Interactive Histories on Cleveland Avenue

What if you could transform everyday utility boxes into mesmerizing works of art? Join us as we explore this innovative intersection of augmented reality and public art with an exciting radio interview featuring Matt Fantone and Pam Cook from WHBC 1480 and Mix 94.1. This episode promises a deep dive into my two-year-long project animating 14 utility boxes in downtown Canton, designed by the talented Dirk Rozich, each reflecting Stark County's rich history. Also, hear about my collaboration with artist Ericck Freeman on a captivating mural at Shorb Avenue, which comes alive with his drumming music.

Ready to experience the first augmented reality mural in Stark County? I'll share my journey from being a finalist in a mural design competition to creating interactive electric boxes on Cleveland Avenue. You'll learn about the educational potential of augmented reality art and my commitment to expanding its reach through the Canton Museum of Arts. Plus, discover the app that animates images by simply pointing your phone at them and get a preview of our upcoming events, including a lively art project at the Wishes Tent on August 8th and 9th. Don't miss the grand opening on August 11th and an exciting live painting session for First Friday Hall of Fame—community art has never been this interactive!

Chapters

• 0:06 Busy Community and Art Projects
• 13:35 Augmented Reality Art Box Project
• 18:03 Interactive Art Project With Augmented Reality

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hi, welcome back to Brutally Made. I'm sorry for the delay in recording and sharing. Last week I was on the radio and I was going to share that recording last week and I just ran out of time, so I am going to combine that with today's episode so you can hear all about this really cool project that I was a part of downtown Canton with art boxes, these utility boxes, and so the sketch for the doodle this week is going to be replaced with that recording from WHBC 1480. I was on the radio actually with the AM and the FM station, with Matt Pantone on Mix 94.1 and with Pam Cook on WHBC 1480. But Pam's producer has a Facebook Live and so they recorded it and I nagged that. So I'm going to share that instead of the doodle so you can hear all about that project. It was really really cool, I'm telling you. It was such an honor to be part of it.

Speaker 1: 1:23

It started over two years ago. I had submitted a mural design for a project downtown and I was one of the four finalists selected. And I was the only gal and I was one of the four that did not have any public art downtown already. So super excited to be one of the finalists, public art downtown already. So super excited to be one of the finalists and even though I didn't get selected, they loved my pieces and they loved how colorful it was and they asked me to be part of another project and to collaborate with another artist, which I totally was on board, you know doing, and they loved the augmented reality piece that I created. So I was going to animate that artist's work and, um, he had to drop out. He got so super busy and wasn't able to complete the boxes. So they snagged another artist who was actually the one chosen for the mural project and Dirk Rozik has amazing, you know, realism, photo shop painting skills. Again, just another multi-talented, has lots of interest in different types of art and so he created these collages with kind of like a history of the area Stark County, and there are 14 boxes that were designed and each box has like three to four sides. So it was a lengthy process to create these like collages and they have these beautiful red, white and blue themes that go across all of them. Just, you know, beautiful, beautiful work. And then I took that work and animated it or, I would add, I either pulled it apart and frame by frame animated, or I would layer over historical pictures and music that was found that either was performed by the person that was in the picture or the organization that was in the picture just all kinds of things to enhance the story behind each box. And so I got to do that. And, yeah, that interview is all about that project and I'm involved with another project with Dirk and that is happening soon for a mural fest and then I also submitted for the mural fest. Maybe I get to do a mural, I don't know.

Speaker 1: 4:00

I also finished animating another artist's work here in town at Shorb Avenue at the market, eric Freeman, and I worked with Canton for All People to do that piece and super excited to collaborate with Eric. His phenomenal mural is two-layer. He did this beautiful black and white symbols and imagery as the backdrop and then cut out different fruits and vegetables and wood and different forms of saying welcome in different languages within those, colorfully painted them and then applied them to that beautiful canvas that he had created in the black and white colors. And so I animated that and added he's also a drummer and so I took his drum music that he does and layer that with the visuals and finish that animation. So I'm really excited for them to announce that. That that's a little sneak peek for you guys to hear and watch for that piece too.

Speaker 1: 5:07

So it's just been super, super busy in my world. The shop is like on the verge of opening. Grand opening is August 11th. It's a Sunday fun day from noon to five and so that is my grand opening.

Speaker 1: 5:23

I really had to scale back the date because I have so many other community projects I couldn't open and close. Open and close. I couldn't do that. It was just going to be too hard because you know, it's just me. I had to be very realistic and I'm like you know what this is a self-imposed deadline. I don't have to open August 1 or July 31st, like I really really wanted to, because tonight is First Friday and I am painting live downtown, so I couldn't be open a four foot by four foot canvas that I am painting with like a disco ball football in the hand and it's huge. It's a huge painting. So I'll be doing that tonight for First Friday Hall of Fame. So very excited to be part of that community project.

Speaker 1: 6:30

And then next week on Wednesday I have an event at the barrel room and I had arranged this date with Carrie Sullivan in March, before I even had the space, and so I'm like I'm not going to bail. I'm not going to be like, nope, I can't do it. I'm like, carrie, do you still want me to do this? She's like yes, do you still want me to find a food truck? She's like sure, and so I have Craveworthy Creations. Is the food truck that will be there and their food looks phenomenal.

Speaker 1: 6:51

And then we are creating Fahooli Chahoolis. I made up that word. I found the cutest bowls and Buddhist bowls and they're done with. You know, you color them in and then we heat them up and so they form like the Chihuly. You know looking glass, but they're plastic, no-transcript. But I have these metal bases and these cute lights that we can put in there and you can turn them into a little light. So you have the choice of doing a light or a bowl. And so I'm selling tickets and I'm going to create some kits to take and sell there, if anybody wants to like.

Speaker 1: 7:39

Hey I want to do this too, but yeah, I'm super excited. I'm going to film the preview of that this weekend and share that on my social media so you can see what we'll be doing. Super simple, anyone can do it, so easy. I'm going to try to wrangle my husband to be there with me to help do the hard part so we can get them done for everyone faster. But I'm really excited. Just something fun, something to do to promote the store and the space. So, and then Thursday Wishes Can Happen starts, which is a wish-a-thon for a local organization that grants wishes for children with severe illnesses, and I have been a part of that organization for 10 years and we always do like a little art project there and have one happening, and I'm also the volunteer coordinator for our company. So, yeah, remember, I still work full time in health care, so I will be there.

Speaker 1: 8:42

Thursday night, though, is my very first class. We are doing arm knitting in the shop, and so we have a group of people that have signed up Very excited to have Terry Nelson there and Knitted and Known she will be instructing us on how to make these blankets. We're going to make a blanket in three hours. I'm super excited about that. So we're doing that. The party room is all done, the celebration room is all done in the shop and I have flake glitter everywhere. So it's going to take forever for that to finally dissipate and settle, because we flaked the floor with this holographic glitter and it's just everywhere. But it's so fun, I don't care. So that is there and so that's been looked at for multiple uses. It's already being reserved for some meetings, some craft meetings. So I'm very excited about that.

Speaker 1: 9:36

But that leads me into the next weekend. Next Sunday is the opening. So there'll be free crafts. I've been doing a lot of crafts with the 720 Market will be free crafts. I've been doing a lot of crafts with the 720 market and so I will have those available to let anyone just sit down and make some of the things that we've made at the 720 markets that have been so much fun. So I'm very excited to just officially open. I'll be open Monday through Friday from five to nine, and then Saturday from noon to nine and then Sunday from noon to five, and that is going to be my set hours and see how things go. And then there's special times, like the one meeting that I have scheduled in August with a company. They're meeting at 8 am and they have a craft ahead of their meeting and then they'll have their meeting. So super fun that we can do that and I'm totally flexible. I'm like, yeah, absolutely, let's do that. And then teachers coming in that want to teach oh my gosh, I have so much interest and that just warms my heart. I'm super excited about that. And, yeah, keep submitting if you want to do that.

Speaker 1: 10:47

I have artists that have their pieces in the shop. Again, I buy wholesale and then resell. So no consignment. But if you have things that you're interested in selling in the shop, let me know and that's how we'll treat those.

Speaker 1: 11:01

And very excited to offer a lot of local art, a lot of local product. Very excited to offer a lot of local art, a lot of local product. M&h Coffee is going to be there. I have a little refrigerator for that merchandise. I'll be selling Lucy's snacks, the dog snacks, and all proceeds for those sales will go to. Wishes Can Happen.

Speaker 1: 11:20

I have artist Kelly Crable, beautiful acrylic paintings that she does of local landmarks and places in Canton. So I have cards and many prints of her pieces. My dear sweet daughter Hallie Pottery by Howl, she shipped that from Seattle and that is available for sale, and I'm hoping to grab some Lepley and Company plants so I can add to those for sale in the shop. Brenda Olson's card line is available, plus the magnets that are available, and then just tons of things I've been getting in all of my artwork, things that I love to wear and very colorful pieces, plus my designs on clothing. They're coming in and that will be for sale.

Speaker 1: 12:09

Just over the moon excited and just found that I'm getting a new HVAC system, because it's been kind of hot in there. I'm like what's going on with the heat? And yeah, he told me last night. He's like you're getting a new unit. And I'm like, yeah, so that is happening. But yeah, I am just oh, oh, my gosh, the sign has been ordered and they're getting ready to put up the temporary banner and I am super, super excited. I just want to cry, I just can't wait to open and I would love to hear if you've gone down this path of starting a new art business, how you've done it, what you've done, and just yeah, thank you, thank you for listening, thank you for following, thank you for your patience with me.

Speaker 1: 13:00

I'm really excited to have other guests on now that this shop will be open, either customers that want to share their experience, the teachers that want to share, the artists that want to share yeah, they'll be sharing here. So all the dogs are around me right now. If you can't hear them, they're very excited to go outside. But, thank you, thank you all so much and, yeah, I will be talking to you soon. Hope you enjoy this segment with Pam. Thanks for listening and I will see you next time. Bye, and new to me in 2022. So in 2022, I submitted a mural design for jerseys downtown when they wrapped the big refrigerator down by Centennial Plaza and I was one of the four finalists and I was the only female and I was one of the artists that did not have a piece downtown, so I was thrilled to be part of the finalists.

Speaker 1: 13:54

I didn't get selected, but Don and Cassie remembered my work because I do augmented reality art. So I have the first augmented reality mural at Stark County at Belden Village Mall 2019, I painted that.

Speaker 2: 14:08

Wow Okay.

Speaker 1: 14:09

And so the piece that I submitted. It moved for the Jersey freezers and so he called me back in and he said we have this art box project. It's all down Cleveland Avenue wrapping the boxes that control the lights. We want you to be part of this project and they paired me with an artist so we started working. That artist had to drop out. He got super busy, wasn't able to complete. They brought Dirk in. Dirk created these collages of history for all the boxes. I took his designs, I used my animation and I created all of the active parts of the boxes.

Speaker 1: 14:45

And so each box is different, all sides of the boxes are different and it's all kinds of history throughout Stark County Canton everything from sports figures, music figures, historical sites, businesses, everything you can think of with the red, white and blue theme carried out throughout the entire stretch of, really, the parade route. Yeah, so where you're waiting for the parade, you can go and experience each one. Use an app called Art of Vive, completely free for any mobile device. You just get it from your Play Store. It's Art and Alive Together. Art of Vive. I've been with them since 2019. I wanted to find an app that wouldn't cost anything for the viewer to be able to use it for the art, to bring it to life, and so you just bring up that app, you point it at the box and you'll see an animation or you'll hear a video, because there's sound, there's movement and some of them have music. Some of them have the speech, like McKinley speech from the porch front. I have that going.

Speaker 2: 15:47

Each one is different. That's so awesome it was so fun. I love being part of the project. That's a lot of work, though. Oh my gosh, how many are there? I mean, how many?

Speaker 1: 15:55

There's 12 boxes. There's 14 animations because a couple boxes are huge and they have two boxes that are built together. So there's 14 separate animations and then, like I said, every side is completely different. So Dirk worked so hard on getting this together because we really wanted it to be unveiled last parade season and it didn't because of everything that happened, so we really wanted it to be this parade season.

Speaker 1: 16:22

We got it yeah, and so it was a lot of hours, a lot of work and it was totally worth it, because people are just blown away by the beauty of them and how much fun they are. And, to my knowledge, we are the only interactive electric box series in the country. So this is a first and it's really groundbreaking to have our, you know, augmented reality art and having it downtown. I'm just thrilled to be part of it. I'm so excited.

Speaker 2: 16:48

It's awesome, I mean, and I would imagine that this is going to be something that that others are going to look at and you're going to set a trend here. I would, I believe that'll happen.

Speaker 1: 16:56

You know I, you know, I really do yeah, yeah, I hope so, because it really helps with accessibility. A lot of people just think art can just be visual. But art is expand, it needs to, you know, prove that it can expand, and I really think it also brings the kids involved. The tech part and art I teach augmented reality art at the camp museum of arts. I'm trying to get people to understand how it works and what you can do with it and and you know, some people can't just don't walk into a museum or things like that.

Speaker 2: 17:24

this is a perfect opportunity, I know, you know, when you're walking mom's walking kids down the street, just you know, and getting a milkshake or something, and, hey, let's stop here and learn about this, you know. I mean, I just think that's an awesome way for kids to learn, for parents, everybody, everybody. Because I look through the pictures that Billy took, by the way, which are on our YouTube channel, if you want to go check them out, perfect. And I'm like, oh, ralph, hey, oh, and I'm naming some of them. Then I'm like I don't know who that is, who is that you know? So there were businesses that I, you know, didn't know anything about, and I thought, oh boy, this is great.

Speaker 1: 17:58

It's a complete education. It is, it is. And what's nice is that if you have the app on your phone and you can't get to the box downtown, if you're showing those pictures, bring it up. Bring the app up, point it at that picture. They'll animate.

Speaker 2: 18:10

There you go.

Speaker 1: 18:18

Because you don't even have to be at the box, but if you, and then you can share it with your friends going. I was at this box and this is what this one said. Or this one is, you know, showing fireworks, or this one has popcorn falling and there's all kinds of different things.

Speaker 2: 18:31

Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome. Tracy Dawn Brewer, it's a fantastic job. I love that we have this available to us. Me too. Hopefully, it only means more things in the future, so that's great. Thank you so much. I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Young lady, let's see Two weeks from today, august 8th and 9th- We'll be at the Wishes Tent.

Speaker 1: 18:49

Yes. And yes maybe we'll we're doing an art project.

Speaker 2: 18:53

Yes, and we'll be very animated. Won no-transcript.