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7th Annual City Xpressions

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

CLEVELAND, OHIO — Cleveland Public Art and Cleveland Area Scion Dealerships present City Xpressions 2008, Cleveland’s seventh annual street art and urban music festival on Saturday, August 23, 2008. Artists, breakdancers, MCs, and musicians from around the region are invited to Ohio City’s Market Square Park from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. to exhibit their work and battle for cash prizes. The festival celebrates the artforms inspired by the urban landscape with international and local artists, b-boy/b-girl and MC battles, and nine hours of live music.

Started in 2002, City Xpressions celebrates graffiti-style artwork and has evolved into a festival that brings together the full spectrum of underground artwork that is created in the public landscape.

This year’s City Xpressions takes pushes the boundaries that define artworks created in public spaces. “By collaborating with artists who are actively part of the street art culture, we are able to stay at the forefront of this movement and, therefore, present a festival that continues to be culturally and artistically relevant,” says Greg Peckham, Executive Director of Cleveland Public Art. This year’s will City Xpressions festival expands its focus to include post-graffiti forms of street art, including stencils, stickers, street poster art, sculpture, and wheatpasting.

For the past six years, more than 3,500 people of all ages have activated Ohio City’s Market Square Park for City Xpressions through creating artworks, participating in or watching the b-boy/b-girl battle or MC battle, and supporting area businesses and vendors. Created in collaboration with Cleveland artists and musicians, the festival continues to bring together local and regional artists to share their talents with an engaged, open-minded audience.

Artists of all skill levels and abilities are encouraged to participate in creating artwork throughout the day and to compete for cash prizes. All artists must bring their own art supplies. Artists can register either in advance or the day of the event. There are a limited number of spaces available. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the day.

HOW TO REGISTER
The event is free to watch and participation is free. Registration is required for all participants, including artists, b-boys/b-girls, and MCs. Registration forms for each can be found at www.clevelandpublicart.org. Forms may be submitted online or requested at graffiti@clevelandpublicart.org or 216.621.5330. Registration for painting stations the day of the festival begins at 10:00 a.m. and continues dependent on space availability. B-boy/b-girl and MC registration continue until the battles begin. Cleveland Public Art reserves the right to reject any artist, b-boy/b-girl, or MC application.

In addition to the artwork, breakers and dancers are encouraged to participate in the b-boy/b-girl battles. A MC battle will take place during the afternoon

The festival’s music is hosted by Cleveland’s Q Nice of Chief Rocka Entertainment and boasts an eclectic musical lineup throughout the day.

City Xpressions is supported through generous contributions from Cleveland Area Scion dealerships, Ohio City Near West, Arterx Marketing and Graphic Media, and the Gehring Building.

CITY XPRESSIONS LOCATION
Ohio City’s Market Square Park is on the corner of Lorain Avenue and West 25th. A free parking lot is located off of Bridge Avenue between West 25th Street and West 24th Street. United Office Building, located at the southwest corner of West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue has a paid parking lot which can be accessed off of West 26th Street. Please do NOT park in the West Side Market parking lots. Public transportation is available by taking the RTA Rapid Transit Red Line train or RTA Bus numbers 20A, 20B, 22, 35, 79, or Community Circulator 807 to the West 25th Street/Lorain Avenue stop.

ABOUT CLEVELAND PUBLIC ART
With nearly 25 years of experience, CPA, an independent, nonprofit organization, works to improve public spaces through art and design. CPA moves art outside of museum walls and into the public realm, making it accessible to the entire community and part of everyday city life.   

CPA believes that high quality public spaces are essential to building healthy cities and neighborhoods. By actively engaging the public, artists, designers, and decision makers, CPA works collaboratively to enhance the quality of life in Cleveland by creating dynamic public spaces that enrich our experience of the urban landscape.  CPA believes that a vibrant arts community attracts businesses, residents, and can be the impetus for community and neighborhood revitalization. 

CPA achieves these goals through promotion, advocacy, and project implementation. Its projects and programs range from a one-day annual urban arts festival to complex multi-million dollar urban design and infrastructure projects. CPA brings together creative design talent, skilled facilitation, and community leadership to envision and build projects that have a lasting impact on built environment and make Cleveland a more vibrant, economically competitive city.  In its twenty-plus-year history, CPA has been a leader in working with more than 200 local and national artists and has completed projects in some of the city’s most visible public spaces as well as its most underserved communities.

By bringing the community together through artistic expression, CPA enhances interest and pride around public spaces which, in turn, create safer, more positive environments.   Through public art, CPA is helping to transform Cleveland’s identity and leave a legacy for future generations.

To learn more about Cleveland Public Art, visit www.clevelandpublicart.org.

CPA is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the Ohio Arts Council: A State agency that supports public programs in the arts, The Cleveland Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, and our individual donors.

 

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Cleveland Public Art has received arts employment support from the Ohio Arts Council made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts through funds allocated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009