Discover Unique and Vibrant Outdoor Art in These 15 Michigan Towns
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Michigan’s vibrant public art scene reflects the Great Lakes State’s rich cultural heritage and creativity. From bustling streets of big cities like Lansing and Grand Rapids to quaint towns like Elk Rapids and Hart, Michigan’s public art displays captivate and inspire locals and visitors alike.
Detroit
From Campus Martius to the RenCen to the Riverwalk, the Motor City has many well-known landmarks. The city’s public art is an extension of that and captivating works can be found around town.
Visitors can stop and admire the Joe Louis Fist on Jefferson Avenue or marvel at the Stevie Wonder mural at the Detroit Music Hall Center. Beautiful artwork can also be seen in colorful murals at Eastern Market and at the James Scott Memorial Fountain on Belle Isle among many other magnificent pieces in Motown.
East Lansing
The home of Michigan State University is no stranger to public art and boasts an eclectic mix of displays.
Art enthusiasts can start inside East Lansing City Hall, which houses a diverse gallery of pastels, acrylics, and other artworks. Heading outside, visitors can find more than two dozen installations around the city, with many of them located along or close to Grand River Avenue.
The vibrant art collection includes a rotating art display on the 400 block of Albert Avenue that rotates pieces quarterly and has included high school art and pieces from MSU’s Broad Museum.
Hart
Aimed at revitalizing the area and enhancing tourist appeal, the H-Art Project is an initiative to introduce 25 art installations by 2025 in this scenic West Michigan city. This project began with a 24-foot tin man sculpture holding a huge heart to be installed downtown. Other installations will include murals and thematic art pieces designed to tell the stories of Hart’s community and history.
Ann Arbor
A2 is a haven for outdoor public art with an exciting mix of sculptures, murals, and installations that adorn the city’s streets, parks, and buildings. The Ann Arbor Art Center’s Art in Public projects have buildings and businesses with vibrant works of art, adding a colorful touch to the city’s landscape.
Visitors can also explore the University of Michigan campus, where striking sculptures and architectural installations — such as the Endover Cube and Orion at U of M’s Museum of Art — capture the attention of students and visitors alike.
Ann Arbor is also home to the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair, which draws upwards of 500,000 people each July, takes over 30 blocks downtown, and features more than 1,000 artists.
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids has earned a reputation as a hotspot for beer and highly-rated restaurants, but it’s also a popular place for public art. In fact, there are more than 100 murals displayed across the city.
This shows that art is an integral part of the city’s structure and murals can be found in the Uptown, West Side, Southtown, North Quarter, and Heartside neighborhoods. Additionally, the Rad Women A-Z Initiative spans more than two dozen downtown mechanical boxes.
RELATED: Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is one of the top such parks in the United States and has a permanent sculpture collection of more than 200 works.
Grand Rapids’ annual ArtPrize festival is an international celebration of all things art, giving artists from all mediums a chance to showcase their skills. Many public works on display throughout the city are former ArtPrize entries.
Lansing
Michigan’s capital city is always bustling with activity and includes several public art spaces. Art enthusiasts can start at Lansing Community College and see a collection of more than two dozen pieces along the “Downtown Sculpture Walk” around the campus and the surrounding area.
RELATED: During the summer months, residents and visitors can enjoy the ArtPath River Trail Exhibition, which showcases the talents of artists and collaborators from across Michigan in a 3.5 mile stretch of the Lansing River Trail.
Murals, nearly three dozen of them, can also be found in several spots around Lansing, but perhaps none more prominently than Lansing’s Old Town. Murals can also be found on the city’s eastside, and in south Lansing, among other places.
Flint
The Flint Public Art Project includes outdoor community events and guided tours, showcasing the city’s growing collection of murals. Murals painted by artists from all corners of the world can be found on buildings throughout Flint, helping not only to beautify the city.
The murals also help residents to reimagine the city and reclaim underutilized and vacant buildings. Visitors and residents alike can enjoy interactive experiences with the mural collection through the PixelStix mobile app on their phones.
Jackson
For nearly half a decade, Jackson’s Bright Walls Initiative celebrated art and creativity with a festival that transformed the city’s downtown into a colorful outdoor art gallery, thanks to large-scale murals painted by local and international artists.
NOTE: The festival was held for the final time in 2022, but those involved with the festival are dedicated to preserving the exisiting murals.
The dozens of murals brought stunning murals to downtown Jackson. They are easily accessible and surrounded by quaint shops and great places to eat, creating a delightful art and shopping experience.
Muskegon
Art enthusiasts can enjoy time at the Muskegon Museum of Art, but downtown Muskegon is also home to more than 40 outdoor art pieces.
Many of the pieces can be found within Muskegon’s Heritage District in a six-block area. The pieces include murals, sculptures, monuments, and other installations that embrace the history and uniqueness of the city. Visitors can take self-guided art walks to see these installations up close.
Kalamazoo
K-Zoo is home to over two dozen giant-sized, Instagram-worthy outdoor wall murals that are must-see for residents and visitors. The murals include works by artists like Patrick Hershberger and Conrad Kaufman and depict everything from historical events to whimsical scenes.
Visitors looking for a fun, creative way to enjoy the murals can embark on a self-guided interactive scavenger hunt. The vibrant colors make each mural unique and post-worthy on social media.
Alpena
On Michigan’s Sunrise Side, the Fresh Waves arts initiative has resulted in the creation of at least a dozen murals around Alpena in the last five years. The vibrant displays give residents and visitors more reason to peek around every nook and cranny while they shop or enjoy a downtown stroll.
Battle Creek
Since 2016, Color the Creek has collaborated with nationally renowned artists on the creation of dozens of large murals in neighborhoods across Battle Creek. The annual event features several community events, including a Youth Day, and a chalk art competition. The colorful murals can be found throughout Battle Creek, often with inspirational messages included in the artwork.
Big Rapids
This unique collection of artwork on the campus of Ferris State University is created entirely by award-winning Michigan artists. The works are part of the Ferris Renaissance a two-decade commitment to adding beauty and cultural representation to campus.
The art installations number nearly two dozen around campus and include works like Kenneth M. Thompson’s “Ferris Arch”, Ferris College and Engineering Technology students and faculty’s “Bulldog”, and Robert Barnum’s “125th Anniversary Sculpture.”
Note: Taking the Art Walk tour on campus requires a special permit to gain access to campus parking.
Elk Rapids
On the shore of East Grand Traverse Bay in Elk Rapids, curious art enthusiasts can visit Elk Rapids Day Park to see the wonders at the Walk of Art. The park is open year-round and dog-friendly, making it an easy choice for a short stroll with your four-legged friend.
Visitors can meander through 15 acres of forest, beach, and dunes to marvel at more than 30 uniquely crafted art pieces. The active sculptures on display include pieces depicting Baby Bigfoot, an alien, and a peacock in addition to abstract creations with names like Weathered and Captain.
Escanaba
Amazing public art can even be found in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In Escanaba, visitors can go downtown to see the wondrous Walk of Planets. Condensed into 18 blocks, visitors can walk a full-scale recreation of our Solar System.
Beginning at City Hall, visitors can see the sun and continue down Ludington Street to see all nine planets. Each planet is near additional points of interest, including breweries, restaurants, coffee shops, and art centers.
Esky is also home to more than two dozens murals and sculptures, many of which are also downtown, giving visitors even more vibrant and colorful art to explore.
Discover Exquisite Public Art in Michigan
These cities and towns in Michigan provide a rich tapestry of art that celebrates local culture, history, and community spirit through murals. Whether you’re a resident or a visitor, taking a tour of these murals offers a unique way to experience Michigan’s artistic side.
