Group gives TLC to STEM plaza artwork celebrating roots of Akron's rubber legacy

Anthony Thompson, Akron Beacon Journal
Updated ·4 min read
Jorge Munoz, an artist with Boa Mistura, works Monday on refreshing the paint on the STEM Plaza in Akron.
Jorge Munoz, an artist with Boa Mistura, works Monday on refreshing the paint on the STEM Plaza in Akron.

Harvon Hamilton was a student at the National Inventors Hall of Fame School for STEM Learning in 2019 when the Roots of Rubber art installation was created. On Monday, Hamilton returned to make sure the display remains a vivid fixture along the downtown Akron landscape.

"This is an important piece for me; I was a student here when I saw something that was originally dull and gray turn into something beautiful," Hamilton said. "I think this artwork shows how beautiful Akron can be."

Hamilton, along with other members of the community and the art collective Boa Mistura, repainted the STEM Plaza's artwork Monday evening. The installation includes a large-scale painting along the surface of the plaza, coupled with structures that include a line of poetry from Akron native and former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove.

The excerpt reads, "If you don't look back, the future never happens."

Boa Mistura artist Juan Jaume refreshes the paint at the STEM Plaza in Akron. The orange blocks with the letters will be painted later this week.
Boa Mistura artist Juan Jaume refreshes the paint at the STEM Plaza in Akron. The orange blocks with the letters will be painted later this week.

"It's exciting to see Boa Mistura come back to refresh the project, and I'm happy to help in any way I can," said Akron resident and volunteer Kelli Fetter. "This project has brought such a vibrancy and light to downtown, and this work is just a beautiful example of how art can make a space look more inviting and serve as a chance to bring a community together."

Community volunteers worked with Boa Mistura to repaint the colorful geometrical shapes that cover the plaza floor.

Members of Boa Mistura were also on hand to help with painting.

"I love how this artwork brings together local and international art, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to work on something so creative that celebrates Akron's history," Hamilton said.

To prepare for Monday's project, Downtown Akron Partnership staff and Boa Mistura artists sanded the three-dimensional forms on the plaza, while the artists also painted the lines for the shapes on the ground. Students from the STEM Middle School helped paint the ground shapes on Thursday and Friday.

Origin of the Roots of Rubber art installation

The artwork was commissioned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the NIHF STEM Middle School in 2019, according to Dominic Caruso, DAP communications director.

Members of the Boa Mistura team and community members work Monday on refreshing the paint at the STEM Plaza in Akron.
Members of the Boa Mistura team and community members work Monday on refreshing the paint at the STEM Plaza in Akron.

"The site was chosen as an excellent opportunity to celebrate the school, engage the learners, and also begin enacting recommendations from Gehl Studio, who conducted a Knight Foundation-funded study that called for improved public spaces using art, light and activity," Caruso said.

The artwork spotlights Akron's ties to the rubber industry, with the geometrical shapes that cover the plaza floor paying homage to the STEM school's mathematics and science program, said Boa Mistura founding member Juan Jaume.

"When we were originally commissioned for the piece, the city of Akron wanted new strategies to transform downtown Akron and make it more beautiful, and we wanted to represent both Akron history and the school where the plaza is located," Jaume said. "The shapes on the plaza floor also suggest the marks left behind when the bark was stripped and peeled from rubber trees by the gatherers, which for us represented Akron's link with the rubber industry."

Boa Mistura was chosen based on the team's expertise with large-scale, dynamic installations, the level of community engagement involved and a distinctive approach that incorporates science and math principles in the work, according to Downtown Akron Partnership. The art collective also worked with the students to develop the artwork from inception through creation.

The artwork incorporates anamorphosis, a technique that brings a distorted or disconnected image into clear focus when viewed from a certain perspective.

The Roots of Rubber is one of a series of art projects introduced downtown through a partnership between DAP and the Knight Foundation; others include the Northside Green (a large-scale ground mural by April Couch, with outdoor seating furniture by Dominic Falcione) and the North High Street parklet and Art Bomb Brigade mural.

Free Nightlight cinema screening of Boa Mistura documentary

Boas Mistura's involvement in public art installations is the subject of the documentary "Crossroads," which The Nightlight cinema will present during a free screening Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Pablo Ferreiro and Jaume of Boa Mistura will introduce the film and participate in a discussion after the screening to answer questions and share insights about the "Roots of Rubber" project.

"It has been such a joy to welcome our friends from Boa Mistura back to Akron," said Suzie Graham, Downtown Akron Partnership president. She said the screening "is a perfect opportunity to collaborate with a beloved community partner and show the crossroads of how art unites people from all over the world."

Tickets must be reserved through nightlightcinema.com or can be obtained in advance at The Nightlight box office at 30 N. High St.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter, @athompsonABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Community refreshes STEM plaza art celebrating Akron's rubber roots