About
zō-et’ik: of or pertaining to life. [Gr. zōē, life]
The finest street artists from around the world are bringing the walls of the Waterloo District to life.
Zoetic Walls Cleveland is the first organized street art project to hit the walls of Cleveland. This public art mural project, co-curated by Waterloo Arts (Cleveland) and Pawn Works (Chicago), embraces the street art movement, which has been minimally represented in Cleveland. This art form is sweeping like wild fire across other parts of the world and transforming cities into outdoor museums. Nick Marzullo and Seth Mooney (Pawn Works), both Cleveland natives, took notice of our emerging neighborhood and approached us to do a street art project, we welcomed them home and got to work. This wall project includes up to six murals and is a testament to the vibrant art scene of the Waterloo Arts and Entertainment District neighborhood that will be an ongoing display for many to enjoy. Imagine the walls, the alleyways, and all the nooks and crannies of the district as a canvas for the finest street artists around the world to create on. Giving artists the freedom to create work without the constraints of design committees, result in dynamic, inspired paintings that beautify the neighborhood and engage the community in thought and discussion.
Waterloo Arts (formerly Arts Collinwood)
Founded in 2004, Waterloo Arts serves as the neighborhood’s cultural anchor, bringing highly acclaimed exhibits to our nonprofit gallery, hosting educational arts programs, providing studio space for artists, and producing one of the city’s fastest growing and most eclectic summer arts events, the Waterloo Arts Fest. Waterloo Arts has been instrumental in building a strong community in North Collinwood and helping to define Waterloo as an emerging arts district in Cleveland. Waterloo Arts role in the Zoetic Walls project is to secure funding and sponsorship, seek local artists to participate in the project, work with property owners to secure mural locations, and obtain necessary permits and equipment for installation.
Pawn Works
Pawn Works consists of Nick Marzullo and Seth Mooney. Both are Cleveland natives who met up again down the road in Chicago. Formerly a brick and mortar gallery out of a storefront in Chicago, Illinois, where we showcased graffiti-style artworks with a street art focus in a gallery setting. In recent years our interest in street-art advocacy evolved beyond the Pawn Works gallery walls. We’ve worked tirelessly to be sure everything about our expanded practice is legit. We scout big walls on buildings and convince building owners, to support the creative venture. Often, we fly in highly regarded artists from the international street-art scene to paint on Chicago’s buildings. We consider ourselves independent curators of public art in the true sense of the word. We seek sponsorships for our projects, give educational lectures on the differences (or similarities) between graffiti and city beautification, and expose Chicagoans and more to a new generation of significant urban artists.
