Steps to Equity
In 2020, The Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship at John Carroll University engaged Art x Love to support “new programs and projects that empower children and residents to build a stronger, more connected community.” We worked with residents and students from Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills neighborhoods to research the area, identify areas for improvement, and partner with local organizations and stakeholders to improve quality of life in the area.
Our work began with a Buckeye-Shaker GIS walkability assessment. Residents and students walked every sidewalk in the neighborhood and assessed the condition of roadways, sidewalks, structures, greenery, littler, visibility, perception of safety, and mapped ideas for improvement.
Based on our findings and ongoing conversations with residents, Art x Love produced The Village Activity Book, a free 16-page all-ages educational and participatory design tool designed to help residents share their vision for the future. More than 3,000 copies were distributed across Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills. We received hundreds of submissions and thousands of responses were collected, analyzed, and shared with local stakeholders and leaders to guide and inform future planning.
The data these projects collected proved a valuable resource for Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills residents, as well as local stakeholders and leaders. We were able to refer residents to funding opportunities, inform city planning projects, connect like-minded neighborhood ambassadors, and build stronger community connections.
In 2022, LANDstudio engaged us with an urgent public art opportunity to leverage our findings as a creative extension of the We Wear the Mask project. We met with local artists from the project, developed public art concepts based on the community’s activity book submissions, returned to the streets to test the concepts with residents, successfully pitched our project to the City of Cleveland’s art commission, and worked with Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. to produce and install the ARISE/ASPIRE mural on the corner of E. 120th St. & Buckeye Road.
In 2023, the Cleveland Public Library engaged us to produce a collaborative community mural for the Rice Branch Library based on submissions from the The Village Activity Book. John Carroll University generously offered to fund the project as a part of their continuing investment and service to the community.
The map of Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills that appeared on the cover The Village Activity Book was selected as the preferred concept for development. A day was organized for the community to come out and paint, and more than 75 residents of all ages showed up and made their mark. Over the next several weeks, Mac continued painting and adding library patron’s words of affirmation to the mural. The final piece was titled Land of OpportUNITY and serves as both an inspiring point of pride for the community and wayfinding resource.
John Carroll University is committed to providing its students with meaningful learning experiences that take an equitable approach to community building, and is making a long-term investment to support the Ward 6 area with a focus on the Woodland Hills and Buckeye-Shaker neighborhoods on the east side of Cleveland. These projects are strategically designed to raise awareness of community assets and liabilities, and to help organizations align with residents toward an equitable, inclusive, and enduring vision for the community with real collaboration and meaningful investment.
Art x Love is delighted to continue this partnership to collaborate with residents and local organizations to support equitable, sustainable, and meaningful change for the people of Buckeye-Shaker and Woodland Hills.
