MidTown hosted the CLEVELAND WALLS! International Mural Program
August 23-28, 2021
The Artists
We are so excited to introduce the international group of artists making this incredible experience possible in MidTown Cleveland. Get to know our artists below, and click through to learn more about each of them.
Andrew
Schoultz
Andrew Schoultz is an artist living and working in Los Angeles, California. Having presented his work in various contexts from museums to galleries to public murals, Schoultz is known for his densely layered artworks exploring patterns in history related to war, natural disasters, and globalization. He has a pictorial approach to social and political commentary, and his work is profoundly chaotic both visually and thematically. Schoultz’s work lacks overt references to singular historical events, but rather explores a collective unrest, pulling from disparate global affairs and histories. The broad range of historical references in the artist’s work speaks not only of Schoultz’s conglomerated themes and influences, but also points to the artist’s interest in the cyclical nature of history, as illustrated through his juxtaposition of primitive and modern symbolism.
Antwoine Washington
Antwoine Washington is an artist based out of Cleveland, Ohio. His work is inspired by the black experience in America. Through drawings and paintings Washington focuses on creating realistic storytelling portraits, while creating bold colorful work showcasing the emotion of what black Americans go through on a day-to-day basis.
In 2019, Antwoine was awarded a Cleveland Arts Prize Verge Fellowship Award as only one of ten artists “on the verge” working across various disciplines in Northeast Ohio. The fellowship is funded by the Cleveland Foundation and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
April
Bleakney
April Bleakney is an artist, entrepreneur, and student of history. After graduating from Kent State University and working in nonprofits at the height of the recession, she launched her creative business, APE MADE, in 2011. While primarily working as a screen printer, April also loves photography, drawing, and mixed media work. She utilizes only eco-friendly hand printing techniques and strives to engage with the community through the arts, through teaching and art projects. April has completed both local and international artists residencies and multiple public art and commissioned projects. She is currently in the midst of a studio expansion project.
Chad
Fedorovich
Chad Fedorovich, a multi-media artist, muralist and specialty painter, is the founder and owner of the Cleveland Mural and Paint Company. He was formally trained as an auto body and paint specialist who spent over a decade perfecting his craft. During his time as an auto body painter, he remained connected to the arts and helped to create space for artists to collaborate and enrich the community with projects such as Community Rebirth, San Jose Artisans Guild, and utilized Lake Affect Studios to host Cleveland Block Party and Lab Cabin Cleveland. He has experience in collage art, graphic design and studio painting, and is currently focusing on painting custom murals, and other specialty paint finishes.
Darius Steward
Darius Steward is establishing himself as a master of the medium of watercolor and large public murals. His public artwork can be seen throughout Cleveland, including “Breaker of Chains”, a 200’ by 6’ in height mural for Midtown Cleveland and Cleveland State University and “Support” on Detroit Avenue. In addition, Steward’s works are in public and private collections from California to New York to Canada. Steward was the recipient of The 2018 Emerging Artist Award of the Cleveland Arts Prize. In 2021, Darius was commissioned to create a series of sculptures for the Cleveland Public Library Eastman Reading Garden in downtown Cleveland. This marks the artist’s first public sculpture project and a new direction for this creative output. Symbolically and literally, he addresses cultural and societal conflicts and opens conversation across racial, socioeconomic, gender and cultural lines.
Dayzwhun
Dayzwhun is a graffiti artist, professional tattoo artist and small business owner based in Cleveland, Ohio. He owns and tattoos at Red Lion Tattoo and Kuts in St. Clair Superior. Dayzwhun is also a long-time member of the Cleveland Skribe Tribe, a notable graffiti crew in the Cleveland area.
Detour
Thomas Evans, a.k.a. Detour, is an all-around creative specializing in large scale public art, interactive visuals, portraiture, immersive spaces, and creative directing. His focus is to create work where art and innovation meet. A born collaborator and “military brat,” Detour pulls from every conceivable experience that shapes his landscapes and perspectives. Explaining Detour’s work is no easy task, as ongoing experimentations in visual art, music, and interactive technologies have his practice continually expanding. With his ever-evolving approach to art, Detour’s focus is on expanding customary views of creativity and challenging fine-art paradigms by mixing traditional mediums with new approaches—all the while opening up the creative process from that of a singular artist, to one that thrives on multi-layered collaboration and viewer participation.
Felicia Gabaldon
Felicia Gabaldon is a Native American Indian from Santa Fe, NM. She currently resides in Oakland, CA and is a resident artist at Faultline Artspace in Oakland, CA. Gabaldon’s artwork is influenced by the desert landscape, from basic stereotypes and the formulaic constructs of typical representations of the region to utopian visions and romanticized beliefs. Her paintings represent a distant reverence of self discovery, culture, and history. Gabaldon’s work draws from the imagination both a mythical and mystic part of human experience in the natural world. Her work being experienced through a cultural, iconic, and folkloric content expresses the wonders of nature realized through symbols and tradition. Gabaldon hopes to suggest that the production of space and human experience influence the formation of individual and communal systems of belief.
Gary Williams
Gary Williams is a painter and muralist born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in Psychology and later began classes at the Cooper School of Art in the Commercial Art degree program. As a man with varied interests, he later pursued a degree in Law from Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and had a long and successful career as a lawyer and legal educator before becoming a full-time fine artist. In 2013, he studied under Kent Twichell, a nationally renowned muralist from California. Since then, he and his partner, Robin Robinson, have installed numerous monumental-sized murals throughout Northeast Ohio. Williams has won numerous awards for his artwork including the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture's Creative Workforce Fellowship in 2012.
Glen Infante
Glen Infante is an Asian American artist, painter, illustrator, graphic designer, product photographer, design consultant and founder of iLTHY clothing. Glen Infante’s pop-style art is often distinguishable by bright colors and his inclusion of donuts in pieces that showcase favorite characters from his childhood. He emerged from the Cleveland music scene as a mixtape designer, and is well-known for his digital portrait style. Infante was born and raised in the west side of Cleveland, and attended college at Tri-C. Without graduating, he carved out a successful career as a graphic designer at Hotcards, before leaving to manage the iLTHY brand full time.
Hiero Veiga
Known for his portraiture and realistic style, Hiero Veiga is an American contemporary graffiti artist of tremendous work. Hailing from the south shore of Massachusetts, Vega grew up writing graffiti in the early 2000’s. Not long after, he made the transition from the streets into a thriving career as a full time artist. Vega’s work has taken him all across the world; both on the streets and in the galleries.
Jet Martinez
Oakland-based artist Jet Martinez is known for creating vibrant works of art that put a contemporary spin on folk art motifs. Originally from the small beach town of Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico, Martinez takes inspiration from his native culture’s rich traditions of pottery, weaving and embroidery. His latest murals enliven the rigid architecture of cityscapes with ornate patterns and entrancing, abstract visuals. He predominantly works with acrylic paint and enamel on panel, rendering organic shapes that push the boundaries of form and color. Much like the craftspeople who create the ceramics and textiles that inspire him, Martinez prioritizes technical skill and embraces the imperfections of the handmade.
Jordan Wong
Jordan Wong (WONGFACE) is an artist who loves to inspire and delight others through illustration and graphic design. He is fascinated with moments of triumph found in Asian art (namely Japanese anime and manga), comic books, and video games. These inspirations have fueled the creation of large-scale illustrative installations and public artwork throughout the city of Cleveland. Jordan has also exhibited work at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (2020) and the Akron Art Museum (2021). He is the president of AIGA Cleveland and the designer for the Cleveland art organization SPACES.
Julia Kuo
Julia Kuo is a Taiwanese-American children's book and editorial illustrator who recently moved to Seattle, WA from Cleveland, OH. Kuo’s colorful, whimsical illustrations can be found on MidTown’s utility boxes, on RTA buses, in Shaker Heights’ Van Aken District murals, within community “Literary Lots” designs, and even encircling the ice cream cups at Mason’s Creamery. She has taught illustration courses at Columbia College Chicago and at her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis. Kuo was the visual arm of Chicago’s 2017 March for Science and has had the honor of being an artist-in-residence at Banff Centre for the Arts in 2014 and in 2017. She is currently the recipient of a 2019-2021 Gray Center Mellon Collaborative Fellowship at the University of Chicago.
Kaplan Bunce
Kaplan Bunce is an Apache artist, carpenter, and designer from Kauai, Hawaii. From his humble beginnings as a carpenter, he began saving scrap wood to make his own creations. It began with native figures and picture frames, which led to tables, hostess stands and benches, to name a few. In 2016 Bunce was invited to his first art festival, which led him to his love of mural painting and more studio works. Bunce’s works are representative of his prayers that he has made in ceremony and ideas around sacredness and positivity.
Kate Lewis
Kate Lewis is a Chicago based artist focused on large scale mural installations and illustrative design work. Her paintings can be found in cities throughout the US, on and inside of municipal structures, arenas, offices, restaurants, and residences, while her branded client portfolio includes names like Jameson, YETI, Jack Daniels, Google, the Chicago Bulls, Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks, and more. Lewis’ style is best recognized by her clean and hard lines, bold use of color, and emphasis on both architectural elements and the female form. Passionate about inspiring artists and non artists alike to gain confidence in creating, Lewis uses her background in business to acknowledge that it is never too late to start tapping into your creative brain.
Kevin Lyons
Kevin Lyons is a creative director, designer, illustrator and typographer who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Lyons was a Partner and the Design Director at the juggernaut, anti-ad-agency-turned-ad-agency, ANOMALY in New York City. In his previous lives Lyons has been a Creative at Nike, Design Director at Stussy, Art Director at Girl Skateboards, and Creative Director for Tokion Magazine. He often shows internationally and is published world-wide. Lyons is also the founder and sole creative behind the veteran label, Natural Born.
Max Sansing
Max Sansing is a Chicago-based fine artist and one of the city’s most prolific and talented muralists. His distinct aesthetic fuses the color-drenched dynamism of street art with the technical elegance of photorealism. Born and raised on the South Side by two artistic parents, Sansing discovered his passion and creative gift at an early age. During his youth he was involved with several graffiti crews and taught himself oil painting before completing formal training at the American Academy of Art. In addition to his studio practice, Sansing is frequently commissioned to create large-scale murals and experiential installations across the country. He is deeply committed to supporting his Chicago community and is involved with numerous youth programs that expand arts opportunities in underserved areas
Noségo
Noségo is a Philadelphia based artist with a passion for combining fine art with contemporary styling. Through a marriage of dynamic patterns and vibrant colors, he creates whimsical environments with characters created from a place of playful imagination and the natural world. Deriving from infinite inspiration, that is, we are inspired therefore we can and should inspire others, themes of boundlessness run as a common motif throughout his work. This can be found through the interminable subjects he puzzles together through constant addition. Knowing that there’s perfection in the imperfect, he believes his work always has space for more in the constant pursuit of inspiration.
Ricky Watts
Richard "Ricky" Watts is a graffiti artist currently working out of Sebastopol, California. He is most notably recognized for his abstract works of fluid shapes and psychedelic color patterns. Watts’ self-taught techniques derive from his younger graffiti years in Northern California. A versatile artist with range across multiple mediums, Ricky’s large-scale murals and intricate paintings on canvas can be found throughout the United States. His commissions list includes work for well known technology, fashion and automotive companies.
Robin Robinson
Robin Robinson is an award-winning artist, art educator, art therapist, and community activist based in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2015 Robinson created the “Urban Renaissance with heART” program convinced of the healing power of community-driven public art. As the co-director of Sankofa Fine Art Plus, Robinson is dedicated to bringing fine art out of the traditional, restrictive art venues, into the urban community in the form of co-creative, collaborative, socially relevant public art projects. With studio partner Gary Williams, she paints community driven, socially relevant outdoor murals to bring awareness to neglected neighborhoods while giving a voice and sense of pride to the residents.
Starbeing
Isaiah Williams is a Cleveland-based artist whose work ranges from landscapes, creatures, and portraits to modern art concepts. Since a child, Williams has been a consistent and prolific practitioner of expressing himself and his perception of the world, and always looks for ways to use art to connect with others - especially young people. He creates public art under the name “Starbeing,” creating murals for local businesses, community centers, and small schools. Recently, Williams' artwork has shifted to reflect social justice themes, inspired by political events and surrounding issues of police brutality and equality. While still in the process of discovering himself as an artist, Williams always aims for his art to be immersive and meaningful.
Tatiana Suarez
Tatiana Suarez lives and works in Miami. Since receiving her BFA in Illustration and design from the University of Miami in 2005, Suarez has quickly become a mainstay in the world of pop surrealism and muralism, showing in galleries nationwide. Suarez’s work depicts powerful, uninhibited female subjects whose milky-eyed gazes reveal the manifold facets of the feminine psyche. Executed with a studied sensitivity for flesh, flora and fauna, her brushstrokes emote with warmth, drawing inspiration from her native Brazilian and El Salvadorian lexicon. Suarez adorns her seductive characters with creatures and symbols from dreams, folklore, myth, film and music, often housed in gestural atmospheres of color and texture. Nymphs, goddesses, witches and wanderers, these purveyors of the femme spirit explore the ethereal pathways of Suarez’s imagination along with the viewer. Her work lends a sensitive, verdant voice to the feminine archetype in the contemporary landscape.