What Is Lakewood To You? Art Project Wants To Know

LAKEWOOD, OH — What is Lakewood to you?

That's the question being posed by a collaborative community art installation in the city. Called Lakewood Light-in-Sight, the project is asking residents to reflect on what the city means to them and to distill that feeling into six words or less.

Responses will be displayed within mixed media creations throughout the city and, eventually, in a central project. One such response, for example, came during the recent Ambulance Chase 5K, and said Lakewood is, "Full of energy, and spunk."

Postcards have been placed at Melt and the Root for residents to fill out. The postcards ask the writer to define what Lakewood is to them and then to submit that response to Light-in-Sight. Messages can also be sent to the Lakewood Light In-Sight Facebook.

One of the project's driving forces is Liz Maugans, an artist with a mission of driving community dialogue. She said that in the middle of an upcoming installation will be a marquee that will feature the submitted messages. The marquee will be changed throughout the year.

"I’m honored to be working in Lakewood. It’s my birth town. It’s where I grew up," Maugans told Patch.

As part of the project, Maugans and Dana Depew are creating something called Solstice Steppers. They're birdhouse-sized art pieces. One of the Steppers is pictured below.

To encourage community involvement in the art project, Light-in-Sight is placing the Steppers around the city, posting a picture of where the piece is, and then encouraging residents to track it down. The first person to find the Stepper can take it home. They just have to take a picture of where they place it in their house, Maugans said.

Ultimately, Maugan's and Depew's project will culminate in a Solstice Steps-focused piece, with Steppers and the marquee playing central parts. "In the middle of this Solstice Steps recreation, will be these beautiful, funky, people looking like they’re running. There will be a wagon with a mom pulling it. It’s going to look like people are hanging out at the Solstice Steps," she said. "In the middle of this will be a marquee where the message can change. It will say 'Lakewood Is...' and those messages that people are sending me will be posted throughout the year."

The artist said she's keenly aware of how divided parts of Lakewood are — particularly over the loss of Lakewood Hospital — and she believes art can bring people together.

" I know it’s a divisive challenge, but what better mediating force? Art can be that. Art can take old things and re-frame them and celebrate this new thing without necessarily forgetting about the blemishes and the scars of what people are going through," she said.

Maugans and Depew are hosting a networking event at Mahalls on May 25. The duo will provide insight into their project, buy everyone's first beer and provide some tasty appetizers. Basically, Maugans told Patch, the night will serve as a meet-and-greet.

RSVPs are requested and can be made through the event's Facebook page.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch