Graffiti HeArt Founder & President, Stamy Paul, and Ricky Smith from R.A.K.E joined forces to organize a Black Lives Matter mural in Cleveland on East 93rd Street and Bessemer Rd.
More than 100 artists and volunteers gathered together on Saturday, June 20th, to paint the 16 letters and heart. Artists groups were assigned to each letter including students from Positive Education Program, Graffiti HeArt scholarship students from Cleveland Institute of Art. The response from artists, community members, and volunteers from all over Northeast Ohio was overwhelming.
The community surrounding the East 93rd Street area have tremendous history and pride for their neighborhood. The area had been wrought by missing persons cases as well as the tragic murder of Alianna DeFreeze over the recent years, and the hope is that this mural project has helped bring the community together and brought hundreds of visitors that might not otherwise have ventured to this community – all with heartfelt gratitude and interest.
The road was closed for 3 weeks and reopened after the July 4th weekend. Councilman Blaine Griffith plans to bring additional public mural efforts to this neighborhood through his Elevate the East project, bringing together talented artists from across the city to participate in revitalizing the area through art.
Are you looking to donate? Would you like to sponsor a student in our CIA Scholarship program? Do you want to inject some culture and color to your neighborhood with graffiti art? Fill out the form below and we’ll take care of you!
©2020 Graffiti Heart. All Rights Reserved.
