Akron on Deck

Akron On Deck is a unique playing card set featuring 54 Akron businesses and landmarks, with cards designed by 54 local artists. Art x Love created Akron on Deck in 2020 as a Kickstarter project to support local creatives and businesses through the pandemic. 40% of the proceeds from card sales go directly to the artists as royalty payments for life.

Following the success of Akron on Deck, we produced Akron on Deck II in 2022, featuring 54 new card designs by local artists and 54 different Akron icons and landmarks. Since 2020, Art x Love has sold more than 12,000 decks and raised more than $100,000 for local artists, businesses, and non-profits with Akron on Deck.

With the Akron Bicentennial kicking off in December 2024, we’re happy to announce that we are currently developing Akron on Deck III: Bicentennial Edition. This third and final playing card set will be available for the 2024 holiday season and beyond.

You can also purchase Akron on Deck from the following retailers:

Dragonfly Fountain

We were engaged by the Akron Zoo to create a mural for the fountain in the Lehner Family Zoo Garden, a beloved local landmark and sanctuary that first opened to the public in 2003.

Art x Love inspected the fountain, researched materials, explored several creative directions, and developed a series of mural concepts that were refined and expanded with the executive team’s feedback. We aligned on the concept of the dragonfly for its crucial role in pollination and cross-cultural symbolism.

Dragonflies have been around for more than 325 million years, have 360º vision, can fly in any direction, migrate across oceans, and currently under threat with the loss of wetland environments. “To me, dragonfly’s represent an urgency for life and conservation,” says Mac. “They live for 5 years, and spend less than 70 days as adults. It’s remarkable to think about how highly evolved and important these ancient species are.”

Dragonflies commonly represent transformation, change, new beginnings and fresh starts. Native Americans believed they represented souls passing into the realm of the nonphysical. In Japan, they symbolize courage, happiness, and rebirth. In India, they are believed to help people receive intuitive guidance from their higher self. And in China, they represent prosperity and good luck.

“Dragonflies are a crucial pollinator with approximately 164 species native here to Ohio,” said Doug Piekarz, president & CEO at the Akron Zoo. “Our gardens have always held an emphasis on pollinators, with a butterfly maze and caterpillar centerpiece. Now with the addition of the dragonfly mural, we can represent wetland pollinators as well. Mac Love did a fantastic job and we are honored to be able to showcase his work here at the zoo.”

Mac painted the mural in 100 hours over the course of 10 days. He freehand drew the composition after cleaning the walls and priming them with a special marine epoxy. The paint we used is specially formulated for masonry in seasonal conditions, and designed for long-term aquatic immersion. Because of the industrial nature of this material, Mac only had 4 hours to work with each color before it hardened like taffy.

“I had an absolute blast working on this mural,” said Mac. “I got to experience the awesome Akron Zoo and staff on a daily basis, and found a tremendous amount of peace and inspiration in the Zoo Gardens. The one thing that I will always remember from this project is the exuberant exclamations from approaching families and campers. The positive impact this mural has had on them brings me a lot of joy, and I think that’s reflected in how others will feel when they see this for themselves.”

Quality of Life Day

Art x Love was invited to give the closing presentation on Why Art Matters at “Quality of Life Day” for the City of Green’s Community Leadership Initiative. This program for business and community leaders is designed to foster and encourage community engagement, immersing participants in an in-depth leadership program focused on Green, Ohio.

The program day that included an introduction to Pickleball and presentations from Ohio & Erie Canalway, Summit Metro Parks, Akron Community Foundation, and the City of Green.

We were delighted to learn that participants voted Art x Love among the most valuable experiences of the day, calling the presentation “So eye opening – I did not expect art to be so useful in placemaking and changing the space into something better.”

GSM Silent Disco

Grace Church’s Student Ministries (6th-12th grade) used our @PLAY silent disco headsets for their “Whiteout” blacklight dance party. Everyone wore white shirts, put on a headset, danced, gathered, and glowed with friends through the night. Live DJ’s, food, music, and games kept the party going – it was a blast!

To learn more about our Silent Disco Headsets and book a reservation, click the button below.

Libation

In 2022, Mac was commissioned to paint a new mural for R. Shea Brewing’s location in Canal Place. He presented the owner with a range of stylistic options, and then developed the preferred concept as a black-and-white rendering with a range of color options for their preferred budget.

Mac worked on the mural during off-business hours to avoid disrupting customers, and completed the mural in 14 days over a span of 10 weeks. The final design is fully hand-painted, and extends from edge-to-edge across the three walls of the entrance, including around pipes and hardware.

“This kitchen is HAWT" was written by a customer on a note to staff, and saved by the owner. This served as the original point of inspiration for developing the mural. Mac painted a selection of menu items and ingredients for the kitchen’s wall, and used a combination of linear shapes to celebrate R. Shea’s irreverent spirit, pride, and unconventional excellence.

The main entrance wall was reserved for R. Shea’s logo, and was expanded to unify all three walls with rays of light that beam from the left and right. A series of icons were also painted over the top to highlight the brewer’s ingredients, food, beverages, and amenities.

The “Welcome” wall celebrates R. Shea’s brewing process, community, and creative culture. The woman depicted on the wall is inspired by Aleksandr Rodchenko’s untitled portrait of the writer and socialite Lilya Brik. Rodchenko used this photo as an element in the iconic graphic design of his advertisement for Lengiz, and Leningrad-based state publishing house. In that original graphic design, Brik’s profile is embedded in a Constructivist collage with her shout amplifying the slogan “BOOKS in all fields of knowledge.”

Mac chose to use the same profile and angular exclamation to celebrate the diversity of human expression, values, and beliefs that so commonly resonate around the bar and a good beer. The R. Shea logo is also prominently featured on this wall, and captured in an arrowhead-like shape to add energy and momentum to the powerful striped lines that flow and encourage people forward.

ARISE/ASPIRE

In 2022, LAND studio received grant funds from the Ohio Arts Council and Arts Midwest, and commissioned Mac for a new mural on the corner of E. 120th & Buckeye Road, in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood.

Mac worked with residents of all ages to create a mural that reflects the voice of the community. ARISE/ASPIRE is inspired by more than 2 years of collaborative work with residents and students in Buckeye-Shaker, and is informed by our Steps to Equity and Village Activity Book projects, as well as the work of Elevate the East and many others.

"Having walked every sidewalk in the neighborhood, interviewed hundreds of residents, designed and distributed more than 3,000 neighborhood activity books, and vetted community ideas and concepts for improvement, I can confidently say that we have created something that is not just unique to Buckeye-Shaker, but to any neighborhood in the world. As an outsider, I take the responsibility for these opportunities very seriously, and am highly cognizant (and hopefully) respectful of the historic challenges and legacy of trauma that these communities (and the artwork’s audience) carry. I believe the work we created recognizes that burden and will provide people with a sense of hope, empowerment, and visibility that has not been present in that immediate area for some time."

– Mac Love

Watch the News 5 Cleveland story about the mural on A Better Land.

Silent Disco Dustup

In 2017-2018, our @PLAY Akron project explored every street in Akron’s 24 neigborhoods and interviewed more than 2,000 residents. Our research revealed many different neighborhood priorities, but cleaner streets, neighborhood festivals, and stronger neighborhood identity were commonly sited interests. We asked ourselves, can we do all three?

The Silent Disco Dustup was conceived of as "the most fun neighborhood cleanup imaginable.” Participants received silent disco headsets, pedometers, cleaning gear, and were accompanied by two DJs and a supply vehicle for refreshments and additional tools.

We designed 1-mile routes through neighborhood corridors that have a high degree of litter but are not frequently targeted for cleanup. Each route featured signs with historic anecdotes and little-known-facts about the neighborhood. Participants were encouraged to dance and clean their way through the corridor(s), and those who racked up the most steps received prizes, including hand-made gifts and coupons to local businesses.

Some people travelled 50+ miles to participate for these unique silent disco experiences. Everyone had a great time, made new friends, and learned a lot about the community.

Northside Jazz

In the mid-20th century, Howard Street was the center of black culture in the bustling Rubber Capital of the World. It was home to many of Akron’s black-owned business and entertainment establishments. In 1920, George Mathews opened his barbershop in Howard Street, and in 1925 opened the Hotel Matthews next door. The hotel became an anchor for the neighborhood, and an iconic destination for the era’s most famous black entertainers, who came to town to perform at many of the “whites only” clubs and hotels, but could not stay there. In the 1960’s, the Howard Street District began to decline and was eventually razed for “urban renewal” in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Art x Love was engaged to create a mural honoring Akron’s jazz heritage in the old Howard Street District of the city. The mural faces the former site of Hotel Matthews, and depicts Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, nightclub dancers, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong playing together. The vision for the mural remains incomplete, but it still serves as a strong reminder of Akron’s past.

Symphony

In 2016, Mac was commissioned by The Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation (HWDDC) to create a new chalk mural underneath Cleveland’s Main Avenue bridge for Ernst & Young. Since 2014, Mac had been creating 10 ft. tall chalk murals at this location across from the main entrance to Ernst & Young Tower, and HWDDC was able to leverage them to raise funds and additional support for their community programs and events.

Ernst & Young’s mural was inspired by brand elements from a range of their marketing materials, and paired with a musical composition to invite multi-sensory consideration and appreciation.

Do you recognize the piece of music?

Diamond Deli

The Diamond Deli is one of Akron’s most famous sandwich shops and eateries. Their menu is legendary, and on any given day of the week you may find a smoothly moving line of people stretched out the door and around the corner. They’re that good.

In 2016, Mac created The King of Diamonds for the back wall of the dining area. Based on the overwhelming response the painting received, the owners asked if Mac could do a drawing of their business for a new t-shirt. He sat outside one fall morning and created the sketch that became this ink drawing. Although the art was never used for a t-shirt, it is prominently featured opposite the register and helped inspire our creation of the Akron on Deck playing card set to support local businesses and artists through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barberton for Hillary

Following our mural production and design of Ohio for Hillary’s Akron headquarters, Art x Love was invited to do the same for Barberton.

We created one mural , designed and helped residents and volunteers create four more, and provided creative solutions for use and operations in the space.

Our murals served as an interactive backdrop to reinforce key campaign communications and values during events, and provided an opportunity for the community to share and express their support.

Believeland

As Cleveland prepared for the Republican National Convention, we felt it was important to revitalize the Believeland murals and celebrate local pride and identity in the wake of Cleveland's NBA Championship. Believeland III was specifically designed for Cleveland's RNC guests and was quickly embraced on social media and featured on national news and political channels.

Following the RNC, the murals continued to be a popular backdrop for social media profiles, wedding photography, and was also prominently featured in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 80's Night player intro video, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's music video for Coming Home. With coverage from local media channels, we promised to return with a baseball mural if the Cleveland Indians could continue their winning ways. They did, and our Roll Tribe mural caught the attention of Major League Baseball, prompting our opportunity to create the Rally Together mural for MLB's American League Championship Series.