mosaic is now located right outside the front door. Colored tiles are arranged in a way that illustrates a group of individuals gathering items and working in what appears to be a garden. A mountain and clear blue sky can be seen behind the group. The art is the first of its kind, but likely not the last, on the senior center’s grounds.

The ICAN project began roughly three years ago when the senior center’s operating board hired Brown to serve as an executive director. The center, which is self-operated and funded, was lacking a vision. The board hired Brown to help make the senior center more appealing to the community and to create synergy between the center and its users.

Brown, from the start, saw the incorporation of art as a necessary piece to the puzzle.

“We visualized art from the beginning,” he said.

Brown envisions the center as a place of liveliness and community-building. The center cannot survive without the many volunteer hours that senior citizens dedicate to keep it going. Reflecting the volunteerism in pieces of beautiful art that senior citizens can look at and be proud of is important, Brown said.

“We wanted the murals and artwork to reflect the volunteerism of the place,” he said.

A $7,500 grant from 4Culture helped make the project a reality. The senior center approached 4Culture with a request for grant money. Once it was awarded, a board of four senior citizens, led by June Secreto, selected the artists. Twelve artists applied to create artwork for the senior center. Six finalists were chosen. The board met and interviewed with those individuals before commissioning Dotson and Kuhns this past December.

Both women have experience creating public art pieces. This reassured the board.

“We wanted to know that somebody knew what they were doing,” Secreto said.

Brown and the center’s board of directors hope to continue incorporating art into the senior center’s surroundings. Next, the group is considering an opportunity, again likely to be funded through 4Culture, that will allow senior citizens to work directly with artists to help create masterpieces for the center.