In preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, Main Street Kent has pulled together a wide variety of eclipse-themed murals, events and promotions, all with the help of artists and community members on Saturday.
Jen Florentine, a local Kent artist, had a chance to display one of the largest of these murals. This mural was made not only for the community, but out of the artist’s personal connection with Kent.
After moving to Kent with her family, Florentine began connecting to the “balance of city and nature” in Kent, which she hoped to show in her eclipse mural.
“There are so many things to love about Kent, one is that Kent is known as the Tree City,” Florentine said. “I knew I wanted to include trees in this mural because looking up into the trees is one of my favorite views.”
The mural is from the perspective of someone looking up at the eclipse through the trees, a sight Florentine explains was meant to reflect that “peaceful” and “inspiring” feeling she gets looking up at trees.
“I have found that looking up takes me out of overthinking. It’s peaceful and inspiring at the same time,” she said. “It is basically about taking a break from your day-to-day routine.”
This mural will stay installed at the Heritage Park, right on the edge of the Cuyahoga River, even after the sun and moon end their alignment. Organizers suggest that this will serve as not only a reminder of the event, but of the way the community worked together to plan its unveiling.
“The whole idea was that we wanted this to be kind of like a permanent reminder of not just the total solar eclipse, but the city coming together to make this whole weekend,” Marketing and Special Events Coordinator for the City of Kent Parks and Recreation Department Oliver Wuensch said.
The Kent Total Eclipse 2024 committee, along with the City of Kent Parks and Recreation department, have worked together to install the colorful reminder of this year’s total solar eclipse.
Multiple partners also helped fund this project, including The Henry V. and Frances W. Christenson Foundation, the Kent Rotary Foundation and the Simons Foundation.
The unveiling ceremony was held April 6, two days before the eclipse, and gathered a small crowd of people. Many rested themselves on the railings above the park, with others preferring to get a closer look at the unveiling down near the river.
“I kind of never expected to have my art in public, but it is,” Florentine said. “The total solar eclipse is awe-inspiring and I am super excited to witness it on Monday.”
Elaina Matricardi is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
