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LYNN — Beyond Walls is partnering with international art exchange, The One Blue Sky Project, to create a new mural downtown as a part of its commitment to provide educational and enrichment programming to Lynn youth.
Through this partnership, The One Blue Sky Project will help young people create global conversations through art for 10 days.
On Sept. 1, aptART (Awareness and Prevention through Art) and The GoodWorks Foundation, in collaboration with Beyond Walls, brought renowned artist Kevin Ledo to Lynn to engage with students from the Demakes Family YMCA, while creating a four-story mural at 78 Central Ave.
During his time here, Ledo will lead workshops and connect the youth from Lynn with youth in Mutua, Mozambique — a country in southeastern Africa — through video exchanges, creative activities, and paired street-art installations.
Lynn students will also have the opportunity to work alongside Ledo and help complete the four-story mural.
During this cultural exchange, students will interact through video by sharing stories about themselves, their lives, and their communities.
They will have the opportunity to participate in exercises, interviews, and conversations to learn about each other and their cultures and discover all that they have in common.
The collaboration with Mozambique on this project is facilitated by Project Mutua, a computer lab that gives local children access to information, education, and technology.
Beyond Walls CEO and Founder Al Wilson said The One Blue Sky Project is a natural extension of the organization’s work with Lynn schools and local nonprofits like the YMCA, and it is an amazing opportunity for the youth and the city.
“This timely initiative is designed to inspire children here and in Mozambique to experience different cultures, foster relationships, and learn about themselves,” Wilson said. “Just like the many other Beyond Walls installations located throughout our downtown district, The One Blue Sky Project will help Lynn youth see themselves and their cultural heritage expressed through art.”
The One Blue Sky Project, in partnership with artist Emanuel Jarus, will also install a mural in Mutua, Dondo District, Sofala Province, Mozambique to complete the street art exchange.
“The back-and-forth exchange gives the children the opportunity to discover the differences between their communities, but most importantly, they will discover their commonalities, even though they are on opposite sides of the world,” said Laura Rogers, director of The Good Works Foundation, which promotes empathy and understanding through activities that bridge global communities.
The project received funding through a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique.
Ledo is set to begin painting the mural next week, and the youth will join him on Wednesday.
For information about The One Blue Sky Project visit http://www.oneblueskyproject.org/.
