As the fall foliage has begun to take shape, so has public art in downtown Cuyahoga Falls. Those visiting stores and restaurants on Front Street may have seen new art installed on existing planters along the sidewalks, each with a vibrant painting from a local artist, creating a walking gallery.
Earlier this year, thanks to a grant from the Akron Community Foundation, local artists were asked to submit samples of their work to be considered for this project. From these submissions, the Downtown Cuyahoga Falls (DTCF) Partnership, Collide: Cuyahoga Falls, and Cuyahoga Valley Art Center selected seven artists who were commissioned to create work expressive of the city—Abigail Cipar, Miyah Greenwood, Bryce Lowry, Jennifer Sheriff, Kimmy Henderson, Dara Harper, and Chris Comeraito.
“Adding art installs to the existing planters highlights the talents of our local artists while featuring our Downtown historic landmarks,…the river, and the natural surroundings,” DTCF Partnership ExecutiveDirector Kaylee Piper said in a press release.
Arranged from Chestnut Boulevard to Portage Trail, planters show familiar locations from the downtown area, including the clock tower, the river, restaurants, and even the streets gallery walkers cross to see the planters—Portage Trail, Front Street, and Broad Boulevard. Artists were chosen from a broad range of ages and art styles, including painters, graphic designers, and photographers, each gathering different viewpoints of the city.
Lowry, a 17-year-old photographer with autism, has one such outlook that helps expand this project. “I love old things that once had a life of their own but are now forgotten. I can somehow feel the loneliness of the object, and I can imagine a time when it was new and beautiful,” he explained in his artist’s biography. “My hope is that my artwork evokes those same feelings in others.”
The planter art installation is one of many public art projects being unveiled downtown in addition to the “We The People” photography exhibit currently at High Bridge Glens Park. Assembling for their first official meeting in November, the Public Art Board will begin discussing plans for future projects in the community, branching off the public art master plan created last summer.
Read more about the Front Street Public Planter Art installation on the DTCF Partnership website at: https://www.downtowncf.com/planterart.
