Canton artist creates multilingual mural to showcase diverse Shorb neighborhood

CANTON − Artist Errick Freeman believes the mural he's creating for a new grocery store is helping to transform his neighborhood.

In November, the longtime local artist was commissioned to create a "hospitality" mural on the exterior of the Shorb Neighborhood Market and Connection Center at Sixth Street and Shorb Avenue NW.

The market, a mission of Crossroads United Methodist Church and Canton For All People, distributes free vegetables from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Fridays to anyone eligible under Akron-Canton Foodbank guidelines.

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"What inspired me most is we have a lot of different cultures in my neighborhood," Freeman said. "And I wanted something that would speak to the notion of welcoming everybody. And so, fabrics came in mind."

Freeman, using brushes and a 4-inch roller, said the design is purely organic. The result resembles cultural fabrics.

"It just kind of came together," he said. "This is artwork that you can't put a price on; this is that raw element. You know, you see that perfect picture, you capture it, and it's just inspired out of nowhere. I didn't sketch it out. I didn't draw it."

New Shorb Avenue mural showcases its diversity

The Rev. Don Ackerman, senior pastor at Crossroads United Methodist and the founder of Canton for All People, is pleased with what he's seen.

"I think it's beautiful," he said. "In our partnership with Errick, we hoped to encapsulate the diversity of that neighborhood. It's a beautiful way to say 'welcome.'"

Ackerman noted that the area has become a magnet for immigrants, including people from Syria, Ukraine and Africa.

The mural is a nod to that eclectic mix.

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"We have at least 17 cultures between Newton Estates and Shorb Estates," Freeman said. "We have Mexicans and Latin Americans. I think we have some Croatians, and even some Russians and Slovakians; all kinds of people here."

Freeman, 50, said he's gotten positive feedback. Even as he spoke, a passerby greeted him as "the artist."

The mural will be completed in the spring when Freeman adds hand-carved fruits and vegetables bearing the word "welcome" in the languages spoken in the neighborhood.

"We're in some crazy times now. People are too much or not enough. We need more unity. We need more empathy and understanding. What was that Led Zeppelin song, 'Communication Breakdown'?"

Freeman, who had his first art show at 10, said the hospitality mural is in keeping with previous projects he has done, including "We the People" in 2023. It features 28 silhouettes that wrap around the front of the Community Action Building in Wooster.

"It was a project that was in conjunction/collaboration with the Art of Inclusion group of Wayne County," he said. "I was also commissioned to create two podiums for the Canton Symphony Orchestra. I also managed to complete a commissioned project for a local art collector while working an experimental 3D mural over in Alliance that's located on Main Street. The Alliance mural is not completed yet, but it's a collaboration that started off with four artists working on it, but has since gone down to three."

He said his ultimate goal for the latest mural is to convey welcoming thoughts to the city's newcomers.

"Take a minute and try to understand people," he said. "Don't just automatically assume because they're from somewhere else, they're out to get you. When we as Americans go to their country, they don't do that to us."

Reach Charita M. Goshay at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Errick Freeman creating a multilingual 'welcome' mural for Shorb store