AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron Myers School of Art's Art Bomb Brigade is completing its 7th public mural at Community Support Services of Summit County with the help of the agency's clients.

Community Support Services provides healthcare for county residents living with mental illness. Last year, the facility cared for more than 3,000 area residents.

Started by University of Akron Associate Professor Elisa Gargarella and Assistant Director Marissa McClellan, Art Bomb Bridge enlivens high-trafficked Akron areas, painting unique and vivid murals on walls, buildings and underpasses since 2016. The project was launched through a Knight Foundation Arts Challenge grant.

The 3,000-foot mural was designed by UA art education major Megan Studacher as part of a Mastering the Mural art class, which sprung from the brigade's work. Art Bomb aims to provide students with real-world learning opportunities, enabling them to be at the center of planning, funding, implementation, community building, and outreach for public art projects.

Art Bomb Brigade holds periodic events to raise funds for paint and supplies. Additional funding for the CSS mural came from UA's EX[L] Center (Experiential Learning), which allowed Art Bomb to invite CSS clients to participate in planning the mural. Some clients also helped paint the mural, which is on the east wall of the building along Wolf Ledges Parkway. The work will be visible to thousands of commuters on the busy stretch of road.

The design incorporates the title and imagery from Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope" is the thing with feathers. The poem was chosen as inspiration for the mural after CSS Art Therapist Lacy Vitko read a quote from that poem at a reading with CSS clients. The bird imagery in the mural is also a nod to the large flocks of geese that congregate on the CSS property.

The artists want the mural to inspire CSS clients and local residents to strive toward recovery and let their dreams fly.

"The word 'hope' came up a lot during the design the process," McClellan said. "We knew it would work really well in terms of what they do at Community Support Services, and in terms of what the Art Bomb Brigade tries to do."

Thirteen students participated in creation of the mural during the spring semester, Gargarella said. Next up, Art Bomb will soon begin its 8th piece, working with Downtown Akron Partnership to create a large, multi-wall mural in the Maiden Lane area of downtown Akron. The artists will create the wall using stencils made in the school of art fabrication lab, and spray paint rather than paintbrushes, she said.

In keeping with Art Bomb Brigade tradition, a free public unveiling of the current mural will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, May 23 in the Community Support Services parking lot at 150 Cross St. Food will be available from Square Scullery and music will be provided by Chris Miller.

Other Art Bomb murals are located at Chill Gourmet Ice Cream on Maiden Lane, Downtown Akron Laundromat on South Main Street, the Akron Sustainer, an educational hub in a shipping crate promoting green living; Echogen Power Systems at Lock 1; Metro Parks Freedom Trail trailhead and the Barberton Public Library.

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