Murals 2

Artist:
Mural is located on the side of Making Thyme Kitchen.

Artist: Alex Perez
Fun and playful mural by Alex Perez located on the side of The Black Napkin.

Artist: Aztlan Morales Romero
Large and colorful mural painted across the Liquor store and Restaurant in Downtown Grand Rapids.

Artist: Maddison
Boho styled mural located outside of Sparrows Coffee shop in the Creston Neighborhood area.

Artist: Esan Sommersell
A dedicated mural honoring Ethel Coe who was a renaissance woman, a community activist, musician, actor and civil rights leader.

Artist: Derrick Hollowell
A collaborative mural between Derrick Hollowell and students and artists at the ACT Team. It's a piece about friendship and inclusion between everyone.

Artist:

Artist: Brad Goff
On the side of Oliver Healthcare Packaging

Artist: muralbydesign
This 3-sided mural shows GR in the past, present and future.

This was an ArtPrize entry in 2023.

Artist: Dayna Walton
Mural on the side of the Bradley Salon was painted by the artist (@solsticehandmade) for Creston After Dark.

Artist: Sotir Davidhi
Swimming fish flank the walkway at the Sixth Street dam boat launch.

Artist: Abdoulaye Conde
Over 300 hours of work went into making this 30 foot by 66 foot elephant mural.

It won the public ArtPrize vote in 2023.

Artist: Tess Marhofer, Shel Bell Sullivan and Carrie Shelly
Stop 1: Dahlias and birds span the building near Superior and Main St

Stop 2: Dogs - four cute dogs are ready to greet viewers

Stop 3: Butterflies and rainbows welcome you to Wayland

Artist: Son! Visual
Colorful, large-scale mural depicting Michigan's natural resources and geological phenomenon.

What can you spy here? Look for the loon, brook trout, sturgeon, Petoskey Stone, Turnip Rock, morels & more.

This 2022 Art Prize entry is just across the street from Rosa Parks Circle.

Son!Visual created this as a call to action to conserve Michigan's natural wonders and wildlife.

Artist: Maddie Jackson

Artist: Tony WHLGN

Artist: Esan Sommersell

Artist: E’lla Webber

Artist: Kristin Zuller

Artist: Kimberley Kunze and Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium

Artist: Edwin Anderson

Artist: Dave Battjes

Artist: Christine Vermeer
Mural is located at the entrance of Calvin University.

Artist: Erick Picardo
Colorful, vibrant mural located on the side of the Wealthy Street Animal Hospital. It's one of Erick Picardo's many pieces!

Artist: WMCAT Teen Program

Artist:

Artist: George Eberhardt

Artist: Eliza Fernand

Artist: Nick Nortier

Artist: WMCAT Teen Artists Roxy Jacobs, Sammy Baker, and Nia Mays led by Oscar Neri

Artist: Nick Nortier
Large bird mural by Creston Market.

Artist: Elyse Flynn

Artist: Ijania Cortez
An incredible piece by self taught artist Ijania Cortez of Detroit. While the beauty of the piece is a standalone, the story behind the mural gives it even more depth.

Inspired by the true story of the Black People's Free Store in Grand Rapids, this mural features 3 of the 5 activists who started this radical community support system in the 60's.

Artist: Jeff Zimmerman
This massive mural is artist Jeff Zimmerman's take on the people of Grand Rapids.

For his ArtPrize 2010 entry Zimmerman walked the streets of Grand Rapids, looking for citizens that represented the fabric of Grand Rapids. And he included them in this mural!

You Are Here has become an iconic part of Grand Rapids, and is hard to miss on the north side of the Kendall College of Art and Design building. (Corner of Pearl and Division.)

Artist: Kevin Wolfrom
The deep, rich colors of this mural draw you in and invite you to visualize your own dreams, and reaching out to get them.

This massive mural is found at the corner of Newberry and Ottawa in the city's NW side.

Artist: Louise (Ouizi) Chen

Artist: Jimmy Cobb

Artist: Christi Dreese
If you follow the bike path east, behind Plantegna’s Cleaners you will find Christi Dreese’s “Grandmother’s Garden,” a bevy of blossoms all local to west Michigan.

Artist: Joel Schoon-Tanis
“Fish Eye View” by local artist Joel Schoon-Tannis is especially big hit thanks to its prime location next to the entirely new playground at Whistle Stop Park.

JEST’s distinctive style can also be found inside the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum: the Gerber Foundation Book Nook mural that features many popular characters from nursery stories , was spearheaded by Joel as well!

Artist: Kimberly Lavon

Artist: Dave Battjes

Artist: Pat Perry

Artist: Carrie Schoenborn Dennis Nagelkirk and
The Wealthy Street Corridor in East Hills is another concentrated area of murals.

One of the largest ones can be found behind the Brick Road Pizza Co. building. Created in 2008, this mural was part of the final result of Grand Valley State University students, Carrie Schoeborn’s and Dennis Nagelkirk’s, participation in the Student Summer Scholar program.

Working with the African Community Center, which at the time was located at this address, they met with many of the client the center served– refugee immigrants from African nations, to offer support groups, ESL classes, computer training, and other services.

The artists wanted to show the transition of emigrating through the mural. While this particular non-profit is no longer servicing the community, the discussion and awareness that this piece brings, adds value to the neighborhood.

Artist: Kelly Allen

Artist: Erick Picardo

Artist: Lara Nguyen
On the West Side is the chromatic, food themed mural “Palate/Palette” by Lara Nguyen created for the Bridge Street Market.

This vibrant rainbow adds some color to an otherwise drab cement parking garage.

Artist: Erick Picardo

Artist: HCWM SOL students
In a process that took almost a year, teens from the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan’s Supporting Our Leaders (SOL) program, meticulously researched, designed, and painted a mural, which was completed in 2016, along with assistance from the Cook Arts Center.

“Nuestra Historia, Nuestra Voz” (Our History, Our Voice) celebrates and honors the Hispanic identity with nods to Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Cuba.

Artist: Taylor
Not all murals are created by world famous artists, but sometimes are surrounded in mystery, like this one at the corner of Division & Goodrich.

Artist: Tom Duimstra

Artist: Cook Arts Center Youth Program
Due to deterioration of EECO X AVE4ART, the portion on the western walls was replaced during Art Prize 9, with a mural done by local teens from the Cook Arts Center.

Artist: Erwin Erkfitz
The multilevel parking lot between 106 & 108 on South Division is home to four different murals alone.

On the northern wall you can find what remains of the EECO X AVE4ART Mural. Painted for Art Prize 5 as a collaboration of local artist Erwin Erkfitz and the ArtWorks program, this piece encompassed both this wall as well at the split level embankments.

Artist: Ruben Ubiera
On Front Street, you will find “In Our Element” on the northern side of the underpass.

This multi-paneled piece, originally created for Art Prize 7 has many hidden Grand Rapids references.

If you view it from across the street, big picture thinkers can admire the larger than life lightsaber that makes fun use of the available natural light.

Artist: Unknown
Stop by the Grand Rapids Public Museum to check out the murals along the entrance featuring some of their most popular exhibits, like Finny the Whale and the Spillman Carousel.

Artist: Alan Compo
Below Pearl Street, you find yourself strolling through “Anishinaabek,” which depicts scenes of the plum orchard that used to grow along the river as well as other imagery honoring the heritage of the Anishinaabe people.

The mural, entered in Art Prize 10 under UICA Outside, continues up the stairwell that leads back up to street level.

Artist: Lions & Rabbits
Painted staircase (done by the folks at Lions & Rabbits) that takes you down to the Riverwalk trail.

Artist: Erick Picardo

Artist: Andee Rudloff

Artist: Tracy Van Duinen
The three dimensional aspects of this mural can be found throughout the piece, not just the large mirrored face.

Artist: Michael J. Mayosky

Artist: Nick Nortier

Artist: Kyle DeGroff

Artist: Natalia Rak
Internationally known artist, Natalia Rak, brought her whimsical viewpoint to Ionia Avenue in the summer of 2019, when UICA commissioned her for Exit Space Project 15.

Hailing from Poland, she has also left her mark on our sister city Bielsko-Biała, further linking the two cities.

Artist: Erick Picardo

Artist: Ellen Rutt
One of the most notable murals found in downtown, it can be spotted while driving along US-131.

The massive mural was completed for Art Prize 10 and covers the entirety of the Plaza Apartment tower’s parking garage.

When you get closer, you can spy the eye behind the artist’s intention. She explains, “At the center of the mural, the eye acts as a symbol of perception, the way we interpret and translate daily events into narratives that inform our identity.

The eye, sourced from a vintage magazine, is painted using a halftone, an old printing technique brought into an entirely new context through a dramatic shift in scale.”

Artist: Joey Salamon
The city’s first street installation.

Artist: Tracy Van Duinen
Covering the facade of the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, it is a massive mosaic mural that was runner up in the very first Art Prize.

Artist: Britney Gerathy
This mural is frequently used as a backdrop for selfies, but few stop to reflect on the meaning behind it.

From the artist statement: “These paintings have become something like a portrait of my life, my strive for perfection and positivity in a world that demands the former.”

Artist: Justin Smith

Artist: Tamara Brown
“Be the Light” by Tamara Brown, a Lansing based artist, was an entry in Art Prize 9 and was inspired Basilica of Sangrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudi.

Artist: Ellen Rutt Patrick Ethen

Artist: Kyle DeGroff

Artist: Elliot Chaltry

Artist: Erick Picardo

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Creston has already snagged the title of Hottest ZIP code in the country, and it’s got the highest concentration of murals in the city, thanks in no small part to being the home of Lions & Rabbits.

This multifaceted space described itself as an art-driven, event space. Their gallery isn’t limited to inside the building. Along their eastern and northern walls, as well as all along the surrounding cement walls you find dozens of tableaus by various artists.