Mexican master muralist Victor Quiñonez, known worldwide as MARKA27, has given Cleveland’s West Side a powerful public celebration of culture, family and community at the Cleveland Public Library’s Eastman Branch.
A landmark for Ward 12
The mural, titled “My Pride Is Not a Crime / Mi Orgullo No Es Crimen,” fills the exterior wall of the Eastman Branch at 11602 Lorain Avenue, near West 117th Street, in Cleveland’s Ward 12. Its monumental portraits, flowers and everyday objects turn the library wall into a proud neighborhood landmark.
Created through Cleveland Public Library’s PRISM public-art initiative, the work places the experiences and dignity of immigrant and Latino families in full public view. It shows how a library can be more than a building: it can be a canvas where the community recognizes itself.
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Elevate the culture — Elevando la cultura
MARKA27’s work is rooted in the belief that public art can elevate culture. Here, the market vendor, mother and child, vivid flowers and carefully rendered details honor labor, family, resilience and belonging.
More than ever, in a sea of noise and division, murals like this remind us who we are and how much our communities contribute to the country and city we call home. The work is joyful, dignified and impossible to overlook—exactly the kind of representation public space deserves.
Cleveland Boricua celebrates this moment
As Latinos in Cleveland, we feel immense pride and happiness seeing our culture, our families and our stories showcased this boldly. Cleveland Boricua loves what this mural brings to our community: visibility, beauty and a reason for young people to see themselves reflected at neighborhood scale.
¡Qué orgullo! We are lucky to have a master mural by Victor Quiñonez “MARKA27” here on Cleveland’s West Side. This is our culture, our community and our Cleveland. ❤️
Give the artist his flowers
Victor “MARKA27” Quiñonez is a Mexican-born, Brooklyn-based artist whose murals and studio practice bring Indigenous, African-diasporic and contemporary design languages together. Visitors can explore more of his work through his official website and verified social profiles linked below.
PHOTO GALLERY
MARKA27 and the power of public art
Five photographs showcase the Eastman Branch mural and MARKA27’s broader mural practice. Select any photograph to view it full screen. Victor “MARKA27” Quiñonez.
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