ONE2017finaledits 08-03-17

compositions, this was her tenth mural
project since 2014, but her first in the
United States.
“In my short time painting murals,
I’ve been amazed at how these artworks
can engage the public and send bigger
messages, and really make people connect
in ways they might not have before —
from changing the way they might walk to
work to becoming more passionate about
bigger themes around them,” said Hill.
“I'm always really excited to push my work
that little bit further every time I paint.
Lately I've been focusing on connecting
architecture and odd structures, nature
and our memories.”
Other international muralists came from
Puerto Rico, Canada, the Dominican
Republic and Mexico. More locally,
Boston-based street artist Cedric “Vise”
Douglas participated, painting “The Black
Madonna” on the exterior wall of 114-120
Munroe St.
New Yorker Cey Adams, founding
creative director of Def Jam Records,
brought a little love to 65 Munroe St.
with a mural inspired by Donna Summer’s
song, “I Feel Love.”
Cambridge-based artist Caleb Neelon,
immersed in the global graffiti scene
under the name SONIK by the mid-
’90s, colorfully painted a wall on Munroe
Street, which he describes as a “big, loving,
family quilt. Neelon, who co-authored
“The History of American Graffiti,” has
painted murals and artworks that can
be seen in city streets and exhibitions
throughout the world. “What’s fun is the
community interaction,” he said. “Being in
public, there’s a performance aspect.”
Lynn was already host to a massive
mural on the exterior of the LynnArts
building at 25 Exchange St., designed
and painted by artists David Fichter,
Yetti Frenkel and Joshua Winer. Yet,
the idea for this project occurred to
Wilson, a Marblehead resident, years
ago when he was in Miami and visited
Wynwood Walls. Conceived by the
late Tony Goldman, a renowned
community revitalizer and placemaker,
the site has become a major art statement
transforming the warehouse district
of Wynwood. Since its inception, the
Wynwood Walls program has seen more
than 50 artists from 16 countries create art
on more than 80,000 square feet of walls.
“In the five years it took for the pop-up
installation to morph into the curated
space it is now, a ton of other stuff
happened,” said Wilson, talking about
Wynwood. “The art expanded from two
blocks to eight and a neighborhood
formed where there really wasn’t one.”
Wilson, who grew up in Walpole, was
familiar with the North Shore from
his childhood soccer days and saw an
opportunity.
“There I was in Miami thinking about
Lynn,” he said.
Wilson also found inspiration during a
trip to London, where he saw firsthand
the urban artwork — one of the largest
illustrations of its kind — that appears at
the gateway to King’s Cross.
“The street art there was a catalyst for
cafes opening and more housing,” he said.
“That’s what we need in Lynn. A number
of cultural organizations like RAW and
LynnArts have been doing work for years,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
PHOTOS: JIM WILSON
This mural at left is on the building at the corner of Spring and Exchange streets in Lynn. It was painted by Mexican-born and New York
City-based artist Marka27. Above, near the Monroe Street Community Garden plot, is a work by muralist FONKi Both were part of the
Beyond Walls Mural Festival, which ran from July 13 to 23.
13 | ONE MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2017