Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) announced yesterday that a new street mural was coming to downtown and it was going to be painted on Sheldon Blvd between Fulton and Library Streets.

According to DGRI, Artist Joey Salamon and his team are taking on the project which is titled “Rainbow Road” and will commemorate Pride month as well as the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which started the Pride movement and fight for LGBTQ rights.

The Mural which is considered “the most extensive street mural installed to date in the City of Grand Rapids” will cover around 7,000 square feet of Sheldon Ave. and will take 40 gallons of paint (red, blue, yellow, black, and white), and if the weather cooperates will take about 7 days to complete.

DGRI says the project is funded by the Downtown Development Authority and will also serve as a test to see how the mural holds up to traffic as well as watching neighborhood patterns - people being out, traffic slowing down, safety of people walking, biking, etc.

Public murals and art are a proven strategy to enliven too often drab public spaces and infrastructure. Public art is also a common tactic to celebrate the diverse characteristics of a community’s history, values and culture.

The painting will start Sunday, June 23rd , fingers crossed there's no rain.

 

downtowngr.org
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