Image (c) MMGY
MidTown hosts the CLEVELAND WALLS! International Mural Program August 23-28, 2021.
More than 20 local, national and international artists will descend on the already vibrant neighborhood to make over building facades in and around MidTown in a celebration of art, culture and community in partnership with POW! WOW! Worldwide, MidTown Cleveland and LAND Studio.
The week-long program includes free family-friendly activities, performances and artist talks, in addition to the 20 public murals that will be created during the event.
Image (c) McKenzie Merriman
The Mission/The Partner
CLEVELAND WALLS! seeks to physically transform the MidTown neighborhood through vibrant art and programming while creating opportunities for local artists and elevating their work. The program is presented by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and with generous support from Dealer Tire.
POW! WOW! Worldwide founder Jasper Wong is curating the artwork for the national and international artists, while MidTown has selected local artists through a rigorous community-based process. Since its inception in 2010 in Hawaii, POW! WOW! has grown into a global network of artists and organizes gallery shows, lecture series, schools for art and music, mural projects, a large creative space named Lana Lane Studios, concerts, and live art installations across the globe.
The purpose of founding POW! WOW! was to bring people together, to beautify neighborhoods and to educate. In 2019, the festival was held in the following cities: Honolulu, Hawaii; Washington D.C.; Long Beach, California; Worcester, Massachusetts; Venice, Italy; Rotterdam, Netherlands; San Jose, California; and Okinawa, Japan with plans to not only continue work in these cities, but to also add Singapore and Cleveland to the list.
Image (c) Larry E. Highbaugh, Jr.
Nestled in between downtown and
University Circle, MidTown Cleveland is a neighborhood that values the arts and diversity. Community-minded programming has become a part of the organization's evolving identity, so hosting a public arts program that transforms the space physically--while also bringing together a diversity of perspectives--fits MidTown's culture.
The program will also spotlight MidTown's unique spaces for living and working, as well as its cultural destinations and its burgeoning food scene--from the cuisines of
AsiaTown to
Angie's Soul Cafe to Dave's Market & Eatery to
Gallucci's lasagna.