CLEVELAND — ​Mary Kay Thomas is an East Cleveland native who said she drives through her city knowing that this community could be much more. 

“I drove down and just took pictures just videos of the buildings and that they were — they looked abandoned and all the broken glass,” Thomas said. 

Thomas is a professional artist who sees the blighted spots in East Cleveland as an opportunity to create something beautiful. 

Last summer, Thomas launched the “U and I of Euclid Ave." mural project designed to brighten and empower East Clevelanders and share stories of the area's rich and vibrant past. Her goal is to put at least 15 murals and art installations in special locations across the city. 

“I wanted it to be this golden gateway, to like open up to East Cleveland. We're a bright, beautiful, vibrant community,” Thomas said. 

With the help of other professional artists, Thomas has been able to complete multiple murals, including one on the Coit Road Farmers Market barn. The farmers market, a staple in East Cleveland, provides fresh, locally-grown, affordable food to residents. 

Thomas and Joe Jerdonak, board president of the East Cleveland Farmers Market Preservation Society, worked to secure a grant for the art.

“It's really building the city's self-esteem. If you don't have self-esteem, you're not going to move forward,” Jerdonak said. 

Thomas said she knows the impact that art can have in communities, and as long as she lives here, she’s going to use her talents to help create a better, more beautiful East Cleveland. 

“It’s a labor of love for the community, and then I was always taught that you do your ministry in your community right where you live,” Thomas said.