Video: Artist Dustin Hunt talks about his Lansing mural project
Video: Artist Dustin Hunt talks about his Lansing mural project
LANSING – You can catch a glimpse of Dustin Hunt’s latest work in Lansing’s cityscape before you get there.
A purple corner of a south-facing wall on Wise Road in South Lansing was all that could be seen from a block away on a recent Wednesday. But later this week, more layers of paint, more color and more vibrancy will adorn the wall across from a playground at the Alfreda Schmidt Community Center.
Hunt’s latest mural is part of a three-part project called “Lansing Shaped.” The murals 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 was working last week – and 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 try to walk people around the city so they see different parts of the city. I think it’s all infused with history and conversation.”
Hunt, who has created at least 10 other murals in Lansing, said the plan is to complete all three new ones by October, then hold a public event to officially unveil the works. His work is not limited to painting. He also teaches art and has painted murals outside of Michigan with his brand Muralmatics.
A Lansing Arts Impact Grant, funded by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing using city funds for public art projects, is funding the $75,000 cost of Hunt’s murals. The three works are expected to be about 600 square feet each.
The grant is one of several awarded by the city and funds “a permanent art installation that enhances the appearance of a neighborhood.” The idea behind it is that public art is a public good and makes Lansing a more beautiful place to live and work.
“(People) see more and more of it and then want more and more of it because it improves the quality of life in the community,” said Meghan Martin, executive director of the Arts Council of Greater Lansing.
“And it also helps us tell the story of the community.”
“Build a little story around it”
Some cities have realized that public art can do more than just beautify 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 proven to be an economic benefit to the city, its neighborhoods and the people who live near the artwork.
ArtWorks Cincinnati, a nonprofit founded in 1996, hires young people from the neighborhoods where murals are painted. The goal of ArtWorks, modeled after a public art program in Chicago, is to make the city more beautiful and provide resources to young people who need them, says Jill Dunne, the agency’s marketing director.
ArtWorks began commissioning murals in 2006, she added, and has gradually increased the number each year. They are now responsible for dozens a year, are hiring more young people and are now looking for longer-term projects.
Other organizations in Cincinnati have begun funding public art, Dunne said, adding that as the number of public artworks has increased, vandalism and littering have decreased and the sense of safety in neighborhoods has increased.
“People see these murals on the walls and it helps them appreciate their community more and more,” she said.
Public art also brings paintings and sculptures out of museums and into society, where more people can see and appreciate the works. And as powerful as that can be, there are still limits.
Hunt owns other murals throughout the city, including some downtown.
One is located at a driveway on the east side of the downtown branch of the Capital Area District Libraries, another in the alley just west of Washington Square, and a third on the side of a building at the corner of East Michigan Avenue and South Grand Avenue.
He also helped install 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.
When Hunt was planning his Lansing Shaped project, he knew he wanted to find a way to overcome the limitations of wall color.
“You drive by. You walk by. And that’s it,” he said. “I want to engage people and build a context around the mural so they understand why it’s here and what it means. And just build a little story around it.”
One way he does this is by incorporating lines and design elements into the paintings that draw the viewer’s eye to a QR code. When scanned, the code takes the viewer to a website with a video portal and instructions for further exploration of the works and the subject matter.
But just as important is the story that Hunt tells with paint and brick walls: the story of a city, its schools, its residents, their different views of the world and how all of this is contained within one family.
“Street art is a globally recognized art form,” he said. “I think just bringing that into the cities would be valuable.”
Where can you see public art in Lansing?
Hunt is not the only artist whose work is on display throughout Lansing.
There are dozens of public artworks – murals, sculptures, painted electrical boxes – including many within walking distance of downtown.
Here’s where you can see some of the work, plus a map with even more:
Portrait of a dreamer
The sculpture, located near Jackson Field, home of the Lansing Lugnuts, is probably one of the most recognizable. Like the “Lansing Shaped” project that Hunt plans to unveil in October, this sculpture was funded with a Lansing Arts Impact Grant.
Artist Ivan Iler has another sculpture called “Mother Tree” in Hunter Park in Lansing.
Shiawassee Street Mosaic Tile Project
The Arts Impact Grant also funded the Shiawassee Street Mosaic Project, located on the side of the Shiawassee Street Bridge near the river trail. The 60-square-foot mosaic tile mural was completed in 2022 after pandemic-related delays.
More than 1,000 volunteers helped with the mosaic project. And very close to the work, under the Shiawassee Street Bridge along the riverwalk, are four more murals.
Lansing River Trail ArtPath
Lansing’s riverwalk is full of art, and each year the city and the Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center host the ArtPath program, officially from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The 2.5-mile riverwalk from the Turner Dodge House in Old Town South includes more than 20 works of art.
Under the Stacks Mural Festival
In 2019, Hunt helped organize the Below the Stacks mural festival in Lansing. The event culminated in 11 new murals in Lansing, with artists from New York and Los Angeles coming to town to paint.
The finished works are now on display in REO Town, Old Town and elsewhere.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or [email protected].
