"See Also" Cleveland Public Art Series

A public monument, Reflect & Refract Democracy, engages the Eastman Garden and its visitors in an interactive system of reflections, refractions, and nonlinear history—echoing the democratic system the artwork is designed to celebrate. In the far corners of the garden, maze-like lenticular walls interweave life-size photographs of historic Cleveland with mirrored panels that reflect visitors into the work itself. This visual integration of past and present celebrates the garden’s visitors as active authors of Cleveland’s evolving identity.

 

Embedded with prisms, this monument to democracy bends and reflects light, bathing viewers in a rainbow glow as they encounter the city’s layered history. The images, drawn from the archives of the Cleveland Public Library, the Library of Congress, Cleveland.com (photojournalist John Kuntz), and Cleveland State University’s Cleveland Memory Project, offer a multifaceted narrative. Unveiled on the centennial of the 19th Amendment—an achievement that expanded our definition of democracy but still excluded many—this work holds space for both the progress and the persistent challenges democracy faces.

 

This project became the springboard for a larger series, "Lenticular Histories," exploring democratic ideals, public memory, and site-based reflection. Spanning five years and four sites, the series expanded the conversation begun in Cleveland across new communities and public spaces.