Join LAND studio for a free, family-friendly event! The mural re-dedication begins at 12:15pm at E. 9th and Rockwell. Festivities to follow 1pm – 3pm in the Eastman Reading Garden at the Cleveland Public Library.

Enjoy crafting, yoga, roller skating, art, food, and the honor of sharing a park bench!
Event will be held weather permitting.

About the Mural
As part of celebrating a decade of public art and public space in Cleveland, LAND restored the Life is Sharing the Same Park Bench mural and the adjoining greenspace to thank the city and its residents for generously supporting its work.

Life is Sharing the Same Park Bench was created in 1969 by Cleveland artist John Francis Morell working in collaboration with John Kuchera, a well-known New York artist. Morrell dedicated the mural to “brotherhood within Cleveland, and its Mayor, Carl B. Stokes, who has contributed so much to its concept.” Painted by Morell and many volunteers, the mural portrays different races, ages, and genders all sitting together on a park bench. The mural’s message of togetherness and acceptance resonates as strongly today as it did when the mural was commissioned.

In the early 1990’s the mural was in danger of being removed. Public outcry for its preservation was acknowledged by the City of Cleveland and it was renovated. The subsequent 2021 restoration was completed by Cleveland artist Alan Giberson and LAND studio, supported by a number of generous donors.

LAND studio believes in the power of art and public space to transform and unite communities. It is the hope that Morrell’s Life is Sharing the Same Park Bench mural will continue to inspire Clevelanders for many generations to come.