By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The town of Needham got a fresh new look this past weekend during the celebration of The Pansy Festival Blossoms. Run by the Needham Council for Arts & Culture, one of the elements within this wonderful celebration included the brand new mural painted by Ryan “Arcy” Christensen. The mural “Blossom” was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and then approved for commission by the Town’s Select Board.
This particular artist/design was chosen out of twenty designs with the firm intention to put artists to work yet again after the unfortunate hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Committee went on to select Arcy’s “Blossoms” because it encompasses the upbeat spirit of Needham’s people with the town flower, the pansy, to further symbolize “thoughtfulness and consideration.”
Christensen, who started painting this colorful mural last Thursday, stated that it took around twenty hours and over 100 cans of paint to complete. Needham residents were found staring in awe at Christensen’s amazing talent, frequently stopping to ask him questions about his current work and overall profession. Most notably, Christensen is known for his paint-splashed style of large-sale street art and has been working at his craft for over a decade now. He is currently enlisted to develop a collaborative body of work for the The Walt Disney Company as a Disney Fine Artist.
This astounding addition to the Needham community was only part of the Festival that was held on Sunday. Across the street in the Needham Heights Common, an arts and crafts station was set up for children to make their very own tissue paper blossoms. There was also a face painting station, gardening station, information booth, and live music performed by “Trouble Made.”
Co-Chairs for the Needham Council for Arts & Culture, Charly Nanda and Bala Venkat-Muthukaruppan, were thrilled to see how many people from the community came out to celebrate this joyous occasion for the town of Needham. Venkat-Muthukaruppan went on to state, “We hope that this mural is one of many more to come. We have similar spaces around town like the one being painted now. These murals bring more vibrancy to an already great town so we hope to have more down the road.” Overall, The Pansy Festival Blossoms was a huge success and brought the community together to celebrate a new wave of art being brought to the town of Needham.
