land-studio-cleveland

« back to news list

International mural arts festival, POW! WOW!, comes to Cleveland in June 2020! Local nonprofits are seeking Cleveland artists for participation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Next June, MidTown Cleveland, together with LAND studio, will host what is recognized as one of the most important and well-curated mural festivals in the world. The name, POW! WOW!, is inspired by the 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.

“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,” explains Jeff Epstein, MidTown Cleveland’s executive director.

Local, national, and international artists will paint murals on selected sites throughout MidTown. A call for artists will be released this week to Greater Cleveland artists.

“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,” says 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,” adds Wong.

The shared goal and mission of POW! WOW! Cleveland is to transform MidTown’s physical realm through vibrant art and programming, while creating opportunities and elevating the work of local artists.

“We are excited to partner with MidTown Cleveland, bring POW! WOW! to Cleveland, and celebrate arts and culture next summer.” Says Greg Peckham, LAND studio’s executive director. “This festival will elevate the Cleveland art scene, giving local artists an international platform to share their work.”

LAND studio and MidTown Cleveland will coordinate 15–20 murals of different sizes during the festival, with a fifty-fifty representation between local and national or international artists.

POW! WOW! Cleveland is made possible by the generous support of presenting sponsor Dealer Tire and from the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation.


The call for artists will be available at LAND-studio.org when it is released later this month.

About LAND-studio
LAND studio, a Cleveland-based nonprofit, is a catalyst, convener, and collaborator. For more than thirty years, we have managed a wide range of public art installations, cultural programming, and civic space development projects across the city of Cleveland. To learn more, visit LAND-studio.org.

About MidTown Cleveland
MidTown Cleveland is the organization charged with leveraging MidTown’s diverse assets to develop a dynamic neighborhood that unites the city’s downtown and innovation districts. MidTown Cleveland provides services to MidTown’s members, stakeholders, businesses and organizations, residents, and visitors in order to create a connected and complete community. We facilitate conversations, make connections, and can help you achieve your goals. Contact us to see how we can help.

About POW! WOW!
Since its founding in 2010, POW! WOW! has grown from a small art exhibition with a handful of artists in Hong Kong to a major-market art festival with lineups and creative experiences that rival some of the best festivals in the world. Expanding to 13 POW! WOW! festivals in different host cities all over the world, the newest editions of POW! WOW! encompass artists, musicians, photographers, and media partners from around the globe, forming a unique and creative community built on the celebration and appreciation of art, music and culture.

LAND Studio FORM

Share this page

Close

Photo Gallery

1 of 22