A 750-foot-long brick wall surrounding a bus service facility for the Regional Transit Authority along Woodhill Road in Cleveland recently became a canvas for a handful of area artists. The community helped select this spot as an opportunity to bring public art to the neighborhood in a very big way.
Armed with vision, talent and an impressive supply of spray paint, six artists transformed the wall into a vibrant work of art in just under a month’s time. The bricks now tell stories of the history and culture of several East Side neighborhoods.
Identifying the location
The massive brick wall was identified as one of 50 locations for public art by Elevate the East, a program commissioned in 2019 by Burton, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. to bring more public art to the city’s East Side. A steering committee comprised of community leaders and residents helped shape the projects.
“Hundreds of residents were interviewed to figure out what different things they wanted to see in their neighborhood,” said Ahlon Gonzalez, project manager with LAND Studio, the public art nonprofit managing the mural project.
This particular project was supported with approximately $350,000 in grants from Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority and the National Endowment of the Arts.
The location of the mural is also significant. It’s located directly across the street from the former Woodhill Homes, one of the first public housing developments in the country dating back to the late-1930s. The homes are currently being torn down to make way for newer housing in the area.
“[The mural] is an opportunity to memorialize pieces of this area which are either being demolished or reimagined, and the folks that lived here and contributed to making this area what it is,” Gonzalez said.
Selecting the artists
Cleveland artists Derek Brennan and Chad Fedorovich were chosen from a large pool of applicants to lead the design and completion of the project.
“I was immediately attracted to the scale of this mural,” said Brennan, who has completed nearly 40 murals, primarily around the Cleveland area. “And I just felt like it would be such a great piece to make for the community here.”
They enlisted the help of four other artists who also applied for the project: Alicia Vasquez, Christa Childs (who goes by Christa Freehands), Isaiah Williams (who goes by Star Being) and Naijal Hawkins (who goes by Dayz Whun).
“Chad and Derek came to us and were like, ‘Hey, would you like to be a part of this? We know your worth,’” said Hawkins. “I thought that was pretty honorable and awesome, and it gives us a chance to work with some other pretty cool artists.”
Working on the project was also personal for Hawkins, having lived at Woodhill Homes and in the neighborhood.
While painting a section of the mural, his lifelong friend from the neighborhood, Antonio Brown, drove up to get a preview.
“As long as I can remember, this brick wall has been here. It was always barren,” said Brown. “Now with this, it’s something that’s definitely needed.”
Community planning
To inform the design, the team of artists held several planning events and workshops with members of the surrounding community.
“This particular community is very invested in its public art and the things that represent their culture and their history,” Gonzalez said. “I feel like Derek and Chad did a good job of taking all of that in stride and really giving them something that made them feel seen.”
In addition to the community meetings, Brennan and Fedorovich also did additional research at libraries to learn the history and discover iconic images throughout the neighborhoods.
For example, before Woodhill Homes were constructed in the 1930s, a Cleveland amusement park once stood in that location. It’s represented in the mural with a carousel horse, positioned next to a depiction of Woodhill Homes.
Other locations, like Zelma George Roller Skating Facility and Luke Easter Park are also represented. Another aspect of the mural, as Gonzalez puts it, is life-based.
“You have pictures of people barbequing or skating or getting their hair cut, very much everyday life stuff,” she said. “I think that’s the most important part.”
