Sparx in the City: How a Grassroots Arts Movement Helped Reimagine Downtown Cleveland
Long before social media campaigns, placemaking initiatives, and creative-economy strategies became common tools for revitalizing urban centers, a group of artists, cultural leaders, marketers, musicians, and community advocates came together around a simple question:
How do we help people see Downtown Cleveland differently?
The answer became Sparx in the City.
Founded in 2003 by Susie Frazier, Sparx in the City was a collaborative arts and marketing initiative created to celebrate Cleveland's creative community while helping transform public perceptions of Downtown Cleveland.
At a time when conversations about downtown revitalization were still emerging, the program sought to showcase artists, musicians, galleries, cultural organizations, and creative entrepreneurs already contributing to the city's vibrancy.
The goal was ambitious:
Create something so creative, so welcoming, and so memorable that people would experience Downtown Cleveland in an entirely new way.
Building a Coalition for Change
Recognizing that meaningful change requires collaboration, Susie assembled a team of fifteen representatives from Cleveland's corporate, nonprofit, arts, and cultural sectors.
Among the founding collaborators was longtime marketing professional Jackie York of Playhouse Square Foundation, along with numerous community leaders, arts advocates, and cultural organizations who shared a belief in the power of creativity to strengthen communities.
Friends and colleagues across the region joined the effort, including Joan Perch of Art at the Powerhouse and many others who dedicated their time, expertise, and passion to the project.
Together, they created a movement that would connect artists, businesses, neighborhoods, cultural institutions, and residents through shared experiences in public space.
Bringing the Arts to the Streets
Over the next four years, Sparx in the City transformed Downtown Cleveland's sidewalks into stages.
Each Friday, professional musicians, performers, visual artists, and community volunteers activated public spaces throughout downtown with recurring live performances designed to bring energy, creativity, and human connection to the urban core.
Importantly, the initiative prioritized professional artists.
More than 100 performers, visual artists, and volunteers participated throughout the life of the program, and every artist was compensated according to their requested rates whenever possible. At a time when artists were often expected to donate their talents, Sparx in the City demonstrated a commitment to valuing creative work as professional work.
To support the initiative, Susie secured approximately $100,000 annually through sponsorships and grants while also negotiating media partnerships that amplified awareness throughout Northeast Ohio.
The result was not simply a series of performances—it was a citywide storytelling campaign centered on Cleveland's creative identity.
Generating Visibility for the Region's Artists
One of Sparx in the City's greatest achievements was its ability to elevate the visibility of local artists and arts organizations as a function of lunch hour and life in Downtown Cleveland.
Throughout the program's lifespan, more than fifty print stories were generated across Northeast Ohio media outlets, profiling participating artists, musicians, galleries, and cultural institutions.
The initiative intentionally focused attention on the creative people and organizations shaping the region's cultural landscape near and around Downtown.
These stories helped introduce audiences to artists and a city experience that they might never have encountered otherwise while strengthening public awareness of Cleveland's changing Downtown.
The program also led to the creation of Cleveland's first Gallery Guide, conceived, written, and art directed by Susie Frazier. Produced through a collaborative partnership with Tiffany Myroniak and Cleveland Magazine, the guide became an important tool for helping residents and visitors discover galleries, studios, exhibitions, and arts destinations throughout the region.
Connecting Neighborhoods Through Art
As the initiative grew, so did its vision.
The program eventually culminated in a citywide art walk that connected eight Cleveland neighborhoods through a network of trolley buses, allowing residents and visitors to travel between arts districts, galleries, studios, and performance venues.
Participants could meet artists, visit creative workspaces, experience live music, and discover parts of the city they may never have explored before.
The event demonstrated how arts and culture could serve as a bridge—not only between neighborhoods, but between people, organizations, and communities.
Measuring Impact
The impact of Sparx in the City extended well beyond attendance numbers.
A 2005 study found that the initiative generated approximately $1.5 million in economic impact, demonstrating the value of arts-based placemaking and cultural programming as tools for community and economic development.
The program's success contributed to several significant recognitions, including:
- The 2005 City Livability Award presented by the U.S. Conference of Mayors
- A Dominion Community Impact Award
- Recognition from the City of Cleveland
- Recognition from Cuyahoga County
These honors reflected not only the success of the program itself, but the collective efforts of hundreds of artists, volunteers, sponsors, organizations, and community partners who helped bring the vision to life.
Passing the Torch
In 2006, following the ratification of Downtown Cleveland's Business Improvement District (BID), property owners confirmed their commitment to investing in the marketing and promotion of downtown.
With that infrastructure in place, Susie transitioned Sparx in the City to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, believing that the organization's resources and long-term stewardship would help continue supporting the grassroots promotional efforts of the region's artists, musicians, galleries, and creative businesses.
The transition marked the successful completion of the initiative's founding mission: demonstrating that arts and culture could play a central role in how Cleveland told its story.
Preserving the Legacy
Today, more than two decades later, the legacy of Sparx lives on through the Downtown Cleveland Alliance through an annual event called, Sparx City Hop. The longstanding partnerships created, the neighborhoods connected, and the audiences inspired continue to atten each year's event.
Susie has preserved an archive of more than 100 historic newspaper articles, custom publishing features, promotional materials, photographs, and copies of the original Gallery Guide that document this important chapter in Cleveland's cultural history.
Together, they tell the story of a grassroots movement built on creativity, collaboration, and a belief that art belongs not only inside institutions, but in the everyday life of a city.
At its heart, Sparx in the City was never simply an event series.
It was an invitation.
An invitation to experience Cleveland differently.
To discover local artists.
To explore neighborhoods.
To support creativity.
And to imagine what becomes possible when a community comes together around the idea that culture can be a catalyst for change.