In 2020, the Lynn YMCA welcomed sixteen new members to its Youth Club… the cheerful monsters of Golden305’s latest mural. The lead street artist — Cristhian Saravia (AKA Golden305) — has been involved in Beyond Walls productions for years, and in 2020, he wanted his artwork to energize community spaces where locals can still safely gather. He set out to transform the cold, gray walls surrounding the Y’s playground with a 4,800 square foot mural featuring his playful gang of characters — from unicorns to pandas to farting rainbows and beyond.
“My goal is to create powerful emotions such as love, gratitude, happiness, and hope through bright colors and SIMPLE art messages.”
The unveiling of the mural brought together rounds of young students to hear Golden and his crew discuss his artwork with the community. All of the kids at the YMCA Youth Club received an exclusive coloring book featuring Golden’s characters, so they can make the monsters their own. The feedback from these activities has been unexpected joy:
“There are not enough words to explain the gratitude we have for transforming our playground AND giving our kids and staff the opportunity to experience art as it took place. The unveiling was such an amazing day for everyone, and really was exactly what everyone needed with remote learning an COVID fatigue hitting both kids and staff.” — Andrea Baez, YMCA Director
Thank you to the crew: Okaje, Angie, Carlito, Keif and more for making this mural possible — in the snow, during a pandemic, and always with style! This artwork will continue to impact the experiences of Lynn youth for years and years to come.
