CLEVELAND — The murals across the city project started Friday night. Artist and muralist Kelle Schwab is bringing a fresh coat of paint to Fleet Avenue in Slavic Village. Schwab is bringing new beauty into the neighborhood.
"A lot of times art can be seen as something you have to go to a museum, or you have to purchase art to see, and it can be not as accessible for everyone," said Schwab.
Under the light of the moon, Schwab is readying her extra-large canvas. A projector beams up her carefully crafted design as she maps it out on the wall.
Schwab is joined by fellow Cleveland artist and muralist Lisa Quine. Schwab said, "We've become friends. We're slowly building our network and getting to know the local mural artists, which is really fun. And she's helping me to do this, install mine on the wall, and then I'm going to help her start hers on Sunday."
Quine and Schwab are two of six muralists chosen out of 150 applicants by Destination Cleveland for the project. The organization asked artists to bring to life what makes Cleveland and its neighborhoods unique.
"I really like The Land because it's really big, and people have a lot of pride behind the term The Land. The lunar moth is like a local moth that comes from the area, and then I have some local flowers that are around it, and people can come take pictures in front of the moth, and then you have The Land really big," said Schwab.
Over the next few weeks, Schwab will paint her design on the side of Vic's Floral Shop, and it will come to life as a new spot for a great photo op in Cleveland.
"This is just one of many public arts that going forward are going to be installed in Cleveland. So I feel like it's just brighter and brighter, bringing a lot of love to Cleveland, and I think it's a beautiful thing," said Schwab.
