Author: Lucas Hart
TOLEDO, Ohio — Local artists and community members gathered at Seagate Food Bank this
weekend for the second annual Glass City Get Down, a festival celebrating street art and
Toledo’s creative community.
The festival, organized by Mind and Soul Gallery and Studios, a downtown Toledo art
collective, features local street artists creating murals throughout the event. Artists were selected
through an application process and given sections of the venue to transform with their work.
“A lot of cities have these like mural and street art festivals where they invite artists … to come
and paint walls just to help brighten up the community and bring community together. I’ve been
a part of those for some time now too and I was like well why doesn’t Toledo have anything like
that?” This is what festival director Chris Rodriguez asked himself a few years back and has
been focused on doing events like this one ever since.
In addition to the artists creating murals, other artists were able to set up booths to showcase and
sell their work. Music, vendors, and other activities were all part of the weekend-long event.
Organizers said the festival is intended to bring people together, highlight Toledo’s local artists,
and give back to the community.
Along with celebrating street art, the Glass City Get Down also collected food donations for
Seagate Food Bank throughout the weekend.
Festival organizers hope to continue growing the event and expand its reach within the Toledo
community.