3rd annual Art Walk adds more activities

The “This is Euclid” Art Walk, now in its third year, keeps getting bigger.

The free event continues to offer additional varieties of interactive features to the community since its inception.

This year, an approved mural for participants to “leave your mark on Euclid” will be handpainted, increasing civic enhancement, at 22400 Lake Shore Boulevard.

According to Euclid’s Department of Planning and Development, the project is part of a larger strategy from the 2018 Euclid Master Plan to create “Art Alley,” a pedestrian alleyway activation project in cooperation with private businesses and the city.

Community Projects Manager Allison Lukacsy-Love confirmed the mural will be nearly half-complete at the start of Art Walk when

the community — any age, no artistic abilities needed — will be able to help finish it in a paint-by-numbers fashion. Brushes and paint will be provided.

The mural, along with other improvements in the new Art Alley, was made possible through paint donations from Sherwin Williams and a Keep America Beautiful grant from the Akron Cleveland Association of Realtors.

Local public artist Charley Frances, who designed

the mural, will be on-site participating, along with Keep Euclid Beautiful committee members and volunteers from the Akron Cleveland Association of Realtors.

Another aspect of Art Walk is “Pop-Up Parkway,” a temporary roadway redesign brought to life through Euclid partnering with the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency’s Street Supplies and the Better Block Foundation.

According to the city, the one-month demonstration project is a vision for equitable and safe spaces for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists

between the street curbs by creating parklets, bike corrals, buffered bike lanes, mid-block decorative crosswalks, pedestrian medians, and more on-street parking. The city has combined engineering studies and previous event set-ups to create a road diet — that could lead to the permanent implementation of aspects of “Pop-Up Parkway” — from East 218th Street to East 222nd Street on Lake Shore Boulevard.

Lukacsy-Love said this year’s Art Walk is the culmination of what Euclid’s been striving for since the event was first developed two summers ago.

“Each year we’ve built on the previous successes, increasing the opportunities for the community to participate in both the event planning and the creation of public art. It’s an event that is filled with Euclid pride and love for the city — celebrating local creative talent, showcasing downtown businesses and demonstrating the power of engaging citizens when reimagining public space.”

The “This is Euclid” Art Walk takes place from 2 to 6 p.m., Sept. 15, in Downtown Euclid from East 218th Street to East 222nd Street on Lake Shore Boulevard.