The Superhero Project posters have the power to create joy for the community through exhibits online and in person. With the artists’ permission, we have curated collections that have been displayed in Cleveland art galleries, at community events and in hospitals. Creative workshops are available in conjunction with the exhibit, as well as interactive materials that allow visitors to consider how they want to improve the world and to conceptualize their own superheroes. If your organization is interested in hosting one of our existing exhibits or designing your own unique collection, email Lisa at hello@superheroprojectkids.org.
Look at Me!
Recognition and Representation
in a New Pantheon of Superheroes
“To see the full spectrum of marginalized individual identities represented in images,
is to free us all from our nation’s history of inhumanity
and to usher us into a more just and equitable future.”
– Artist Activist Amanda D. King
This touring exhibit of superheroes created by Black, Latinx, Arab American, Native American and Asian American youth inspires and uplifts us. Artist activist Amanda D. King’s moving essay connects the collection to principles of representational justice, reminding us that too often young people of color are missing from art and culture. When individuals are doubly marginalized by race and by illness or disabilities, seeing themselves reflected in joyful and powerful ways is even more critically important.
The Power of The Superhero Project
“Visualizing myself as physically strong helped me endure the physical pain I experienced during the hardest days of my cancer treatments. While my real body was consumed by pain, my inner hero remained unstoppable.”
– Alison Rieman, two-time cancer survivor
In Spring 2020, University Hospitals commissioned an exhibit of superhero posters created by current or former UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital patients. Produced with the generous support of Jeremy Cares, a nonprofit organization that creates moments of joy for families of children living with serious illnesses, the exhibit of oversized posters was displayed for six months, bringing positive energy, bright smiles and a sense of hope to the thousands of hospital staff and visitors who saw them. The characters are a testament to the power of imagination as a tool for healing.
The Superheroes of The Friendly Inn
During the 2022-2023 school year, The Superhero Project collaborated with The Friendly Inn, a community center in Cleveland’s Central Neighborhood. The center hosted our touring exhibit and we conducted a workshop with youth in their afterschool program. Next, we interviewed 14 kids and teens from the center about who they are and how they want to make a positive difference in their community and in the world. They were matched up with illustrators from our League of Extraordinary Artists and received posters to keep. The Friendly Inn also received a set of posters which are now on permanent display at the center, honoring their youth and uplifting the community.
Created by L. (age 10) and designed by Mike Thomas
The Superhero Project Celebrates #ADA30
“The ADA is the living testament to our nation’s commitment
that we will always stand up for our neighbors’ right to live fulfilling lives.”
– Senator Tammy Duckworth
On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law, giving more than 50 million Americans the chance to define themselves by their potential – not their limitations. The ADA is a civil rights law that guarantees individuals with disabilities the same rights and opportunities as everyone else and prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. The Superhero Project Celebrates #ADA30 is a collection of posters created by youth with lifelong disabilities, both visible and invisible. Wheelchairs, AFOs, hearing aids and other adaptive equipment are proudly and joyfully included in these dynamic and diverse images.