Long Street cultural wall co-created by CCAD alumnus unveiled

Hundreds of community members gathered on Long Street on July 10 for the unveiling of the Long Street Cultural Wall, a visual tribute to the King-Lincoln and Discovery districts created by mixed media artist Larry Winston Collins (CCAD 1986) and photographer Kojo Kamau.

The cultural wall is part of a recently built cap bridge over I-71. The bridge includes green space, benches, and art creating a pedestrian-friendly connection between the King-Lincoln and Discovery districts.

"We are breathing new life into this historic neighborhood," declared King-Lincoln native Angela Pace, director of community affairs at WBNS 10 TV, at the event.

Selected by a community-based advisory committee and commissioned by the Ohio Department of Transportation, Collins contributed dozens of linoleum woodcuts designed specifically for the 240-foot mural which represents businesses, institutions, and notable residents of the historic area.

More than 140 people are featured on 60 resin panels that make up the mural, including wood carver Elijah Pierce, author James Thurber, politician Jerry Hammond, two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, artist and CCAD alumna Aminah Robinson, and former CCAD President Joseph Canzani.

"To be associated with [the history of this area] is a great honor," Collins told Your News Columbus in a recent interview. "I feel privileged to have been selected to take some of my images and put them up there."

The Cincinnati native majored in Industrial Design at CCAD, taught at the college for more than 10 years, and now teaches at Miami University in Oxford, OH.