By Dana Kroll, Uptown Marketing and Communications Specialist
Grand Rapids, Tuesday, October 8, 2024:
Uptown GR, Inc. has unveiled the latest attraction to be added to its growing portfolio of offerings designed to engage residents and attract visitors and newcomers to the Grand Rapids Uptown district. A public art walking tour, the highlights of which include 36 outdoor murals, decorated pedestrian and district assets such as crosswalks, storm drains, and more, is a free experience and illustrates the organization’s key objectives to create a district that thrives and invites. It additionally serves to showcase the significance that both Uptown GR and its business community have placed on supporting the city’s local art scene.
The district has a lengthy history of creating space for public art, made evident by the age-range of installations included in the tour. The district’s oldest still-present installation is believed to be ‘Kohler Aviation’, which depicts an aerial flight scene. It is located on the western side of a historical building in the Eastown district and was implemented many years ago (actual date unknown). Other works featured in the tour are anywhere from one to 20 years old and many are quite new, thanks to a grant program developed by Uptown GR, Inc.
The Uptown GR organization has worked alongside its Corridor Improvement Authority over the past several years to develop a series of funding opportunities. The opportunity referenced above – the Public Art Grant Program – began in 2022, and has been utilized in 13 of the tour’s 36 total stops.
Ingrid Miller, Executive Director for Uptown GR, says: “We invite people to discover our district through its public art. Cataloged in a beautifully presented self-guided tour, we hope to bring attention to not only our impressive works of art but to guide visitors and neighbors alike through a storytelling experience that celebrates our community.”
The tour was strategically planned to be unveiled closely following this year’s ArtPrize competition, of which the Uptown district enjoyed its first formal inclusion. In fact, several of the newest installations found on the tour were initially presented as submissions to the contest. The Uptown GR organization’s hope is that during its visitors’ quest to peruse the Uptown ArtPrize entries, newcomers were also able to discover a new-to-them district flush with unique experiences, locally owned establishments, and a lively spirit of community, during the contest. The art tour supplies the perfect opportunity for recent visitors to revisit and enjoy the district, and local art, once again.
Interested parties can find more information and a downloadable/printable map about this self-guided tour by visiting uptowngr.com/discover, or by picking up a brochure map at most Uptown area businesses.
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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.