Love Lunes Over Buckeye

over Buckeye

PRESENTED BY LAND studio CREATIVE TEAM POET

Damien Ware

DESIGNER

Little Jacket

PAINTER

Alan Giberson

PROJECT OVERVIEW Love Lunes Over Buckeye is a literary art project unique to Cleveland’s Buckeye neighborhood, combining poetry and hand-painted signage to convey a message of love, hope, and inspiration.

The project pairs neighborhood spoken word poet Damien Ware with the visual art firm Little Jacket and sign painting artist Alan Giberson to create a series of hand-painted lune poems along the Buckeye Road commercial district.

In late-2015, early-2016, Mr. Ware conducted a series of poetry workshops with John Adams High School students in order to gather community-inspired stories and imagery in the form of lune poetry, an American poetic form modeled after Haiku. The lune is a three-line poem with a syllable count of 13, which functions in the order of 5-3-5. The syllabic structure of the lune forms a crescent moon and the 13-syllable count symbolizes the 13 lunar months in a year.

Love in society The theme of Mr. Ware’s poetry centers on the five key aspects of love in modern society as explored in bell hooks’ 2000 book titled “All About Love: New Visions.” These aspects are commitment, caring, communication, respect, and responsibility. From friendship to marriage, community activism to public service, love has the power to forge strong, vibrant, and lasting relationships in any type of environment.

In an effort to create a culture of togetherness and love through poetic messages and symbols, Love Lunes Over Buckeye seeks to convey the inspiration from these five aspects of love in an effort to heal and inspire the Buckeye neighborhood. commitment

caring

knowing your neighbor

true love can be found

will transform

in knowing

love into power

who you really are

communication

respect

we are beings of

look your neighbor in

light who need

their eyes to

each other to thrive

see that we matter

responsibility community is created in our hearts and minds

Adinkra symbology In creating a visual representation of each poetic statement, each love lune will be coupled with an Adinkra symbol. A tradition of the Ashanti people of West Africa, Adinkra symbols are visual representations that encapsulate evocative messages that convey traditional wisdom, aspects of life or the environment, social values and communal norms.

With over 800 different symbols and variations, these symbols embody the soul and spirit of a people through many generations.

guardianship hope harmony humility fortitude cooperation Interdependence readiness divinity of mother earth

Beyond the lunes : Ongoing Community Engagement The implementation of the Love Lunes Over Buckeye project not only strives to cultivate a culture of communal sharing, but also emphasizes the importance of literacy by encouraging all participants to tell their story through written and spoken word. Opportunity exists to expand this project to strategic sites throughout the Buckeye neighborhood.

Programming involving spoken word poetry events, writing workshops, and other types of art activities and collaborations will provide hands-on opportunities for the community to gather, interact, and participate.

Photo to the right: Poet & spoken word artist Damien Ware

Love Lunes Over Buckeye is the result of a collaboration between LAND studio, a Cleveland nonprofit specializing in public art and public space development, and the Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation. It is funded through the generous support of the Saint Luke’s Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The goal of this collaboration is to create and implement public art and green space enhancements throughout the Buckeye neighborhood to better connect commercial districts, transit centers, natural resources, and other neighborhood assets through art, design, programming, and resident interaction.

KNOWING YOUR NEIGHBOR WILL TRANSFORM LOVE INTO POWER CHILDREN DEPEND ON THEIR VILLAGE TO STAND ALONG THE HARMONY OF ONE VOICE CAN SING TO THE COMMUNAL SHARING. TELL YOUR STORY TO YOUR NEIGHBOR. LISTENING. COMMUNITY IS CREATED IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR MINDS. WE MUST LOVE OURSELVES IN ORDER TO LOVE EACH OTHER. YOUR SMILE CAN BRING LIGHT TO SHADOWS THE DARK AND DREARY. CHILDREN DEPEND ON THEIR VILLAGE TO STAND ALONE. THE HARMONY OF ONE VOICE CAN SING TO THE TO THE LISTENING. LOOK YOUR NEIGHBOR IN THE IR EYES TO SEE THAT WE MATTER. RUNNING TOWARD THE WIND WILL CAUSE YOU TO GROW YOUR OWN WINGS. WE MUST TRULY CARE IN ORDER TO HEAL WHAT’S BROKEN. LET ME HELP YOU WITH YOUR HEAVY BURDEN AND BAGGAGE. WOUNDS TAKE TIME TO HEAL WHEN HATRED COMES FROM THE INSIDE. LOVE IS A FORCE THAT RESURRECTS A LIFELESS SPIRIT. WALK THIS EARTH WITH WINGS ESSENCES AND A MESSAGE BEYOND. ONCE FEAR IS CONQUERED OUR TRUE SELVES WILL INTO BE WE ARE BEINGS OF LIGHT WHO NEED EACH OTHER TO THRIVE. HELP ME SO THAT I MAY YOU SO TO HELP US ALL. TURN YOUR FACE TOWARD THE SUN WHEN DARKNESS HOLDS YOU DOWN. KEEP YOUR HEAD TO THE SKY FOR THE SUN WILL ALWAYS SHINE. TRUE LOVE CAN BE FOUND IN KNOWING WHO YOU REALLY ARE. THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES. TO RECEIVE TRUE LOVE CONSIDER OPENING YOUR MIND. THE BEST THING WE SHOULD DO IS LOVE ONE ANOTHER. STORY TELLING. COLLABORATIONS. community IS CREATED IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR MINDS. WE MUST LOVE OURSELVES IN ORDER TO LOVE EACH OTHER. YOUR SMILE CAN BRING LIGHT TO SHADOWS THE DARK AND DREARY. CHILDREN DEPEND ON THEIR VILLAGE TO STAND

John Adams High School Mr. Ware conducted workshops with local John Adams High School students in order to capture community-centric stories. The workshops also inspire students to express their emotions and struggles through poetry.

The following poem were all part a contest in which one poem was selected to be painted and displayed in the neighborhood. The chosen lune was written

by Rayshawn D. Armstrong. His words convey a powerful message that will resonate and inspire his classmates and Buckeye community. Rayshawn’s lune is displayed in Love Lunes Over Buckeye artwork section.

Poetry Contest Entries commitment the longer the trip the harder it gets we stick by each other even though it’s intense – Nyga W. 9th Grade

love it’s unconditional, greatly cherished, passion, desire, words couldn’t explain the vulnerability, commitment, respect, pain love is the name – Kaylah R. 9th Grade

caring the two syllable word that i struggle to say as if someone was squeezing those words out of my chattery vocal box be the feet i need to walk when i can’t walk myself your love for me is like the drug a fiend needs to keep themselves sane i need it but can’t have it – Nita G. 9th Grade

love let your guard go down open your heart, true love only comes once take my heart and love never let go love me through it all – Rashea P. 9th Grade

commitment show the love to your family and neighborhood too – Deshon H. 9th Grade

commitment i need to know that you are there because i trust you – Chants’ S. 9th Grade

commitment staying loyal to self is the first step to greatness without your love i will be plagued by loneliness – Je’Mari C. 9th Grade

caring the boat that carries me through the sea of depression you love and care for me, even through my flaws – Christopher W. 9th Grade

respect in order for love to be love you must show respect – Aliyah C. 9th Grade

caring darkness is everywhere broken hearts show me a path open up your arms light the way to your warm heart commitment be the picture to the puzzle that i want to see softly kiss me and hold me close let me feel your warm heart – Angel K. 9th Grade

commitment so close to a pledge dedicate love is always here we’ve been through it all memories, storms, took me on this path call me yours. hearts that’s full of love on and on our love is above earth itself, so gone and so full, rich cherishment – Kaylah R. 9th Grade

respect i treat you with love but your words treat me like concrete stepping on me like we don’t talk like we aren’t friends you throw your cans that crack me up into nothingness – Jayda H. 9th Grade

respect you must have respect to have love in a neighborhood – Chante S. 9th Grade

respect treat me how you would treat your own mother, with respect respect me, i, you respect us we will respect you communication care for me through life through our strife we won’t lose our light.

– Jayda H. 9th Grade

Thank you to each student who participated in Mr. Ware’s workshops

Love Lunes Over Buckeye artwork The following pages exhibit the collaboration of Little Jacket, Mr. Ware, and Alan Giberson. Little Jacket designed the placemaking strategy for the lunes, which gave Mr. Giberson the guidelines needed to hand paint the signs. Each lune was painted on large aluminum panels which where then installed on a vacated building on East 119th as well as the Moreland Theater. Bringing a sense of vibrancy and messages of encouragement to the neighborhood.

harmony har·mo·ny /’härm nē/ noun

agreement or concord

fortitude for·ti·tude /’fôrd , t(y)ōōd/

noun

courage in pain or adversity. mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, danger, or temptation courageously.

interdependence in·ter·de·pend·ence /,in(t) rd ’ pend nce/

noun

a mutual dependence between things. a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities. (objects or individual groups)

cooperation co·op·er·a·tion /kō, äp ’ rāSH( )n/

noun

the process of working

together to the same end.

humility hu·mil·i·ty /(h)yoo’ mil dē/

noun

a modest or low view of

one’s own importance; humbleness.

guardianship guard·i·an·ship /gardē n, SHip/

noun

care; responsibility; charge

BY RAYSHAWN D. ARMSTRON G

– Rayshawn D. Armstrong

hope hope /hĹ?p/

noun

a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

Thank you to our generous funders for allowing this project to be possible. A special thanks to Saint Luke’s Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts.