Bridge that Bridges

The summer of 2018 marked the third and final cohort of the East 22nd Street and Cedar Avenue Bridge that Bridges project. The project aimed to spark conversation on the longstanding division of race in Cleveland through installing a mural on the walls of the Cedar Ave. and East 22nd bridges. The bridge is a physical example of long-term structural racism—the I-90 Innerbelt cut through our neighborhood in 1958, dividing Downtown Cleveland from public housing in the Central community. Throughout the six-month project, people who work, live, or go to school on either side of the bridge engaged in honest conversation about race, segregation, and privilege. Their conversations became the foundation for the images you now see on the mural.

The Bridge that Bridges was completed with the partnership of Kings and Queens of Art; fine artist Gus Turner; Neighborhood Connections; and Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc. The project was made possible with the support of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and Sisters of Charity Foundation.