Almost two years ago, staff members at Union-Miles Development Corporation (UMDC) were holding community forums and developing a master plan to improve the neighborhood on Cleveland’s southeast side.

Among the many issues and ideas discussed, UMDC executive director Roshawn Sample recalls one particular issue that kept coming up. “Many residents who depend on public transportation stated every time they're at the bus stop—and they hate sitting at bus stops because they're dreary, there's nothing appealing to look at—they wanted something they could look at and be happy with,” she says.

So, Sample, along with a group of residents of all ages, contacted graphic artist Kevin “mr. soul” Harp to help liven up six Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Association (GCRTA) bus shelters in the Union Miles neighborhood.

Mr. soul stepped right into the challenge. “I had already been working with Union Miles for the past five years,” he says. “Most of it was doing murals in their service area.” In fact, mr. soul painted five murals in the Union Miles neighborhood.

Bus stop art by mr. soul at E 131st and Miles south boundAfter several months of meetings, a decision was made on how to design the shelters. “[The residents] stated they would like to see Black historic figures, people they can relate with, and we were excited to do that,” says Sample.

The discussions and consults with mr. soul took about year, Sample says, and after a resident vote, UMDC ultimately submitted the designs to the City of Cleveland for approval.

The designs feature Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (MLK Drive at Avon Avenue); Carl Stoke and Louis Stokes (East 131st Street and Glendale Avenue); Fred Hampton (Miles Avenue and East 131st Street); Harriet Tubman (East 131st Street and Harvard Avenue); Malcolm X (East 131st Street and Harvard Avenue); and Barack Obama (East 131st Street and Miles Avenue).

The wraps were installed at GCRTA bus shelters during the week of June 12.

“It took me about seven months for the six designs,” says mr. soul. “First, I made digital illustrations on my iPad, then did the final layouts on my computer. Each illustration averaged about 20 hours.”

Sample says the 131st Street route was ideal for UMDC’s plans, noting that they just moved their office to the street two years ago.

Bus stop art by mr. soul at E 131st and Miles west boundWe want to rebuild this area because it used to be thriving many years ago,” she says. “We want to build up the neighborhood starting from east 131st and Miles all the way down to 131st and Union, which is where Union Miles and the Mount Pleasant neighborhood overlap. Those bus stops will be a good start to what we envision for the future.”

UMDC secured a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to pay for the artwork and mr. soul’s time, while GCRTA offered a reduced charge on the installation of the wraps through its Community Partner Investment Program.

Sample says the project has been so popular among residents that UMSC plans to apply for another NEA grant.

“The residents were extremely excited about this… we've been getting calls talking about it [saying things] like, ‘oh, my God, when are you guys are going to install the next artwork, we want one over here,’” Sample says proudly. “[I tell them], we're going to get to you. We want to go throughout the whole entire neighborhood, union Miles and Mount Pleasant to give curb appeal and just revitalize the neighborhood and bring color.”

Sample says she personally wants to help create positive memories of the Union Miles neighborhood after residents have only seen what Sample calls “blight and deterioration.” She says she wants to return the neighborhood to what it once was.

“I was born and raised in this neighborhood—I know what it used to be, what it is now, and what it can be,” she says. "It has so much great potential. I remember the color, the flowers, the small gardens, the fruit stands. I remember all of that. Bringing this artwork to these individuals, to the neighborhood, but to mainly those who depend on transportation, I'm really excited about because they were vocal, they stated what they wanted, and then we were able to implement it and make it happen.”