@PLAY Akron

In 2017, Art x Love was awarded a $240,000 Knight Cities grant for @PLAY Akron, an 18-month, 24-neighborhood, interactive art project designed to bring diverse people together and encourage deeper community connections. Our team walked and biked every street in the city, conducted thousands of street intercept interviews with residents and stakeholders, and produced more than 100 murals and 50 placemaking transformations across the city.

@PLAY Akron has inspired millions of dollars of new investment and systemic change across the City of Akron, and fundamentally changed the way local organizations and non-profits approach neighborhood research, community engagement, and creative collaboration.

Buffalo Unlimited

Art x Love toured 24 parks in Buffalo, New York, interviewed dozens of residents, and collaborated with local leaders and The Trust for Public Land to create the 16-page Buffalo Unlimited Activity Book for the Buffalo Parks Plan. The book features a mix of educational, creative, and participatory design exercises that are designed to inspire, inform, and guide Buffalo Parks development.

The Buffalo Unlimited Activity Book is available in English, Spanish, and Arabic and is free and for all ages. Buffalo resident submissions received by April 3, 2021, will be automatically entered into a lottery for a chance to win a range of prizes that include smart watches, a Chromebook, local business gifts cards, sporting goods, and much more. Please visit the Official Rules and take the Buffalo Parks Master Plan Survey to help shape the future of Buffalo Parks.

The Buffalo Parks Master Plan is a project of The City of Buffalo’s Division of Parks & Recreation and the Office of Strategic Planning. The Trust for Public Land is leading the project and is working with local design and planning firms New City Parks and the Regional Plan Association. Representatives of local agencies and community groups are guiding the process as members of a steering committee. The Buffalo Parks Plan is being carried out from January 2020 through June 2021. This effort was made possible through the generous support of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

Get in touch with BuffaloParks@TPL.org to learn more.

Play for All

WWBD Consulting brought us in to help with research, strategy, and design for the Stow City Center: Play for All Project.

We provided strategic considerations for research, and helped lead development and implementation of a Community Visioning Day to coincide with Stow’s annual Pizza Palooza community event.

Research was designed to be highly accessible and interactive, and focussed on community feedback and ideas for Stow City Center’s Playground, Splash Pad, Amenities, and Activities.

Community input was segmented between kids, teens, adults, and seniors to gain strategic insight toward specific priorities and preferences among each age group.

Research leveraged key insights and learnings to catalyze the community and help City leaders and residents align on a plan to support and realize long-term vision for Stow City Center.

Wind, Water, & Sails

Art x Love produced a collaborative mural that was painted by hundreds of attendees over 2 days at Cleveland's Tall Ships Festival. Participants were invited to pick a color, pick a brush, and paint whatever the wind, water, and sails inspired. The mural was finished as a creative performance on day 2. Our team of local artists featured Nichole Epps, Dray Evans, Lindsey Jo Scott, Amy Day, Brett Drummond, and Mac Love. Attendees made the most of the opportunity to create, inspire, and capture memories as the mural evolved with the elements.