Lansing's new three-part street art will spread across the city

LANSING — You can catch a glimpse of Dustin Hunt’s new footprint on the Lansing skyline before you get there.

On a recent Wednesday, the only thing visible from a block away was a purple corner of a south-facing wall on Wise Road in South Lansing. But this week, more coats of paint, more color and more vibrancy will adorn the wall facing a playground at the Alfreda Schmidt Community Center.

Hunt’s newest mural is part of a three-part project titled “Lansing Shaped.” The murals will depict three generations of a Lansing family — children, parents and grandparents — at three former Lansing schools (Verlinden Elementary, Otto Middle and Harry Hill High, where Hunt worked last week) to tell the story of how the city shaped the family.

“We’re on the South Side right now and there’s very little public art here,” Hunt said. “The North Side is different. The West Side is different. So I’m trying to take people around the city to see different parts of the city. I think it’s all filled with history and conversation.”

Hunt, who has at least 10 other murals in Lansing, said the plan is to complete the three new ones in October, followed by a public event to formally unveil the works. His work is not limited to painting. He also teaches art and has painted murals outside of Michigan, through his brand Muralmatics.

A Lansing Arts Impact Grant, facilitated by the Greater Lansing Arts Council with city money set aside for public art projects, is funding the $75,000 for Hunt’s murals. Each of the three works is expected to be about 625 square feet.

This grant is one of several the city has and funds “a permanent art installation that enhances the look of a neighborhood.” The idea is that public art is a public good, making Lansing a more pleasant place to live and work.

“People are starting to see more and more of this and then they want more and more of it because it improves the livability of the community,” said Meghan Martin, executive director of the Greater Lansing Arts Council.

“And it also helps us tell the story of the community.”

‘Build a little history around it’

Some cities have discovered that public art can do more than just brighten up a neighborhood or a building.

In Cincinnati, recently named one of the top 10 cities for street art by USA Today, the hundreds of murals have also had an economic benefit for the city, neighborhoods and people who live near the art.

ArtWorks Cincinnati, a nonprofit that started in 1996, hires young people from the neighborhoods where the murals are painted to help out. The goal of ArtWorks, which is modeled after a Chicago public art program, is to beautify the city and provide resources to young people in need, said Jill Dunne, the agency’s marketing director.

ArtWorks began commissioning murals in 2006, he added, and has increased the number each year. They are now responsible for dozens of them each year, employing more and more young people and thinking about longer-term projects.

Other Cincinnati organizations have begun funding public art, Dunne said, adding that as more public art has been created, vandalism and litter have decreased and the feeling of safety in neighborhoods has increased.

“People see these murals on the wall and it helps them appreciate their community more and more,” he said.

Public art also allows paintings and sculptures to be taken out of museums and into the community, where more people can see and appreciate them. And as impactful as that can be, there are still limits.

Hunt has other murals throughout the city, including some downtown.

There’s one along a driveway on the east side of the downtown branch of Capital Area District Libraries, another in the alley just west of Washington Square, and a third on the side of a building at East Michigan Avenue and South Grand Avenue.

He also helped place about 10 more in Lansing during the 2019 Below the Stacks mural festival, which he co-directed. The event featured artists from Michigan, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.

As Hunt planned her “Lansing Shaped” project, she knew she wanted to find a way to push the boundaries of painting on a wall.

“You drive by it, you walk by it, and that’s it,” he said. “I’m interested in drawing people in and creating a context around the mural so they can understand why it’s there, what it means, and just build a little bit of history around it.”

She will accomplish some of that by including lines and design cues in the paintings that will draw the viewer’s eye to a QR code that, if scanned, will take them to a website with a video portal with instructions on how to further explore the works and subject matter.

But just as important is the story Hunt tells in paint and brick walls: the story of a town, its schools, its residents, their different perspectives on the world and how it’s all contained in one family.

“Street art is an accepted art form all over the world,” he said. “I think bringing it into cities would be valuable.”

Where can you see public art in Lansing?

Hunt isn’t the only artist whose work is on display throughout Lansing.

There are dozens of pieces of public art (murals, sculptures, painted electrical boxes), including many within walking distance of downtown.

Here’s a look at where you can see some of the work, plus a map with even more:

Portrait of a dreamer

The sculpture near Jackson Field, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, is probably one of the most recognizable. Like the “Lansing Shaped” project Hunt hopes to unveil in October, this sculpture was funded by a Lansing Arts Impact Grant.

Artist Ivan Iler has another sculpture called “Mother Tree” in Lansing’s Hunter Park.

Shiawassee Street Mosaic Project

The Arts Impact Grant also funded the “Shiawassee Street Mosaic Project,” located along the Shiawassee Street Bridge near the river trail. The 650-square-foot mosaic mural was completed in 2022, after pandemic-related delays.

More than 1,000 volunteers worked on the mosaic project. And right next to the project, under the Shiawassee Street Bridge along the river trail, are four more murals.

Lansing River Trail ArtPath

Lansing’s River Trail is filled with art, and each year the city and the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center host the ArtPath program, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The 2.5-mile river trail from the Turner Dodge House in south Old Town includes more than 20 works of art.

Mural Festival under the Stacks Sky

In 2019, Hunt helped organize the Below the Stacks mural festival in Lansing. The event ended with 11 new murals in Lansing, with artists coming to the city from New York and Los Angeles to paint.

The completed works are now on display in REO Town, Old Town and other locations.

Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or [email protected].

Breaking

Lansing’s new three-part street art will spread across the city

ByS. Jacob

‘Build a little history around it’

Where can you see public art in Lansing?

Portrait of a dreamer

Shiawassee Street Mosaic Project

Lansing River Trail ArtPath

Mural Festival under the Stacks Sky

By S. Jacob

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