In 2020, Art x Love was selected as a muralist for Downtown Cuyahoga Falls’ Chalk It Up weekly public art event. People were encouraged to explore downtown and discover local artists at work on chalk murals each week. The Fun Flows Here mural was inspired by the Cuyahoga River, and the community’s resilient spirit during the pandemic.

“The brick wall we were given was porous, rough, and uneven. I wanted to make the mural as vibrant and impactful as possible, so I used spray chalk for the foundation and created additional details and shading with chalk sticks. Many weeks after it was completed, I heard it was still there and looked great, despite all of the rain. It’s always bonus when something temporary can leave a lasting positive impact.”

– Mac Love

Photo by Black Dog Photo Co. LLC

Playhouse Square's annual Halloween pub crawl needed a spark to raise awareness, generate excitement, and lead people to the party. Art x Love was hired to lead development of 20 chalk murals for the day of the event.

We develop a plan for 2 preliminary murals to support marketing and 18 additional murals at strategic locations within Playhouse Scare's pub crawl perimeter. Working with a team of Cleveland artists, we created a range of murals to excite, inspire, and provoke engagement.

Sadly, four of our designs were too successful. Cleveland's Police, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, and Playhouse Square all received calls demanding the immediate removal of the Minion, Donald Trump, Kim Jong-Frankenstein, and Kim Jon-Vampire chalk murals. We complied, and though we regret the trouble this caused, the experience was certainly worthwhile.

Team
Mac Love
Dean Skinner
Melinda Placko