I highly respect and am greatly excited by what Beyond Walls has accomplished in Lynn in a very short time.

Utilizing many fine artists, you have brought Lynn from its nineteenth-century look and into the twenty-first century by putting its human face on old, drab buildings. You enliven the “Arts District” with a carnival atmosphere, with gaiety, aromas and music. You encourage people to live in once-drab buildings while showing the faces of people of color – people who for a long time lived in the shadows, but who can now smile at the sun-lite and prominence the murals give them.

You enable Lynn to look like the rainbow connection that it is becoming. I thank you for elevating the arts, for supporting our festival and for your friendship.