Today’s City Xpressionz Urban Art Festival is about more than folks tagging canvas and busting some Shabba-Doo-style moves. It’s also about putting across your very own mad skills for everyone to see. “It’s about self-expression,” says Tiffany Graham of Cleveland Public Art, which hosts the sixth-annual event. “Everybody [becomes a] part of this great city vibe.”

The fest takes place at Ohio City’s Market Square Park, where graffiti artists and break-dancers will show off their abilities without the Man hassling them. Local aerosol artists will compete for a $500 grand prize. “So many of these people doing street art have become gigantic studio artists,” says Graham. Viewers can get in on the action too. “The pieces that come out of this event are really colorful and vibrant,” says Graham. There’s also plenty of old-school hip-hop noise. DJs and MCs battle throughout the day. Plus, B-boys and girls break out the Worm and the Airchair in popular break-dancing contests. “This is a true public event,” says Graham. “All of this activity and all this talent are concentrated on what becomes the coolest block in Cleveland.”
Sat., Aug. 25, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2007.