LYNN —  The Lynn Museum & Arts Center (LMAC) will host a ribbon-cutting and free community open house on Aug. 8, celebrating the completion of an approximately $2.1 million renovation of The Studios at 25 Exchange St. — the organization’s historic arts building in the heart of the Downtown Lynn Cultural District.

Mayor Jared C. Nicholson will join museum staff, resident artists, and community members to cut the ribbon at 12:00 p.m., with the building open for the public to explore until 4 p.m. The celebration takes place during the annual Lynn Arts & Culture Festival.

Home to Lynn’s creative community for more than 30 years, The Studios — formerly LynnArts — occupies the historic Bank Block in downtown Lynn. The renovation was designed to protect what makes the building special while securing its future.

Much of the most important work is invisible to the visitor’s eye — new roofing, HVAC upgrades, fire safety and accessibility improvements, along with new energy-efficient storefront windows for the Main and Community galleries, upgraded restrooms, a new elevator and new flooring in the common areas— investments that will allow the building to serve artists and audiences for generations to come.

The renovation was made possible through a combination of public and private investments. Support included American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the City of Lynn, a Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) grant from MassDevelopment, and significant grants from the Barr Foundation and the Klarman Family Foundation’s Community Capital Fund.

The Lynn Museum & Arts Center worked with SV Design and Groom Construction to facilitate the renovations, which were largely informed by a recently conducted 15-20 year maintenance plan for the Studios, made possible through a Systems Replacement Plan grant from the Mass Cultural Council. At a time when many communities are pulling back from culture, the project represents a significant reinvestment in Lynn’s creative infrastructure and in the artists, organizations, and neighbors who make the city’s cultural life thrive.

“For more than a century, this organization has worked to preserve Lynn’s past and promote its future — and this renovation does both,” said Doneeca Thurston-Chavez, executive director of the Lynn Museum & Arts Center. “So much of what we accomplished lives behind the walls, but it’s exactly what will keep this building open and welcoming for the artists and families who call it home. We can’t wait to open the doors, cut the ribbon, and celebrate what our community has
built together.”

The Studios and The Museum together make up the Lynn Museum & Arts Center, a single nonprofit cultural campus with two downtown homes: The Museum at 590 Washington Street and The Studios at 25 Exchange Street. The Studios is home to more than two dozen resident artists and cultural organizations — including the Galleries at LynnArts (GALA), the Lynn Music Foundation, Cultura Latina Dance Academy, and North Shore Music Center — who keep the historic building humming with music, dance, visual art, and community programming year-round.

During the open house, visitors are invited to explore the newly renovated Studios, meet resident artists, purchase handmade goods, and step inside working studio spaces. Highlights include the closing reception of longtime resident painter Leslie Fahn Rosenberg’s exhibition “Six Decades” in the Main & Community Galleries. Across campus, The Museum at 590 Washington Street will be open to the public for free, with hands-on art-making activities for all ages. The day is part of the Lynn Arts & Culture Festival, a downtown-wide celebration of the city’s arts and culture community.

The ribbon cutting and open house are free and open to all. For more information, visit lynnmuseum.org or contact the Lynn Museum & Arts Center at 781-581-6200.