Friendly Inn Settlement November 30, 2007 - November 30, 2007

How It Started

LAND studio began working with Friendly Inn Settlement in October 2010 after it received a grant through the Saint Luke’s Foundation’s Make It Stick program. Friendly Inn Settlement is the oldest existing settlement house in Cleveland and has evolved its programming to include care for pregnant women, childcare, job training, GED courses, and a food pantry.

One of the goals of the Friendly Inn’s grant was to increase the visibility of this community resource within the Central neighborhood. Our staff was impressed with the amount of services that Friendly Inn provides and sought to bring the spirit of the work that was carried out inside the building onto its exterior. Working with members of Friendly Inn’s board of trustees and staff, LAND studio facilitated a process that resulted in Mark Howard being selected to create an artwork for the front wall of Friendly Inn.

The Outcome

After interviews with staff and a spaghetti dinner that included the chance for community members to share their ideas about what Friendly Inn means to them and their families, Mark Howard developed an artwork that follows his unique paper cut-out style and brings together images that reflect happiness, nature, and families.

The artwork was fabricated and installed by Signature Sign Company.