Contributors: Ashley Sowers, Shana Black and Kelcy Eady
If you did not know, Cleveland WALLS! was a mural and arts program. Part of a partnership with MidTown Cleveland, LAND Studio, and POW! WOW! Worldwide the event ran from August 23-28. Cleveland WALLS! brought 23 world-class artists to Midtown to design 19 murals, WALLS! also hosted a number of events throughout the week and weekend. On Thursday, I took some time to find out what all the hype was about and was pleasantly surprised.
Initially, I was reluctant to go since I couldn’t find anyone to join me. I also didn’t know how easy, or hard, it would be to navigate and access the murals and programming. Regardless, I mustered the courage to get off my couch and go—and I am SO glad I did.
SWOB Gallery and Lounge
The first thing I checked out was the Shooting Without Bullets (SWOB) gallery lounge, entitled “We Made It,” There was also a pop-up shop in collaboration with Xhibition.
Developed by Creative Director Amanda King, SWOB is a Cleveland-based non-profit that uses art, campaigns, products, and public programs created by Black and Brown youth and justice-minded artists to spotlight messages of justice and equity.
Housed in the WALLS! headquarters, the SWOB gallery lounge was pretty easy to locate. I also had no problem finding parking. Outside, I got a preview of some of the mural work being done throughout the neighborhood.
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