If you usually ride Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Red Line staring at your phone, you might miss out on a world of art. Spearheaded by Land Studio, InterUrban features 16 murals and two photo installations inspired by the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which focus on written works highlighting diversity. “It became this greater concept so it wasn’t just murals next to public transit,” says Land Studio’s Joe Lanzilotta.
1. Alan Giberson, Cleveland
Inspiration: The Autobiography of
Malcolm X by Alex Haley
“[Noblesse Oblige] means those who are in power have responsibly to take care of those that are less fortunate,” says Giberson. “Someone used it describe [Malcom X].”
2. Margaret Kimball, Cleveland
Inspiration: White Papers by Martha Collins
“I like the word yes,” says Kimball. “It felt inclusive. I just painted ‘Yes’ in really big letters and put flowers all around it.”
3. Pat Perry, Detroit
Inspiration: Edith Anisfield Wolf, who established the book prize
“[It’s] mainly based on the idea that if Edith Anisfield Wolf were alive today, I think she’d be encouraging us all to take direct aim at the great moral and social crises of our time,” says Perry.
4. Peter Larson, Cleveland
Inspiration: The inclusiveness and diversity of the book awards
“By actually shooting RTA riders, we felt it was better than a curated group of people,” Larson says.
5. Aaron De La Cruz, San Francisco
Inspiration: Sophie, Climbing The Stairs by Delores Kendrick
“The story is about a little girl learning how to read,” De La Cruz says. “The shapes are commas and periods, which hold a very important meaning and metaphor in the story.”
6. Darius Steward, Cleveland
Inspiration: The Rain by John Edgar Wideman
“It kind of talks a little bit about the idea of perception and identity,” Steward says. “A lot of my work deals with identity and being black and how I’m perceived.”
7. Amber Esner, Cleveland
Inspiration: “The End,” a poem from American Sublime by Elizabeth Alexander
“The poem was the process of someone getting rid of objects from a past relationship,” Esner says. “In my mural, there’s a handful of different objects I’ve given away or friends have given away.”
8. Katy Kosman, Cleveland
Inspiration: “The $5 Bill” from The Richer the Poorer by Dorothy West
“It’s about a girl who had a complicated relationship with her parents,” Kosman says. “It was her reflecting on her life … and out of that I got the idea for ‘Don’t be too happy, you’ll get soft.’ ”
