All photos by David Swirsky

The Akron League of Creative Interventionists’ first solo “creative intervention” was filled with color, acceptance and diversity.

David Swirsky, a college senior at the University of Akron studying organizational communication and the new leader of the Akron League of Creative Interventionists, has jumped in with both feet, leading in person and on social media.

The league, started by San-Francisco-based artist Hunter Franks, brings people together to create amateur art in public spaces with the goal of breaking down social barriers. In other words, have some fun and invite strangers to join in.

Knight Foundation invested $55,000 so that Franks could expand a national tour to four Knight cities: Akron, Detroit, Macon, Ga., and Philadelphia.

Franks ran the first meeting in August at the Akron Art Museum. He designates a new theme each month; August’s was “health,” and September’s was “color.” Franks said he was “thrilled with the creative energy and great showing of the Akron League chapter for their September intervention. The chapter continues to prove that small-scale projects can energize people, bring them together and change their perception of place.”

The driving vision behind the creative intervention idea quickly crystalized for Swirsky, who attended that first Akron meeting.

“I like the idea of going in to public spaces with some kind of intervention to get people talking to each other,” said Swirsky. “I see the vision and potential catalyst to build connections between people who might not otherwise talk to each other. This appeals to my sense of spirituality first of all, but I also like the fun creative side that’s just spontaneous.”

September’s event was the first without Franks, and the theme of “color” sparked a creative explosion of ideas at a planning meeting attended by nearly 20 new league members. They met at Pure Intentions, an indoor wheat grass farm just outside of downtown Akron.

The first decision was to partner with a Knight-supported neighborhood event, the  Highland Square Porch Rockr Art and Musical Festival, which sets up musical acts on people’s front porches all over the neighborhood. About 100 bands performed on 32 front porches at the Sept. 20 event, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

After the planning meeting, the brainstorming continued on the league’s Facebook page. The creative energy grew as members shared resources and timely information in the group, which now numbers about 150 members.

The league members decided to inject color on the sidewalks and streets during Porch Rockr. So they needed construction paper, a table, a chalkboard, oddly enough a steel archway, and a LOT of sidewalk chalk.

That’s where the diversity of the members’ backgrounds came in handy. Megan Shane, a metal smith, whipped up a 6-by-8-foot arch in 30 minutes just for the event. The idea was to offer pre-cut colorful raindrop-shaped paper and invite people to write on the drops how the color makes them feel. The raindrops were attached to the arch for everyone to enjoy.

They chalked an invitation to participate on the classroom-sized chalkboard and propped it against a tree: “The League of Creative Interventionists Color Workshop. Paint! Play.”

The table was set up near the archway and that’s where league members really engaged with passers-by. After a little inspiration from a league member, some people become very thoughtful in their color statements.

“Contemplative, deep like the ocean, deep ocean blue makes me feel contemplative,” read one drop.

“Yellow makes me feel mellow and calm but at the same time bright, lively,” read another.

They found a recipe for homemade chalk paint, which league members and the public used to create art on the sidewalks.

Some people just jumped in and started drawing on the sidewalk. Others asked for permission.

Swirsky said he loved watching the diverse group of people interact with what the league had set up. He said they took advantage of the interaction to explain the league’s mission. “It hit home in some part of their being that longed for that connection, that creative connection.”

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

For more inspiration or to learn more about October’s theme, “fear,” you can follow Swirsky on Twitter at @dswirsky23 or ask to join the Akron league’s Facebook group;  you have to have a Facebook account to join the group.