AKRON II
In 2017-2018, Art x Love's @PLAY Akron team walked and biked every street in Akron's 24 neighborhoods, interviewing thousands of residents along the way to learn about their community and ways to improve their quality of life. Many residents expressed a strong desire to see more public art in their environment, leading our team to hire more than 160 local artists and produce more than 100 collaborative murals.
AKRON II is a collaborative mural that was designed by Nichole Epps, a local artist and Army veteran from West Akron. The mural panels were painted by First Serve volunteers, Emmanuel Christian Academy students, and local Girl Scouts of America troop from Akron’s North Hill neighborhood. The mural was finished by Dray Evans, Nichole Epps, and Mac Love, who worked to preserve the young artist's marks while reinforcing their vision for a strong and vibrant community.
In 2019, the AKRON II mural was installed on the northwest wall of the Furniture Warehouse building on West Market Street. AKRON II became an iconic point of pride, and was featured in numerous publications, marketing materials, music videos, and social media posts.
AKRON II was on display for 2,105 days with an average daily traffic of 21,987. The total media value of AKRON II $1,276 per week, $5,104 per month, and $383,970 for the duration of display.
