CLEVELAND — New art is grabbing people’s attention in Cleveland’s Buckeye Neighborhood. Four sculptures dot the street between Woodhill Road and S. Moreland Boulevard.
The Boxer
The Garden Lady
The Astronomer
Kid with a Boombox
With each design, one side is three-dimensional, and the other is flat.
The artist is James Simon. “I live in a neighborhood similar to this in Pittsburgh, in the Hill District, that’s you know, seen good times, seen hard times and I think if you can bring beautiful things to these neighborhoods…it’s great,” he said. "You improve the environment; you bring something imaginative and colorful. It just creates a better atmosphere for where people live, you know.”
City of Cleveland Public Art Coordinator, Tarra Petras, said it’s a more than $48,000 investment.“This particular location really gives you an entryway into a very urban, very vibrant, lively neighborhood,” she said. “Art has such a healing component; it’s therapeutic, whether you’re the creator or you’re the consumer.”
Joshua Smart lives in the neighborhood and believes the statues symbolize positive change.
“Every time I see something like this, or even if you go over there to Cleveland Heights or something like that, to be able to see the artwork, it shows… that there's strength."
