Photo essay: A documentation of the creation of 19 murals during Cleveland Walls!

Last week, 23 world-class artists—11 of them local artists—descended on the MidTown neighborhood to create 19 dynamic public murals during the Cleveland Walls! event design to uplift the neighborhood through vibrant arts programming.

MidTown ClevelandLAND Studio, and Pow! Wow! Worldwide spent two years working to bring the weeklong event to Cleveland. After a week of activities and painting, MidTown executive director Jeff Epstein says he view the event as a success for the neighborhood.

"We are thrilled with the impact the Cleveland WALLS! murals are having in our neighborhood," he says. "The quality of the art and the engagement with the community exceeded our wildest expectations, and we are so excited that these inspiring and bright works of art are there for all to enjoy."

FreshWater managing photographer Bob Perkoski spent the week running all over MidTown and other nearby neighborhoods to document the artists’ progress and the creation of these murals.

Check out the progression of these creations in Perkoski’s photo essay.

Bob Perkoski
Bob Perkoski

About the Author: Bob Perkoski

Bob is managing photographer with FreshWater as well as a Cleveland freelance photographer. His photographic approach is rooted in the art of storytelling. Whether freezing the energy of an event, encapsulating the magic of a performance, or astutely anticipating the decisive moments, his work displays an innate ability to distill the essence of any scene or subject into a single frame or series of work. In addition, Bob is the official photographer for LAND studio and Holden Forest and Gardens and has worked with various Cleveland organizations. In 2019 he published a book of his photos Rust Belt Burlesque. He's had work published in other books like LGBTQ Cleveland by Ken Schneck, Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, Rust Belt Chic: The Pittsburgh Anthology and Moon Cleveland by Douglas Trattner. Previously he was co-founder/art director for Balanced Living Magazine. You can view his versatile portfolio of work, which includes news coverage, portraiture, architectural and fine art at Perkoski Photography. Originally from Conneaut, Ohio, Perkoski now lives close to the city in Parma. He has been Fresh Water's managing photographer since the publication's September 2010 inception.