The humidity wasn’t going to stop me from learning how to put up big prints up outside today. After seeing folks re-hanging the Shepard Fairey mural as part of Cincy Summer Streets in Northside, I was motivated to give it a try.
Armed with wheat paste, some large format maps of the neighborhood, and permission to use the boarded up windows on a future establishment, I was all set. (Hat tip to Phipps Reprographics for making the XL prints)
Halfway through the job a fella stopped and asked where to get a good cup of coffee. I drew a path through the paste, “We’re here and Sidewinder is just up and to your left.” He thanked me and headed on.
Students walked by and one pointed to a street and said, “That’s where I live.”
A woman waiting for the bus asked me what all the stuff on the map was and I said they were businesses. “There’s so much happening.” She said.
I designed this map when I moved into the neighborhood and had an open house. It happened during Second Saturdays and I wanted to give friends an easy way to explore Northside to shop and eat. (And maybe I didn’t want to make hors d’oeuvres.) Now it’s this thing I update every month as businesses shift and whatnot. It is pretty exciting to see how much things are changing and growing.
For all the pixels I push around throughout the day, getting my hands dirty and seeing folks interact with something in the world is a very special thing.
- A hat tip to the folks at World Cup for letting me use their wall.
- Thanks to Phipps Reprographics for the fine and affordable prints.
- If you want to zoom in, click on businesses or download a PDF, feel free to explore.
- Got a spare wall? I’ve got a handful of prints left over. Hit me up.
- Also, that Porsche is rad. (Not mine, but one can dream.)
