Photo by Megan Louise.

Instead of letting the bitter cold and snowy weather trap them inside, the Akron League of Creative Interventionists chose to build their January change-themed event around the snow.

Sure, they had to reschedule it twice – once for a storm that dumped five inches of the white stuff and again in anticipation of rain that would have melted it all. But that didn’t deter nearly 20 people from showing up ready to paint inspiring messages in the snow.

Each month the group builds an event or events around a theme set by the league’s founder, San-Francisco-based artist Hunter Franks. Knight Foundation provided more than $55,000 for Franks to create similar community connections in four Knight cities: Akron, Detroit, Philadelphia and Macon, Ga. January’s theme was Change. February’s is Strength.

It was the second time the group used a Facebook event invitation to reach its 362 (and growing) Facebook group members and beyond. Of the 662 invited, 45 accepted the online invitation.

The plan for the day was to set up on a hill outside Pure Intentions – a wheat grass farm they have been using as a meeting spot. The hill faces West North Street in Akron. “It’s a good thruway with good visibility,” said league leader David Swirsky. 

They pooled their money and bought a few $10 pressurized sprayers from a local hardware store.  Local businesswoman and artist, Karen Star of Hazel Tree Interiors, also donated a sprayer to the cause. Typically used to distribute chemicals on a lawn, the league members filled these sprayers with food coloring and water and used them to paint messages in the snow. They started with green, blue, red and yellow and mixed them to get additional colors.

They wrote inspirational quotes, including “Be the Change.” They also included #createakron, which they have been using in all the events to brand the league’s work.

Photo by David Swirsky.

“I am hoping the quotes were visible for at least a day,” Swirsky said. “The next day we noticed the color started fading a bit.”

Two local publications – Akron Life Magazine and Creative Exchange – were there as well, to photograph and write about the league’s efforts in Akron.

About 90 percent of those who attended the “Snow Day” were first-timers, said Swirsky. “We knew them; they were just new to the meetings,” he said.

Of those newcomers were two people Swirsky described as some of the most artistically talented people he knows in Akron.

Ursula Rauh, a painter in Akron, brought her preschool-aged daughter to the Snow Day. Their take on the snow angel was a little different. It was more like a snowman with wings, Swirsky said.

Musician Jayson Benn of Shivering Timbers brought his 7-year-old daughter, Suzi.  Benn and his wife, Sarah, formed the Akron-based band that tours nationally. They describe their music as a mix of  “Indie Rock energy, Blues/Punk passion, and Country/Gospel reflection,” according to their website.

In addition, Swirsky encouraged other league members to share inspirational quotes, using the same technique in their own Akron neighborhoods. He asked them to take photos and post on social media using the #createakron hash tag. He hasn’t seen any yet, but he said he is looking forward to seeing what they share.

Next up is the league’s participation in the Big Love Event this Saturday. Held at the Musica Complex on Market Street in Akron, the event features food, art and musical acts within a sustainable and zero waste framework. It is the brainchild of musician Zach Freidhof. Swirsky and Beth Vild co-organized the event with him last year and are doing it again this year.

The league is organizing all of the art aspects of the Big Love event: six art installations featuring local artists, stage design and a huge interactive map, Swirsky said.

League member Megan Louise is organizing the art installations that will be placed throughout the Musica Complex. In addition, the league is planning to ask event participants to tag where they live, work and play on a huge map of Summit County  (Akron is the county seat of Summit County), sharing what they like about each of those places.

Also, this month, Swirsky said the league submitted its final proposal for the Knight Cities Challenge; the league’s idea was one of 126 finalists and proposed to establish “a space for the creative community to hold meetings, workshops and programs, and brainstorm interventions designed to break down barriers between diverse populations.” The challenge attracted more than 7,000 submissions, and Knight will announce the winners of the challenge this spring.

Susan Ruiz Patton is a freelancer writer based in Northeast Ohio.