River Gallery Project Plans to Bring Vibrant Murals to Toledo Waterfront

When Toledo unveiled the largest mural in the United States along the Maumee River in 2022, it became a vibrant symbol of the city’s history, culture and promising future. Dean Davis, the project’s lead artist, saw the source of pride that the bold sunflowers and portraits of Native Americans had become and wondered: Why stop there? Now, he is expanding on the Glass City River Wall and creating more public art along the Maumee River to tell more of Toledo’s story. His vision, known as the River Gallery Project, plans to add 23 additional murals along the riverfront between Interstate 75 and Lake Erie.

“No one has done anything like this ever, just trying to overhaul the way Toledo is represented with public art,” says Davis, co-founder of the River Gallery Foundation. “It’s really going to be a game changer. These are projects that will reshape Toledo’s landscape forever.”

The first phase has already started and includes eight murals, with the remaining 15 on track to be finished over the next decade. In 2025, Davis completed the Holcim Silos Mural, which features a lighthouse and a crane flying toward the river, and a large frog mural at Middlegrounds Metropark on a support wall of the Anthony Wayne Bridge. 

Next, Davis is planning a series of murals featuring soldiers from every conflict in which the United States has been involved for the Veterans Memorial Bridge. His hope is to complete them this year as part of the America 250 celebration.

The River Gallery Foundation works with Keep Lucas County Beautiful and the Ohio Department of Transportation on the project, while fundraising and applying for grants to pay for the murals. Davis is also looking for artists within a 150-mile radius of Toledo to help paint. For more information, visit rivergalleryfoundation.com. 

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