The Plain Dealer | John Caniglia with Steven Litt  |  June 09, 2013

Plain Dealer: "Pull!'' offers city a labor of art as it rolls through Cleveland streets

CLEVELAND, Ohio--The 10-ton truck rumbled down West 54th Street, as about a dozen people pulled it along a route that crisscrossed the city.

The people pulling the truck were a diverse crew: some were homeless, others were artists, while others simply wanted to be part of the moment. They laughed and joked as the 1989 GMC Forward Control -- a box truck with black handles in the front for pullers -- plowed on, sharing in the labor of art.

On a day filled with clouds, Chicago artist William Pope.L's performance of "Pull!" drew the curious and the interested, seeking to highlight the importance of work in our lives.

It was part of a weekend performance in which hundreds of residents pulled the truck for 25 miles through North Collinwood, Glenville, University Circle, Hough and West Park, Clark-Fulton and Ohio City. It was to roll to an end about 7 p.m. Sunday night for a party at the West Side Market.

The event was organized by Spaces gallery and funded mainly by a $50,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation. Other sources of funding were Neighborhood Connections, the John P. Murphy and the Gund foundations.

"I wanted to do something outside the gallery," Pope.L said. "I wanted to do something with people. I always loved Cleveland. It's a rough-and-tumble city. It's hardscrabble."

His message with "Pull!" was simple: "Shared work is its own value. There is nothing wrong with hard work."

It got under way Friday night with a launch party at the Beachland Ballroom. Its pullers navigated the city's streets on the west and east sides.

Jimmy Kuehnle of Cleveland began pushing Sunday morning near West 88th and Denison. He offered several reasons for pushing.

"You get to be part of the art," he said. "That's the great part of it. (The project) is a symbol of doing something together. Sometimes, we are so far apart. We forget that we all have the same DNA."

On Sunday, the DNA showed in sweat.

"When you pull together, it's a different experience," said Kate Sopko who helped coordinate the event through her work at Spaces. "This symbolizes people pulling together to get something done. It shows what can happen when strangers come together."

On Friday night, Sopko said, a young couple with a stroller and a dog caught up to the truck and began asking the group about its purpose. Soon, the family began walking with the group.

"It generated a dialogue about work," Sopko said. "People were asking questions. They were talking about it. . . . It was surprisingly easy to pull. We Clevelanders pull hard and fast. I'm proud of my city today."

Andrea White saw the truck on Clark Avenue and West 53rd Street on Sunday morning. She was amazed at the project.

"I think it's pretty nice," she said. "I looked out and said, 'What's going on?' It's interesting."

Pope.L, an associate professor of visual arts at the University of Chicago, said the truck won't go far. It also runs on gas and he's donating it to the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry's Emergency Men's Shelter at 2100 Lakeside for a culinary gardening program. About 40 pullers for the event came from the shelter.

Plain Dealer reporter Steven Litt contributed to this story.

Original Article