🎸 Smash Hit
Artist: Philip Burke (with Frank V. Coppola, J. Lincoln III & Kevin Serwacki)
Sponsored by: Rolling Stone Magazine · Location: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Plaza
With snarling lips, wild eyes, and a busted string of nerves and bolts, Smash Hit isn’t just a sculpture—it’s a punk rock tantrum frozen in metal. Larger than life and totally unbothered by gravity, this Frankenstein Strat catapults itself out of the concrete like it’s just been dropped from a Led Zeppelin finale.
A glorious collaboration between legendary caricature artist Philip Burke and metal sculptor Frank V. Coppola, this behemoth guitar perfectly reflects the spirit of Rolling Stone Magazine—loud, opinionated, and ready to break the mold (and maybe your amp).
Standing boldly before the Rock Hall like it owns the place, this is no gentle tribute—it’s a power chord to the face.
"Proud" by Martin Boyle (2002)
Sponsored by McDonald Investments Inc.
Part of Cleveland’s GuitarMania Public Art Project
Artist Martin Boyle’s “Proud” transforms the iconic Fender Stratocaster shape into a visual celebration of beauty, heritage, and public pride. The design—a majestic peacock rendered in rich, layered greens and blues—evokes timeless themes of self-expression and transformation. Commissioned in 2002 for Cleveland’s GuitarMania series, the piece was later acquired by Key Bank and displayed near the city’s Free Stamp sculpture as a tribute to the region’s creative energy.
Boyle, a graduate of the Yale School of Art and the Cleveland Institute of Art, brings over 30 years of international exhibition experience to this work. In his own words, “Proud” reflects not just artistic skill, but a sense of place—anchored in the civic pride of Cleveland and the mission of United Way.
Though not created explicitly for LGBTQ+ Pride, “Proud” invites interpretation as a universal symbol of identity, visibility, and confidence. Its peacock motif resonates with those who understand pride as a personal declaration, just as the title suggests.
🎸 Guitar Title: Long Tall Sally
🎨 Artist: Malcolm Brown
🏢 Sponsored by: KeyCorp
📍 Display Location (2002): Outside KeyCorp’s headquarters building, downtown Cleveland
About the Guitar:
This bold, psychedelic sculpture radiates funk and joy with its neon reds, purples, and yellows—echoing the electrifying energy of the classic rock ‘n’ roll anthem it's named after. Its exaggerated height and vibrant swirls reflect the motion and power of music bursting into life.
About the Artist:
Malcolm Brown, a Cleveland Institute of Art graduate and former art teacher, has had more than 50 works placed in museums and corporate collections across the U.S. His work was featured in the films Finding Fish and Waiting to Exhale. He also owns the Malcolm Brown Gallery in Shaker Heights.
About the Sponsor:
KeyCorp, headquartered in Cleveland since 1849, is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial institutions. With deep ties to the community, Key supports initiatives that enhance the region’s quality of life—both economically and culturally. Sponsoring Long Tall Sally reflects their commitment to art, energy, and enduring rhythm in the city.
🎸 Title: Music For Life
🎨 Artist: Daniel Frey
📍 Location: Hard Rock Cafe, Cleveland – under the “Love All, Serve All” marquee
🏢 Sponsor: Hard Rock Cafe International
📝 Description:
A blazing tribute to the power of music, Music For Life bursts with color and movement, its fiery motif rising toward the headstock boldly inscribed with “LOVE ALL SERVE ALL.” Artist Daniel Frey, a Cleveland Institute of Art and Baldwin-Wallace graduate, is known for his dynamic, detailed illustrations of ships and historic scenes. This piece channels that same energy into a vibrant celebration of rock and roll’s enduring spirit.
Hard Rock Cafe—an iconic global brand with deep roots in musical heritage—sponsored this guitar as part of its ongoing mission to honor artists and inspire audiences around the world. The sculpture stood proudly at the entrance of the Cleveland location, becoming a photo favorite for visitors and fans alike.
Horseplay
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art Grounds
Artist: Prewitt Fiberglass Creative Team
Outside one of Cleveland’s most revered cultural institutions, the Cleveland Museum of Art, this 12-foot, winged fiberglass horse paused its gallop to strike a power chord. “Horseplay” fuses classical form with rock ‘n’ roll attitude — a surreal nod to the blend of tradition and experimentation that defines both art and music.
Created by the Prewitt Fiberglass Creative Team, known for crafting fiberglass animals for public art projects across the country, this piece brings a whimsical twist to the GuitarMania collection. With iridescent hues and an electric white Strat-style guitar, it rears as if in tribute to creativity unbridled — a fitting presence outside a museum devoted to artistic excellence across centuries..
Reach for the Stars
Artist: Hector Vega
Sponsor: Fifth Third Bank
Location: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Plaza, Downtown Cleveland
A colorful burst of Cleveland’s dreams and determination, Reach for the Stars is a bold tribute to the city’s neighborhoods, people, and potential. Created by celebrated local artist Hector Vega, the guitar’s mosaic-style design features diverse communities, iconic landmarks, and a figure stretching skyward—symbolizing the city’s continual striving for excellence.
Sponsored by Fifth Third Bank, this sculpture reflects their belief in community investment as a path to growth. Their message is clear: when neighborhoods thrive, so do businesses—and together, we all reach higher.
Placed beside the iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Reach for the Stars encourages everyone to aim high, build together, and believe in the power of art to elevate.
🎸 Fine Tune Investments
Artist: Howard Koverman
Sponsor: Huntington National Bank
Location: Outside Huntington Building, Euclid & East 9th
In this striking sculpture, Cleveland artist Howard Koverman transforms the classic electric guitar into a soaring tribute to the city’s financial roots. The guitar’s body becomes the very structure it stands before—Huntington Bank’s downtown headquarters—seamlessly blending stone and steel with string and sound.
Koverman, known for his set design and gallery work in Little Italy, captured the spirit of Cleveland’s downtown resurgence in the early 2000s. This artwork reflects not just a business, but a city in tune with its architectural rhythm. Huntington Bank, with more than a century of service in Ohio, sponsored the piece as part of the 2002 GuitarManiaproject, where music met civic pride.
The mirrored placement of the real building and its painted image blurs the line between art and environment—reminding viewers that Cleveland’s legacy isn’t just in its institutions, but in the creativity they inspire.
🎸 I Get By With a Little Help
Artist: Karen Blados & the Arras Creative Team
Sponsor: Charter One Bank
📍 Originally located on the downtown Cleveland sidewalk
A striking tribute to George Harrison (1943–2001), this vibrant piece captures the quiet power and emotional depth of the late Beatles guitarist. Artist Karen Blados, known for her photo-realistic style using graphite and watercolor, collaborated with the Arras Creative Team to design a guitar that blends warmth, nostalgia, and reverence. Harrison’s iconic face emerges from warm orange and red hues, his eyes gazing upward—perhaps toward the “Here Comes the Sun” sky.
Commissioned by Charter One Bank, the sculpture reflects their message of community support and togetherness. As the title suggests, “I Get By With a Little Help” reminds us all of the friends, artists, and institutions that lift us up.
🎸 Party In The Park
Artist: Omar Vizquel
Sponsor: Country Stove and Patio
Original Display Location: Gateway Plaza near Progressive Field
About the Guitar:
This vibrant piece celebrates the color and culture of Cleveland’s community through the eyes of baseball legend Omar Vizquel. Emblazoned with playful icons and youthful energy, it captures the spirit of civic pride and outdoor joy — a true “party in the park.”
Artist Bio:
Best known for his stellar career as shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, Omar Vizquel is also a passionate painter and supporter of youth arts. He’s served as honorary spokesperson for Cleveland’s Young Audiences arts education program and hosted “Omar y Amigos” at home games.
🎭 That’s Entertainment
Artist: William Martin Jean
Sponsor: Playhouse Square Center
Original Location: Outside Playhouse Square, Cleveland
A dazzling tribute to Cleveland’s theater district, That’s Entertainment transforms the guitar into a marquee of musical magic. With nods to Broadway hits like Les Misérables, Stomp, and Cabaret, this piece sings with vibrant color and playful collage.
Artist William Martin Jean, a longtime educator at the Cleveland Institute of Art, brings his theatrical flair and fine art pedigree to the work. Exhibited in Washington D.C., Hungary, and Austria, Jean’s work blends sophistication with accessibility—perfectly matching the spirit of Playhouse Square.
This guitar doesn’t just play—it performs.
Unity of Song
Artist: Katie Ryan
Sponsor: Appraisal Management Company
A celebration of harmony and shared human experience, “Unity of Song” unites color, form, and feeling in a powerful visual symphony. The focal image—hands of diverse skin tones reaching in unity—is cradled by curling musical staves, transforming the guitar into a universal instrument of connection.
Created by West Geauga High School student Katie Ryan, the piece showcases a maturity well beyond her years. Inspired by the emotional depth of color and light, Katie brings soul to form—an early glimpse of an artist with a voice all her own.
Appropriately placed near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this guitar speaks to music’s power to transcend boundaries and bring people together in one shared song.
🎸 Masterblasterstratocaster
Artist: Michael Greenwald
Sponsor: Clear Channel Radio
Location: Public Square, Cleveland, OH
This psychedelic explosion of color and rhythm pulses like a visual echo of the airwaves that sweep through downtown Cleveland. Created by Michael Greenwald—Skidmore College graduate and Cleveland Institute of Art alumnus—this work mirrors the fluid energy of radio and sound. Sponsored by Clear Channel Radio, the largest operator of radio stations in the U.S., the piece celebrates the six local stations that helped fuel Cleveland’s musical identity.
Greenwald’s work, exhibited in galleries from the Intown Club to the Cleveland Clinic, merges vibrant abstraction with symbolic structure. “Masterblasterstratocaster” is a blazing tribute to the electric joy of music and the public square where it still rings out.
🎸 Living Legend
Artist: Grady Hayes
Sponsor: Ford Motor Company
Location: Outside Cleveland’s Baseball Stadium (formerly Jacobs Field)
Bold, bright, and unmistakably American, Living Legend is a guitar-shaped homage to the iconic Ford Thunderbird, painted by Cleveland Institute of Art student Grady Hayes. This piece channels the spirit of the classic American car into the shape of an electric guitar—both symbols of freedom, speed, and expression.
Commissioned by Ford Motor Company, this design was chosen through a special collaboration with CIA alumni and Ford designers Lawrence Youngs and Giuseppe Delena, who returned to their alma mater to judge student entries. Hayes’s winning concept was unveiled at the 2002 Cleveland International Auto Show, before taking its place outside what was then the Cleveland Indians' stadium.
Painted in Ford’s classic red and blue, the guitar merges chrome grillework with fretboard lines, headlights with tone knobs, and curves that recall the Thunderbird’s glory days. Parked metaphorically on the plaza, Living Legend reminds us that design, like music, moves us—across highways, across time, and deep into memory.
🎸 Rock City
Artist: Hector Vega
Sponsor: Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland
Location: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Plaza, Downtown Cleveland
Bursting with vibrant color, architectural motifs, and unmistakable Cleveland spirit, Rock City is a celebration of the city’s neighborhoods, landmarks, and rising cultural identity. Created by acclaimed artist Hector Vega, the guitar is a visual love letter to the city that birthed rock and roll—and continues to reinvent itself.
Sponsored by the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, the piece reflects the city's growth as a destination for travel, tourism, and the arts. From domes to smokestacks, skylines to cultural buildings, Vega’s signature cubist montage style turns the guitar into a stained-glass-like mural of a city on the move.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Cleveland, Hector Vega is a self-taught artist known for his community-based public art and large-scale murals. His work emphasizes diversity, urban pride, and social connectivity—qualities reflected in this energetic, multi-faceted sculpture.
Standing in front of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rock City isn’t just a tribute to music—it’s a mirror of Cleveland’s heartbeat..