CLEVELAND — International mural arts festival POW! WOW!, known to bring colorful murals to its host cities, is coming to Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood in June 2020.
MidTown Cleveland, together with LAND studio, is hosting the festival that will transform the MidTown neighborhood through vibrant art and programming, while giving local artists the opportunity to get involved.
“Bringing POW! WOW! to Cleveland, and specifically to MidTown, is an incredible opportunity to show off the culture and identity of our neighborhood, build community, and add world-class public art as an asset for all to enjoy,” said Jeff Epstein, MidTown Cleveland’s executive director.
The name “POW! WOW!” is inspired by color-filled pages of comic books, with “POW” being the impact that art has on a person and “WOW!” being the reaction that art draws from a viewer. Together they form “POW! WOW!, a Native American term that describes a gathering celebrating culture, music and art.
“While the murals will be the centerpiece of POW! WOW!, there’s much more to this multi-day festival than aerosol cans and visual arts,” said POW! WOW! founder Jasper Wong. The festivities will include concerts, free family-friendly programs, performing arts, workshops, and more.
“In addition to being an internationally relevant art festival, POW! WOW! is dedicated to showing off area artists, restaurants, stores, and communities that make each host city special and unique,” Wong added.
Land Studio and MidTown Cleveland will coordinate 15-20 murals of different sizes during the festival, with a 50-50 representation between local and national or international artists. The call for artists will be available at LAND-studio.org when it is released later this month.
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