Derek Brennan and Chad Fedorovich to Transform 750-Foot Wall Reflecting Woodhill Community's Culture and History

CLEVELAND – Local artists Derek Brennan and Chad Fedorovich have been selected to lead a large-scale mural project along the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Central Bus Service Facility wall located at 2500 Woodhill Road. This public art project is being implemented in partnership with Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. (BBC), LAND studio (LAND), and the Elevate the East (ETE) steering committee through the generous support of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) Woodhill Choice Critical Community Initiative Grant. The goal of this collaboration is to create and implement a mural that reflects the culture and history of the Woodhill community.

Directly west of CMHA Woodhill campus, which is undergoing a complete renovation as part of the Woodhill Choice Initiative, sits the RTA central bus garage. Much of this property’s frontage along Woodhill Avenue is lined by a 12’ – 15’ foot high brick wall, approximately 750 feet in length. The mural project promises to be one of the largest in the state of Ohio.

Derek and Chad were chosen from a pool of 30 applicants by a panel made up of the BBC, LAND, and RTA project team as well as seven resident advisors with connections to the Woodhill community. The artists have engaged esteemed local artists Dayz Whun, Christa Childs (Christa Freehands), Alicia Vasquez, and Isaiah Williams (Star Being) to assist with the completion of the mural. In addition to the local artists, Derek and Chad will also be hosting a series of art workshops with local youth, which will also inform the final mural design.

In 2021, BBC and LAND studio partnered with Healthy Neighborhoods, Graffiti HeArt, and GCRTA on a mural project titled ‘We Wear the Mask’ (WWTM), which is a platform that aims to give a voice to people of color, foster healing and solidarity, and advance racial equity in Northeast Ohio. After a series of community engagement events, artist Stina Aleah designed and, along with Bob Peck, installed the WWTM mural in 2022 on a 50’ foot long section of the RTA wall at the Mt. Carmel Road intersection.

The current project aims to execute a vision for the remaining 700 feet of this wall. The ETE steering committee has established this as the number one priority for public art.

Derek started his mural career while living and working in Shaker Square in 2015 and since then has completed nearly 40 murals, primarily in the Cleveland area. Most recently, he worked on large scale projects for MetroHealth, The Cleveland Museum of Art Community Arts Center, and The Cleveland Public Auditorium. Chad is a multi-media artist, muralist, specialty painter, and the owner of Cleveland Mural Company. He has experience in collage art, graphic design and studio painting, and is currently focusing on painting custom murals, and other specialty paint finishes.

For more information about the project, you can email: elevatetheeast@land-studio.org. For more information about the Elevate the East public art plan, you can visit the website: www.elevatetheeast.org.

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About LAND studio
LAND studio creates places and fosters equitable communities in Cleveland through transformative public art, innovative design, collaborative planning, dynamic programming, and creative placemaking.

About BBC
Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. is a non-profit community development corporation that has been empowering residents and revitalizing blighted and underserved communities in Cleveland’s Central and Kinsman neighborhoods since 1990. BBC has now extended its service area to include the Buckeye-Shaker Square and Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhoods.

About RTA
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) provides transportation services for 150,000-200,000 customers on a typical weekday, or about 45 million rides annually, through a variety of services. In 2016, RTA provided 18.1 million vehicle-miles of service on all modes -- HealthLine, bus, Paratransit, light rail, heavy rail, and vanpools.

About CMHA
Established in 1933 as the first chartered public housing authority in the country, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) owns and manages property and administers rent subsidy programs to provide eligible low-income individuals and families quality, safe, affordable housing in Cuyahoga County.