Public Art & Culture Program
Leaders of Today's Public Art & Culture (PAC) Program is a six month cohort project designed for Lorain County high school students to build leadership and creativity by transforming public spaces through the power of art.
Students submit mediums of art that express at least one of the below themes:
Unity/Non-Violence, Community Pride, Positive Mental Health, Racial Equity
Students are awarded a $250-$500 stipend for selected art pieces chosen by a community review panel. All student submissions are displayed at the Elyria Arts Council in honor of Black History Month.
Following the exhibit, selected students are assigned an artist-mentor who assist with redesigning students' original artwork into a 8ft x 4ft mobile art mural to be publicly displayed throughout the community.
Students submit mediums of art that express at least one of the below themes:
Unity/Non-Violence, Community Pride, Positive Mental Health, Racial Equity
Students are awarded a $250-$500 stipend for selected art pieces chosen by a community review panel. All student submissions are displayed at the Elyria Arts Council in honor of Black History Month.
Following the exhibit, selected students are assigned an artist-mentor who assist with redesigning students' original artwork into a 8ft x 4ft mobile art mural to be publicly displayed throughout the community.
2022 PAC Program
Video produced by RayVisionMedia
Photos taken by Victor Matos Photography
Photos taken by Victor Matos Photography
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"Reaching Onto Your Happiness"
ABIGAIL CLAYTON
11TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
“My artwork shows a hand reaching out of a dark place surrounded by negative people. The hand is reaching for its own happiness escaping everything else. The objects in the top half represent parts of life that have helped me and make me happy.
It's important to find your own happiness in a world filled with so much negativity, and I really wanted to emphasize that in my art.."
11TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
“My artwork shows a hand reaching out of a dark place surrounded by negative people. The hand is reaching for its own happiness escaping everything else. The objects in the top half represent parts of life that have helped me and make me happy.
It's important to find your own happiness in a world filled with so much negativity, and I really wanted to emphasize that in my art.."
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"Enough is Enough"
AYDEN POL
12TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"Enough is Enough, represents the significance of how many mass shootings this country has seen and makes light of the issue of mass shootings. More so, I believe that it is important for the public to see my work as a sign that there is a problem we are all facing in today’s society."
12TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"Enough is Enough, represents the significance of how many mass shootings this country has seen and makes light of the issue of mass shootings. More so, I believe that it is important for the public to see my work as a sign that there is a problem we are all facing in today’s society."
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"So Close, Yet Still So Far"
A. WILLIAMS
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"I've been in Elyria my entire life and have seen both sides of our divided city.
I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood that was seen as clean and “safe”, but friends that grew up in predominantly black neighborhoods just on the other side of town were significantly more run down, higher poverty rates, and experienced more crimes.
Elyria itself is a symbol of racial inequity; a city that is so divided by race. Although its not as blatant as it was in the past, we still have much more to overcome."
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"I've been in Elyria my entire life and have seen both sides of our divided city.
I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood that was seen as clean and “safe”, but friends that grew up in predominantly black neighborhoods just on the other side of town were significantly more run down, higher poverty rates, and experienced more crimes.
Elyria itself is a symbol of racial inequity; a city that is so divided by race. Although its not as blatant as it was in the past, we still have much more to overcome."
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"Breathe"
RAMAYA LEE-MOSELY
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"My art piece represents Positive - Mental Health, it's a painting of a student who is not having the best day but is thinking to herself about things that make her happy. What inspired my work is a process that helps me throughout my day to think positive.
I think of the fun, light hearted song, Walking on Sunshine, and I tell myself to breathe and it makes me smile and my day starts to get better..."
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"My art piece represents Positive - Mental Health, it's a painting of a student who is not having the best day but is thinking to herself about things that make her happy. What inspired my work is a process that helps me throughout my day to think positive.
I think of the fun, light hearted song, Walking on Sunshine, and I tell myself to breathe and it makes me smile and my day starts to get better..."
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"If Only They Knew"
ELENA RUNION
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"My mural represents a white point of view on the attacks– physically, mentally, and emotionally– faced by people of color. In the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in violence directed towards people of color."
"Taking time to listen to others, learn about history & cultures, and standing by the sides of those being discriminated against is important now more than ever..."
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"My mural represents a white point of view on the attacks– physically, mentally, and emotionally– faced by people of color. In the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in violence directed towards people of color."
"Taking time to listen to others, learn about history & cultures, and standing by the sides of those being discriminated against is important now more than ever..."
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"The Teenage Dream"
JARAYIA WARNER
12TH GRADE
LORAIN HIGH SCHOOL
"My poem promotes mental health, The Teenage Dream is about the expectations that’s put on young adults and how it effects our mental health when we are not able to reach those expectations. What inspired me to write this poem is that it’s something I go through myself and many others my age and I just wanted to reach out to the people in my generation who goes through this, to let them know that they’re not alone..."
12TH GRADE
LORAIN HIGH SCHOOL
"My poem promotes mental health, The Teenage Dream is about the expectations that’s put on young adults and how it effects our mental health when we are not able to reach those expectations. What inspired me to write this poem is that it’s something I go through myself and many others my age and I just wanted to reach out to the people in my generation who goes through this, to let them know that they’re not alone..."
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"Long Live Bogard"
PRISCILLA YRAD
12TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"Long Live Bogard" was created to honor the late Coach Devan Bogard. Last season I had the privilege to take photos during the Elyria v. Amherst football game in honor of Coach Bogard for my school's newspaper, The Herald. The artwork is a digital-photography collage of photos from that night. This piece represents Bogard's legacy to the people of Elyria..."
12TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"Long Live Bogard" was created to honor the late Coach Devan Bogard. Last season I had the privilege to take photos during the Elyria v. Amherst football game in honor of Coach Bogard for my school's newspaper, The Herald. The artwork is a digital-photography collage of photos from that night. This piece represents Bogard's legacy to the people of Elyria..."
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"Love Comes in All Colors"
JAZMINE GILMORE
10TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"Love Has No Color" represents a community lost in time, with no colors and no love. My mural is something that I want people to look forward to seeing with their friends and family and say “Look at our community"...I want my art to inspire people to go to a neighbor and extend a helping hand."
10TH GRADE
ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL
"Love Has No Color" represents a community lost in time, with no colors and no love. My mural is something that I want people to look forward to seeing with their friends and family and say “Look at our community"...I want my art to inspire people to go to a neighbor and extend a helping hand."