Two years ago, downtown Cuyahoga Falls brimmed with art lovers as buildings and streets were filled with the artwork of students. On that busy evening, no one would have expected it would be the last of such fanfare for a while to come. While the city was forced to cancel the 2020 Cuyahoga Falls All-City Art Walk at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been no doubt that art has continued to become even more important for the community, especially for students who have adapted to studying and creating from their homes rather than traditional classrooms. In response to these changes and struggles, the Art Walk returns this year, despite taking a different form than in previous years.
“Arts can create an escape, distract from daily stressors, provide a way to express ourselves, relieve stress and bring joy. The art walk has become a well anticipated event in our community with incredible support from the schools, city and our local businesses,” explains Jennifer Schulman, Cuyahoga Falls High School art teacher and event organizer. “It is important to us to continue the tradition of the art walk this year, despite the many challenges, to bring a taste of normalcy to the community, to celebrate that we made it through this challenging year, to have some fun, to let our youths’ voices be heard, and reflect on how ‘Art Connects Us All.’”
Unlike previous years, when the public gathered in multiple locations on a single evening to admire live art and entertainment, this year’s art walk will be physically-distanced and allow the community to peruse the event’s art throughout the week. To this end, 10 large quilts comprised of artwork and photographs from students in kindergarten through 12th grade will each include a QR code that, when scanned with a phone or other mobile device, will enable the viewing of even more work, including mini movies about the making of art pieces, student interviews, musical performances, and moving artwork. In addition to the quilts, student artists have also created over 300 pinwheels that will be on display during the week of the art walk to bring even more color to the city in shop windows, green spaces, and planters.
Keeping with tradition, make-and-take art projects will still be available, but they will not be demonstrated in-person. Each kit will be available while supplies last at different locations throughout the art walk path. Scanning a corresponding QR code will bring up video instructions from National Art Honors Society students or retired Cuyahoga Falls art teacher Max Schueneman. Also available digitally will be interviews from visiting local artists Susan Shie and Kimmy Henderson, as well as prerecorded music from student musicians to make the self-guided tour even more entertaining.
A bonus to this year’s event is multiple styles of scavenger hunts. Walkable hunts during the art tour and “road rally” searches that require a car will take the public around town with questions that include trivia, I spy, and photo ops to solve clues in the Goosechase mobile app. By completing one of these hunts, participants will be entered into a drawing for locally donated prizes, all listed at cfallsartwalk.weebly.com.
“Our community can support the arts in our schools by continuing to value the positive impact the arts have on our youth,” stated Schulman. “Attend art shows, encourage your child to create, make art supplies accessible at home, consider volunteering to help your PTSO help the art and/or music teacher at your students’ school. Supporting the arts in our city only needs a trip to downtown Cuyahoga Falls.”
The 2021 Cuyahoga Falls All City Art Walk will be on display April 24-May 2. For more information, visit cfallsartwalk.weebly.com.
