One of the best times we had in the lost year that was 2020 was when Graffiti HeArt, the nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities for street artists, brought Beau Stanton — a muralist/multimedia artist who has created large-scale public art work in cities such as London, Tokyo, Dubai, Berlin, Los Angeles, Miami and Detroit — to town.
Graffiti HeArt engaged him to create a 3,000 square foot, 40 x 70-foot mural on the blue wall of the Fischer & Jirouch Co. building where the Graffiti HeArt Gallery is located, in the Superior-St. Clair neighborhood, last July and August. People were invited to come down and watch the entire process as the mural took shape on the wall. During that week, people came down to hang out, see real live people and listen to DJs play music — masked and socially distanced, of course.
As the pandemic is finally drawing to a close, its reprise should be even more cause for celebration. This time it’s bringing in Los Angeles-based graphic artist WRDSMTH, a Cleveland native whose word-based work has gone up on walls all over the world — but this will be the first time it’s gone up in Cleveland.
For his “How Do I Love Thee” tour, sponsored and promoted by Graffiti HeArt as “a gift to Cleveland,” he’ll be in town August 6-14, doing a series of up to 15 murals on walls in Cleveland, Lakewood and Cleveland Heights. They include a 2,200 foot mural on Payne Avenue in honor of Cleveland music legend Michael Stanley, who passed away March 5, which will feature lyrics from Stanley’s 1980 song “Lover.”
WRDSMTH relates that when he was in school he served an internship at TV8 while Michael was hosting PM Magazine there. “It turned out the legend was also a kind, affable, and likeable guy. Kind of cool I got to call a legend my friend,” says WRDSMTH.
“The tour will become a placemaking opportunity, encouraging the community, street art enthusiasts, and visitors to explore the city and seek out the murals, becoming a tour experience and another street art destination,” says Graffiti HeArt founder Stampy Paul. “WRDSMTH mural locations will include Lakewood, Greater Collinwood, Gateway District, University Circle, St. Clair Superior, Campus District, Cleveland Heights, to name a few, along with several participating partners including RTA, Cleveland Metroparks, and Cleveland Institute of Art “, said Paul.
Follow @GraffitiHeArt1 or graffitiheart.org for more information on the tour as plans firm up. If you missed the pandemic party with Stanton last summer, you definitely won’t want to miss this one.