Brick by painted brick, the Buckeye-Shaker and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods are building a stronger foundation for their commercial districts.
Inner City Hues, a public art project organized by Land Studio, aims to reclaim the neighborhoods with murals, installations and public pieces made by resident artists.
“Part of this is changing the narrative,” says project manager David Wilson. “They’re creating an awareness around equitable access to art for artists of color.”
Eleven artists and groups are collaborating with the community through workshops and sessions to create six works on Kinsman and Buckeye roads. “There’s great local talent literally in our own backyard that just don’t have that same access to arts resources,” says Wilson.
For example, muralist Kevin Harp, who’s known as Mr. Soul, and graffiti artists from the Cleveland Skribe Tribe are creating a mural at 11701 Buckeye Road with the help of local teens. The youths are paired with the project through an ongoing mentorship program that teaches them to paint.
Amanda King, founder and creative director of Shooting Without Bullets, is unveiling a photographic installation featuring family portraits of three generations of Buckeye residents on Sept. 15. Located in a vacant storefront at 13000 Buckeye Road, this installation provides commentary on the resilience of black families and their right to exist within the community.
All works are slated to be completed by the end of August and unveiled in early September.
“The residents have really taken an active role in reimagining how the neighborhood really feels and looks through these various public art and green space reclamation projects,” says Wilson
