The University of Akron's Art Bomb Brigade and ArtsLIFT programs selected Mac Love as team leader for their Freedom Trail mural project for Summit Metro Parks. With nine months to prepare, we surveyed Akron's 2-mile stretch of trail and identified 24 areas for mural development. Recognizing the opportunity to create a unique experience in Akron's recreational corridor, we proposed a strategic plan that would include designs for all walls. We aligned on a literary mural concept that would celebrate and feature the work of Rita Dove – an Akron native, Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet, and Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.

Art x Love reached out to Rita Dove, who graciously offered a selection of poems specifically for the Freedom Trail. The Art Bomb Brigade selected "Dawn Revisited," which was then developed for several locations to accommodate construction. The final design was hand illustrated directly on the wall for the final location on southeast side of the Mill Street Bridge and underpass, in downtown Akron. Mac Love led the team of 25 college and high-school students in the production of the mural, working in collaboration with Elisa Gargarella and Dan Coffield, to paint everything in two weeks.

Dawn Revisited has since been prominently featured in local news, tourism, marketing, and social channels as a reflection of Akron's emerging identity as a national leader. We greatly look forward to the opening of the Freedom Trail so that visitors can safely and easily explore all that Akron and Northeast Ohio has to offer.

Art x Love partnered with volunteers from the University of Akron’s Engineering Services Design Team (ESDT) to create a daytime & nighttime Walkability Assessment of Akron’s University Park neighborhood using a geographic information system (GIS). The team walked every intersection of the neighborhood at day and night, and used the Survey123 application on their mobile phones to log walkability data about roadways, sidewalks, litter, greenery, structures, visibility, and perception of safety.

The data was compiled and analyzed to provide targeted insights and recommendations to improve walkability and neighborhood perception. The team shared its findings with the City of Akron’s GIS & Cartography department, City Arborist, and members of the Office of Integrated Development.

Through Art x Love’s @PLAY GIS process, University students reported a greater appreciation for the diversity and quality of the neighborhood. An executive summary of the team’s findings, including specific reports on key features can be provided upon request.

Full report