IT’S HAPPENING HERE Public art lifts the Lynn community 48 FALL 2017 gatewaysmag.org FONKi’s mural at 18 Munroe Street words HANNAH CHANATRY photos LLYR JOHANSEN FALL 2017 49 gatewaysmag.org As we're led on a tour of downtown Lynn, a local driver slows, sticking his head out his truck window to call out to our group. "Hey Al, they look great!" Al Wilson, bearded and a bit dishev- to light the MBTA underpass with col- eled, grins and stretches out a hand in ored LEDs, place a collection of vintage gratitude. neon signs along the sidewalks, and put “Thanks, brother!” a GE jet engine sculpture installation in The driver is referencing the loom- a to-be-determined location. ing murals in front of us, in various Public art is notoriously difficult. stages of completion. They are the flag- Even when attempted, it is not always ship project of Beyond Walls, Wilson’s successful. But Beyond Walls’ key move creative placemaking initiative in Lynn, was to involve the community from the Massachusetts. The truck driver is one start and make Lynn’s citizens central to of many to stop him on the street of- the development, planning, and execu- Al Wilson, executive director of Beyond Walls, stands in front of two fering excitement and congratulations. tion. murals and Lynn’s public garden. “This makes me so proud to be from “Beyond Walls did well by having here!” exclaims Diana Vasquez, a men- community conversations and business giants, Lynn was hit with economic toring coordinator at La Vida Scholars conversations,” says E. San San Wong, decline, increased homelessness and Americorps in Lynn. Flanked by two Director of Arts and Creativity at the an increased presence of social services. friends, she gazes wide-eyed at a white Barr Foundation. “It engenders a sense The current poverty rate in Lynn is 21 washed wall, where Angurria is perched of ownership — people feel a relation- percent. atop a car-sized hydraulic lift. Angurria, ship [to the project] already.” The resulting negative perception an artist from the Dominican Republic, In Lynn, creative placemaking — has been persistent. However, the is spray-painting huge swaths of color the intentional use of the arts in place- city’s urban structure and commercial that will eventually form a woman’s based community development — is downtown made it a prime candidate face. being used to address economic, safety for MassDevelopment’s Transformative Angurria’s mural is one of 15 clus- and perception issues. Lynn is a for- Development Initiative (TDI). tured downtown, designed to be seen mer industrial city. In the 1800s Lynn The TDI program uses targeted from both street level and the city’s was considered the shoe capital of the investments and partnerships spear- raised MBTA rail. The content ranges world with over 200 shoe factories, and headed by fellows on the ground to re- from people and words to traditional General Electric, which still employs vitalize Gateway City communities. Joe styles of graffiti, and they flow from one Lynn residents, has been in the city Mulligan III, one of the inaugural TDI to the next, as if in procession through since before World War I — the first fellows, has been in Lynn since 2016. the streets. American made jet-engine was made “80 percent of my time is spent in Beyond Walls is tackling placemak- here, and so were some of the fuel cells Lynn,” says Mulligan, who likens the ing on a massive scale. In addition to the for the Gemini spacecraft. match up of fellows and their respective murals, there are in-progress initiatives But like many former industrial cities to speed dating. He came to the 50 FALL 2017 gatewaysmag.org NS/CB’s mural at 33 Central Street emerges from Lynn’s skyline. Transformative Development program with a background in architec- The feedback prioritized a handful ture and matched with Lynn in part be- of issues — safety near the MBTA un- MassDevelopment is the Common- cause of its substantial urban structure. derpass, development of local business, wealth’s economic development “I’m always trying to meet [people], and engagement of the sidewalk space and finance authority, a quasi-public organization working to stimulate understand [the community], and get a to increase downtown’s walkability. business and drive economic growth. sense of living in the downtown area.” “It was clearly the mission of Beyond MassDevelopment implemented MassDevelopment had already con- Walls to improve the lives of the people the Transformative Development ducted community meetings and de- who live and work here now, and attract Initiative (TDI) pursuant to C. 289 signed action strategies for Lynn, which a change to the narrative of Lynn,” says Acts of 2014, legislation promot- were then used as the groundwork for Wilson. ing economic growth across the Wilson’s project. Capitalizing on that Those issues directed the four prongs Commonwealth. MassINC’s relent- foundation and collaborating with of Beyond Walls: LED lighting in the less research and commitment to Mulligan, Wilson hosted more meet- underpass, neon signs on the sidewalk, transformative development strategy, ings to determine Beyond Walls’ trajec- a historic sculpture installation and the put forth in a 2013 white paper, was instrumental to the legislation’s tory. Though he already had public art banner project, 15 public murals paint- adoption. in mind, he wanted to ensure whatever ed by international and local artists. The TDI program uses targeted they created actually met the commu- Funding is a major obstacle to pub- investments in compact, strategically nity’s needs. lic art of any kind. In Lynn, the hous- located areas within the Gateway Cit- “It feels really great that Al spread a ing authority’s nonprofit arm served ies to increase local public/private en- net to include the whole community,” as Wilson’s fiscal agent. This gave him gagement, spur economic activity, and says Carly McLain, executive council access to a multitude of grant applica- promote and improve an overall quality for the Lynn Housing Authority and tions, including the Commonwealth of life. Twenty-six Gateway Cities were member of the Beyond Walls commit- Places Program. The rollout of this eligible for the 3-year pilot program; tee. “I love it here, and it’s nice to see partnership connected Wilson to the 10 were selected, including Lynn. other people join in that enthusiasm.” first member of his team, Amanda Hill. FALL 2017 51 gatewaysmag.org Don Rimx, 129 Munroe St/515 Georgia Hill, 85 Munroe Street Washington Street (backside) Marka27, 31 Exchange Street Cey Adams, 65 Munroe Street Angurria, 516 Washington Street Bruce Orr and Good to Go, 129 Munroe Street/515 Washington Street 52 FALL 2017 gatewaysmag.org “I WAS looking for someone [to] help state representatives Daniel Cahill and the boardroom in relentless pursuit of with the operational side of things,” Brendan Crighton sent letters detailing funding. Wilson appeared in person says Wilson. They had connected their support. for every appeal for donations or grants once before through RAW Artworks, a “The arts have become an import- over $1,000, meeting with local banks Lynn-based nonprofit using art therapy ant part of the economy in the down- and credit unions as well as individual to reach at-risk youth. Hill joined the town, says Representative Daniel Cahill businesses. project as a volunteer associate direc- in a statement. “The support of the “In Lynn, the business leaders are tor, eventually leaving her role at RAW community has been tremendous and optimistic,” he says. He would meet Artworks to dedicate herself to Beyond I truly believe that this is a great step one-on-one with the decision makers Walls full time. forward as we continue to revitalize the of the companies, discussing their busi- Next to join was Pedro Soto. downtown area.” ness, their connection to Lynn, and “Pedro is a fantastic young guy who The final Beyond Walls volunteer finally asking for their support at a spe- immediately bought into the project,” committee totaled 24 people: Hill, Soto cific monetary level. says Wilson. and 21 residents and business owners, Every meeting, even those that Soto is a Lynn resident with a back- with Wilson as Executive Director. didn’t result in funding, built a valuable ground in urban planning and project It specifically included members that relationship. Wilson stresses that the management. “I felt really excited about represented the breadth of diversity in key strategy was to end the week with offering my skills and experience to downtown Lynn. more meetings on the schedule than a project right in my backyard,” says “I wanted [the community] to see when he started. Soto. we had a representative from the various “You always have to be selling and Soto, of Puerto Rican descent, is also cultural groups and institutions here.” keep a robust pipeline,” he says. “Don’t a Spanish speaker, making him essen- Cultural representation was also be discouraged by the no.” tial to successfully communicating the translated through the art, as Wilson In all, Wilson held approximately 50 Beyond Walls mission to the one-third emphasized a selection of not only di- of these meetings. of downtown Lynn that is Hispanic. verse artists, but also artists whose sub- He persuaded other organizations In addition to Lynn’s residents, ject matter features people of color. to contribute not only funding, but Beyond Walls received support from “Many of the murals are representa- also in-kind labor. The International local and state government figures. tions of the various ethnic groups that Union of Painters and Allied Trades Through the MassDevelopment part- call downtown Lynn home,” says Soto.