By Dana Kroll, Uptown Marketing and Communications Specialist
The Uptown district of Grand Rapids is putting its own spin on a public-art phenomenon that has delighted communities across the country: tiny doors. Beginning this week and as part of the 16th annual Art Prize event, Uptown GR, Inc. has officially launched Tiny Doors Uptown GR, a free, self-guided public art experience featuring 30 handcrafted miniature doors hidden throughout the Eastown, East Hills, East Fulton and Wealthy Street business districts.
Created by the Uptown GR, Inc. events team and in collaboration with the Uptown GR Tiny Door Collective, a group of local volunteer community members, Tiny Doors is part scavenger hunt and part neighborhood art walk. It is also an official entry in ArtPrize 2026.
Each one-of-a-kind door was designed and built by hand before being installed at an Uptown business or public space. Visitors can follow the approximately three-mile Tiny Doors trail from beginning to end or create their own route, searching for installations tucked into windows, door frames, shop displays, and other unexpected places throughout the district.
The project was designed not only to showcase community creativity, but also to encourage residents and visitors to slow down, explore Uptown on foot, and discover new-to-them independent businesses and neighborhood spaces.
Says Katie Zylstra, Events Specialist, Uptown GR, Inc., and creator of the Tiny Doors Uptown GR initiative: “I’ve always loved how something as simple as a tiny door can turn an ordinary walk into a little adventure. I wanted to bring that same sense of wonder to Uptown, but make it something our community could create and experience together. We have so many incredibly talented and creative people in our districts, and I wanted to create a way to celebrate that creativity and give our community something to be proud of.”
Tiny Doors is completely free, requires no ticket or app, and is intended for visitors of all ages. While debuting as an ArtPrize entry, the installations are expected to remain throughout Uptown year-round, creating an ongoing public art experience for the community. The experience has been designed to be built upon, with additional installations in the future, to keep the activation fresh and exciting.
“By creating this fun and accessible scavenger hunt, we are giving residents and visitors a fresh reason to explore our streets on foot, support our incredible local independent businesses, and celebrate the rich arts culture that makes Uptown so vibrant,” says Ingrid Miller, President and CEO of Uptown GR, Inc.
Visitors can find the Tiny Doors trail map, participating locations, information about the volunteer makers and ArtPrize voting instructions at UptownGR.com/Tiny-Doors-UGR.
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Uptown consists of four business districts: Eastown, East Fulton, Wealthy Street, and East Hills. The district is also home to five residential neighborhoods: Baxter, East Hills, Eastown, Fulton Heights, and Midtown. In all climates, UGRI celebrates its mission: to bring together people, partnerships, and possibilities to sustain a strong and vibrant urban district through planning, coordinating, and communicating with and between all sectors of the Uptown community and beyond.
For more information about this and all things Uptown, please contact Ingrid Miller.