George Masaveg Art Home

George Masaveg in front of his creation ithacacourt (Atlas Obscura User)

Clevelander George Masaveg didn’t want to see discarded artworks thrown away, so he decided to cover his two neighboring houses in the city’s Slavic Village neighborhood with the neglected art pieces.

Masaveg’s ex-wife worked for a local art canvas company and gave Masaveg some pieces the company was going to throw away due to imperfections. Rather than toss the pieces, Masaveg covered them in clear epoxy and mounted them outside facing the street for all to enjoy. He liked the way they looked, so he found some more and more pieces.

Now there are hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and other found ephemera on the outside of his two homes in Slavic Village. The downtown Cleveland neighborhood gained international notoriety during the 2008 recession when it became a stark example of the numerous foreclosures happening around the country. (While Slavic Village was seen as an epicenter of the problem, many other American cities, like Miami, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, were experiencing far more foreclosures.)

Masaveg is still adding to the collection. Keep your eyes open for the 40-pound pig on the chimney and the Hawaiian coffee bag just below it. There is a story behind that from his time in the Navy in the 70s, but you’ll ask Masaveg himself if you want to hear the full story.

Know Before You Go

This is in a residential neighborhood with plenty of street parking available. Remember to put any valuables in your trunk or otherwise out of sight. It only takes a few minutes to see it all because it's so tightly packed, but linger a while to try to see if you can discern Masaveg's curation technique.