A parking garage on Public Square is getting a colorful new identity. Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra is painting an 11,000-square-foot mural celebrating Cleveland's rock 'n' roll history on the 55 Public Square garage at 217 W. St. Clair Ave., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for 3 p.m. on September 15.
According to Cleveland.com, the mural project has been nearly three years in the making and is led by the nonprofit Graffiti HeArt, which is partnering with Downtown Cleveland Inc. and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on the effort. The Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation is also supporting the project, and Sherwin-Williams and Brand Safeway are providing in-kind support, the outlet reports. Rendered in Kobra's signature kaleidoscope style, the piece honors Cleveland's musical heritage on the garage owned by Willoughby-based K&D Group, which acquired the 55 Public Square complex in 2018.
Civic and Cultural Partners Weigh In
Civic and Cultural Partners Weigh In Downtown Cleveland Inc. and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are partnering on the mural project.
Graffiti HeArt founder Stamy Paul said bringing “world-class international visionaries like Eduardo Kobra to Cleveland doesn't just transform our walls—it elevates our entire creative community.” Graffiti HeArt also supports youth art scholarships.
A Muralist With a Global Résumé
A Muralist With a Global Résumé Kobra has created roughly 3,000 murals across five continents, per Cleveland.com's report. His body of work includes a five-story, 160-foot-wide kaleidoscopic mural in downtown Minneapolis honoring Bob Dylan, completed in September 2015 and titled “The Times They Are A-Changin',” which MPR News reported attracted crowds. He also earned a Guinness World Record during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games for painting “Etnias” (Ethnicities), a street mural recognized as the largest ever painted by a single artist, according to Atlas Obscura, which notes Kobra and his team used 2,800 spray cans and 500 gallons of paint for that project.
Funding for the Cleveland mural includes a National Endowment for the Arts Freedom 250 grant.
Free Reception and Ribbon-Cutting Details
Graffiti HeArt will host a free reception with Kobra on September 11 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at its gallery at 4829 Superior Ave., featuring live music from Brazilian-American musicians Luca Mundaca and Moisés Borges, according to Cleveland.com. Tickets to the reception are free, though the event, titled “Brasil & Cleveland: Celebrating Kobra,” will accept donations for youth art scholarships. The gathering will accept donations for those same scholarships, according to Eventbrite.
The mural's ribbon-cutting ceremony at the garage site follows four days later, on September 15 at 3 p.m. The mural project is taking shape in downtown Cleveland. Cleveland's public-art ordinance requires 1.5% of the cost of an applicable project to be devoted to public art, according to Section 186.03 of the Cleveland Codified Ordinances. Cleveland announced on July 17, 2024, that nearly $3 million would fund seven public-art and place-making projects in various neighborhoods. Signal Cleveland reports that Cleveland's Public Art program applies only to city-led projects with construction costs of $300,000 or more.
A Site With Its Own Electric History
A Site With Its Own Electric History The 55 Public Square property adds a layer of local history to the ground beneath Kobra's towering new tribute to Cleveland music.
