LYNN — Mayor Thomas M. McGee has announced his approval for artist Kevin Orlosky, who was voted by the public to create his “Laces of Lynn” outdoor sculpture for the “Lynnstallation” public art project at Mt. Vernon Street Plaza.
Orlosky, who was selected among five finalists, will create a colorful sculpture that draws inspiration from Lynn’s history as a shoe mecca. His piece will consist of interwoven metal pieces in the shape of shoelaces and will include words that community members submit to describe themselves.
As part of his project proposal, Orlosky created a robust community engagement plan. In the upcoming months, he plans to hold 10 to 20 guided workshops in partnership with local businesses, nonprofits, community organizations and the general public, where he will ask attendees to submit words — in any language — to describe themselves. The phrases that result from these workshops will be incorporated into the final sculpture.
Orlosky said he was very excited and honored to be selected to create the downtown Lynnstallation.
“Community engagement is at the heart of my work and I believe it is important for public art to represent the entire community,” Orlosky said. “I am really looking forward to meeting all the different people and learning about unique details that make Lynn a great place to live.”
The city, Downtown Lynn Cultural District, Lynn Public Arts Commission and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) worked together to commission this new art piece after identifying a need to mark the cultural district’s gateways, engage local residents more directly in the public art process and draw visitors to downtown Lynn.
A series of workshops with community members in 2019 assisted in shaping a call for artists, which went out in 2020 and elicited almost four dozen responses from across the country.
Five artists received grants to develop their concepts fully and present them at a public Zoom meeting on June 24. More than 200 residents commented and voted on the five concepts, with about 30 percent voting for the Laces of Lynn concept. During a meeting last Tuesday, the Lynn Public Arts Commission affirmed the public’s vote.
McGee said he thinks the community made a terrific selection with Laces of Lynn and looks forward to seeing it installed.
“This piece relates to an important part of Lynn history, but also provides a tangible way for Lynners to get involved in the design of the art,” McGee said. “As we saw with the Black Lives Matter mural on Essex Street, these projects are all the more powerful when the community can participate directly.”
Orlosky will also coordinate an in-depth partnership with local arts organization Raw Art Works, where he will work with 100 young artists to help them design their own pieces of public art to be exhibited at the Laces of Lynn unveiling.
The MAPC’s Arts and Culture Department led the engagement and selection process for this art piece, which will mark the gateway to the Downtown Lynn Cultural District, one of the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s officially-designated cultural districts.
“Public art can draw people in, make people think, and bring people together. I hope Laces of Lynn will do that and more,” said MAPC’s Executive Director Marc Draisen. “MAPC is proud to have coordinated the selection process for this unique piece and to help grow Lynn’s capacity to solicit community-driven public art in the future.”
This project is funded by the Department of Community Development in the city with support from the MAPC.
To learn more about opportunities to work with the designer of Laces of Lynn and read the proposal in full, visit: https://lynnincommon.com/lynnstallation.
