About the print portfolio

The Canvas City print portfolio memorializes the six murals undertaken for An American City in downtown Cleveland, in recognition of earlier efforts at introducing public art to the Cleveland civic fabric, the City Canvases project of 1973-1974. Stemming from a key mural painted in 1973 by Julian Stanczak, Carter Manor, at the corner of Prospect Avenue and 9th Street, City Canvases comprised ten outdoor murals painted on walls between Public Square and Cleveland State University by Cleveland-based artists and designers. Among those artists were several faculty members of the Cleveland Institute of Art, including Julian Stanczak. Stanczak’s urgent Op art design graced the twelve-story brick facade for years. The mural belongs to a tightly conceived outdoor exhibition on abstract painting by leading international artists Heimo Zobernig, Sarah Morris, Kay Rosen, Michelle Grabner, and Odili Donald Odita. FRONT has revived the original painting as a legacy project, connecting early public art efforts to new currents and introducing artists whose work will engage in conversation across downtown Cleveland for years to come.