Downtown Cleveland Inc., the mural's main sponsor, said the mural's vibrancy could half any car-caused bike or pedestrian crashes that might happen otherwise. Credit: Downtown Cleveland Inc.

Dozens of artists and volunteers are set to finish painting Downtown’s first ever permanent street mural by mid-July.

Ryan Jaenke, a Lakewood-based muralist known for his minimalist works at Rocket Arena and Gordon Square, will be guiding 50 or so volunteers who’ve signed up to help him materialize asphalt art to line Prospect Avenue and Huron Road in Downtown’s Gateway District.

The art, which features images of freighters, marine life and birds, is intended to not only add vibrancy to downtown but increase safety, following in line with the city’s installation of protected bike lanes on Prospect and Huron last year.

“The goal is really to make the Gateway District and these corridors more beautiful and safe for all road users,” Ian Meadows, a project manager with Downtown Cleveland Inc., told Scene.

“We want to make it clearer where the pedestrian space is and delineate those bike lanes better,” he said. “And hopefully slow speed down for drivers.”

Jaenske’s design will cover about half of the Gateway District. Credit: DCI

Meadows cited a 2022 street safety study from Bloomberg Philanthropies. A research team analyzed thousands of pedestrian crossings at 17 asphalt-art sites around the world, before and after paint hit street. Crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists declined by half afterwards.

Why?

“Drivers were more likely to yield to pedestrians after asphalt art was installed,” the researchers concluded.

A $100,000 grant from Bloomberg is covering the entire project. Volunteers will be assisting a team of four. A weather-resistant paint, StreetBond 150, should keep the murals bold and colorful for the “next several years,” Meadows said.

Jaenske’s art is a cherry on top to a lively time for the Gateway. 

Meet Me Here Plaza, Downtown’s first public basketball court, opened up last Friday, on the 10th anniversary of the Cav’s 2016 Championship win. Nearby, the COSM entertainment complex is rising; the Rose Building’s Project Scarlet is underway; the Electric Building has finished its ground-floor gym and is building out a Tom’s Watch Bar. 

And the Memorial Bridges Loop, a bike and pedestrian path connecting Downtown with Ohio City, broke ground on Monday.

Those interested in helping paint can sign up here. DCI still needs volunteers to register from July 2 to July 10.

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Mark Oprea is a staff writer at Scene. He's covered Cleveland for the past decade, and has contributed to TIME, NPR, Narratively, the Pacific Standard and the Cleveland Magazine. He's the winner of two Press Club awards.