Downtown Lynn, MA, is seeing a huge investment in revitalization via the arts. Recently, the 10-day Beyond Walls mural festival changed the face of downtown, and attracted more than 2,700 visitors to the festival’s grand finale.
Beyond Walls founder Alfred Wilson says he is inspired by art-centric revitalization in cities like Miami, Philadelphia, and the King’s Cross neighborhood of London, England. He believes those results can be replicated in smaller cities such as Lynn, to attract more visitors and bolster the local economy.
Rather than creating one mural at a time, 15 murals were created simultaneously during the 10 day festival. In addition to watching artists work, the public could attend yoga with the artists, meet the artists at museums, and attend presentations such as the History of American Graffiti.
The festival’s grand finale featured four bands, including a marching band that led the crowd through the cultural district and past many of the murals before heading back to the celebration area for music, food and drink, and more art.
The full article on Lynn’s mural festival appears in the December issue of Downtown Idea Exchange.
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