LYNN — Two new community art initiatives are aimed at showcasing the downtown and talent of local artists.
The city’s second community canvas has been painted and has been on display on Union Street in Central Square since Saturday. Two community pianos will be painted by the end of the summer — one is located at the corner of Mount Vernon and Silsbee streets and another will be located elsewhere in the downtown, according to Justin Morley, administrative coordinator at IronBound Marketplace.
The first canvas has been at IronBound MarketPlace on Mount Vernon Street since last year. The new mobile canvas, an 8-by-8-foot, three-panel triangle with casters, or small wheels, is part of the Community Canvas by Wreck Shop Movement. Both pieces are sponsored by IronBound.
The idea is to position the canvases in a way that is visible, accessible and near music. Union Street was chosen as one of the locations for the public art because it looked like a dilapidated area, said Morley, who described fractured pieces of concrete.
“I thought maybe starting to promote something beautiful in that space would draw the need to clean it up a little bit,” Morley said. “It’s just a way to add some beauty in a broken area.”
One of the panels on the new canvas was painted a couple of months ago by Agonza Art, an artist based in Rhode Island. Within a day, three other artists had painted the other sides. A call to artists was put out on Instagram and there was a pretty rapid response, Morley said.
The initiative is meant to give local artists an opportunity to share their talents with the community. Although all sides of the canvas have been painted, Morley said other artists are encouraged to take photos, stream live and check out the downtown.
“It’s more of an interactive installation,” Morley said. “There’s a whole lot of talent here and a shortage of spaces (for artists) to express their talent. Having more of the installations would give them that opportunity.”
The artwork adds to the vitality of the downtown, he said, and there’s an entertainment aspect with people being able to watch the artists paint the canvases in real time. The exposure could also lead to future gigs for the artists.
A second community piano has been acquired, which is part of an initiative to bring more of the instruments to the downtown and book more musicians. Morley said the goal is to see more public music in public spaces.
He’s reached out to RAW Art Works to see if youth can get involved in painting the two pianos. They’ll get first dibs before a public call is put out to artists.
The community piano initiative is part of the Street Soul Public Music Series, funded through a grant from the Lynn Cultural Council and sponsored by IronBound.
The official launch party and fundraiser for the series, the Street Soul Urban Art Fest, will be Saturday, from 12 to 8 p.m., where musicians, singers and artists will collaborate and showcase their art live on Mount Vernon Street. Another public canvas will be rolled out for the first time during the event, which will be later displayed in a surprise location, according to Morley.
“It’s to promote a vibrant downtown,” Morley said. “The revitalization of the human spirit through music and other efforts — the two have to go hand in hand.”
