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.”

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.

Will you marry me?

It’s wonderful thing when your work inspires someone else to do something creative for love. In 2016, Mac was contacted by a person who admired his Believeland chalk murals, and wondered if hr could help out with a marriage proposal.

Mac drove up to Cleveland the night before the proposal, cleaned the wall, and created this Will you marry me? chalk mural, including the ring to kneel in. We’re happy to report they said “Yes!”

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?

MAIZE

SCENE Magazine wanted to take their Fall festival fundraiser up a notch for University Hospital's Kids Kicking Cancer. We created a collaborative mural for the 3 day event, inviting attendees to pick a color, grab a brush, and make their mark on Cleveland. More than 300 attendees contributed to the painting. The final work is currently awaiting finalization for installation in a TBD location.

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.

Water Taxi

Cleveland Metroparks engaged Art x Love to create a mural wall that would shield construction of the new water taxi station on Cleveland’s Flats East Bank. The mural needed to reinforce the brand, raise awareness of the water taxi, and provide an aesthetically pleasing distraction from ongoing construction.

Development of the Water Taxi mural began in October of 2015, and construction finished a year ahead of schedule due to unseasonable warmth. Since the mural was no longer needed, we volunteered it as a public art solution for Edgewater Park, which was beginning to show signs of its age.

The Water Taxi mural was created as one continuous image across 32 separate 4 ft. x 8 ft. panels that would connect to form a circle. Key panels of the mural were disassembled for display across Edgewater Park.

Following installation, public feedback was highly positive and usage of the park increased annually, with many residents and new visitors expressing their appreciation of the vibrant artwork. In the years since, Edgewater Park has grown dramatically with a world-class beachfront recreation center and performance space.

Beautiful Later

CitiPond changed liquor distributors and needed artwork to replace the vintage alcohol posters that used to decorate Celsius, the heated outdoor restaurant and lounge at Bryant Park's skating rink in New York City. My brother and I each did two paintings, which were specifically designed for exterior display in extreme temperatures. To create a sense of cohesion and appeal to all ages, we agreed to focus on color, line, and shape as reflections on creative development.

Several days before the paintings went on display, Steve Jobs passed away. The title of the exhibit takes its name from Mona Simpson's quote at Steve Job's eulogy – “Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later.”

Idol Hands

Idol Hands was created in 2008 by Mac Love as a meditation on loved ones afflicted with cancer and the fragility of life. The installation was comprised of accumulated found objects over several years, including x-ray images, a light-box, and two 8-foot-tall styrofoam hands Mac made from recycled packaging and shish-kebob spears.

The installation was first exhibited at the Velvet Mill, in Stonington, Connecticut. Various pieces and new compositions were later exhibited in New London, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island. All were later donated to charity.