Welcome to Downtown’s New Asphalt Art Mural
About the Project
Downtown Cleveland, Inc. and the City of Cleveland are excited to unveil this new community art installation, made possible thanks to a Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative grant.
Transforming over 10,000 square feet of hardscape on Huron Rd and at the Huron Rd / Prospect Ave / East 9th St intersection, this exciting project is adding vibrant color and dynamic storytelling while making the neighborhood a safer place to walk, drive, and ride.
Mural Design and Meaning
Designed by local artist Ryan Jaenke, with support from additional local artists, and installed with the help of community volunteers, Signal Flow ties Cleveland’s ancestral waterways and industrial legacy into a contemporary narrative of stewardship and renewal. The mural’s design integrates this story with the organic forms of Cleveland’s waterways and the geometric forms of the city's infrastructure.
The mural tells the water story of Cleveland in three movements:
Ancestral: The Original Network
The Erie, Wyandot, and Haudenosaunee peoples built paths of trade, migration, and exchange along the Cuyahoga long before the city. The Crooked River was the first signal conduit.
Industrial: The Engine on the Water
The waterways drew people here – from Appalachia, the American South, Eastern Europe. The steel mills, ore carriers, and rail lines were the industrial expression of the river’s original logic.
Contemporary: Stewardship & Renewal
Cleveland is restoring its lakefront and revitalizing the Cuyahoga. Shore-to- Core-to-Shore names what the water has always done: connect the city to itself.
Community Shaped. Evidence Based.
This project reflects input we sought from a wide range of residents and Gateway District partners, including the Mayor's Office and City Planning. What we heard about traffic, construction, and access directly shaped the location and informed the street-painted design that will enhance safety, mobility, and walkability.
50% fewer crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists
17% fewer total crashes
30% fewer injury crashes
27% more drivers yielding to pedestrians
Continuing the Story
How do you resonate with the mural? What does Cleveland’s past, present, and future mean to you? How do you see yourself helping to shape the next era of renewal in our city’s core and waterways?
We hope you walk and explore along the mural and find the ancestral, industrial, and contemporary elements hidden among the artwork. Signal Flow reflects a new era of community art and place building in Cleveland, and we encourage you to be part of its next chapter.
Enjoy the artwork or have ideas for future installations? Snap a pic, share it on social media, and tag Downtown Cleveland, Inc.