Does art have the power to heal, to inspire, to provoke, to challenge, to offer hope? 

Apparently some people in Grand Rapids think so. 

Last week a good friend asked if I wanted to go downtown to see the murals that are being created after a violent night in this Western Michigan City. 

The violence occurred after a peaceful protest held after the death of George Floyd.

Rioters burned police cars, smashed windows and looted businesses, causing just under a half a million dollars in damage to public and private property, MLive, the local media  reported. More than 100 businesses were impacted. 

Needing to “get out” and thinking this would be a safe activity during Covid-19, I said sure.  My friend and I met downtown in the center of Grand Rapids which was just beginning to open up. We walked around, wearing our masks, keeping our distance, while I snapped a bunch of photos. 

We found the work to be inspirational—much more than a bunch of pretty pictures. 

The murals are painted on the sheets of plywood covering storefront windows shattered in the upheaval. 

Messages like “Silence is the voice of oppression” and “Emerge with us and fight for justice every day” were shared. 

The project, started as a partnership between CWD Real Estate Investment and the Lions and Rabbits Gallery.  Their goal was to bring a life to downtown and give artists (especially those of color) a chance to express themselves.   

Many of the windows will take up to eight weeks to replace.  It is hoped the murals will jump start activity downtown as well as being thought provoking.  It looked to me like it was already happening.

Others have joined in like the Downtown Development Authority who is providing funds for supplies and artists.  Rockford Construction donated the plywood and others pitched in with donations of paint. 

The works will be for sale when they are replaced by glass. 

So….I meandered camera in hand with my friend.  The art ranges in technique, color, sophistication, but the message around justice and hope for the future is loud and clear. 

The idea of murals communicating a message intrigued me so I did a little research and learned that, while outdoor painting has gone on for centuries, the idea of public art as a means of healing or communicating a message is more recent. 

The modern mural is thought to have originated with the Mexican painter, Diego Rivera, who created murals advocating for social change in the early part of the 20th century. Soon the idea spread and actually during the New Deal in the 1930, the government hired artists to paint murals in public buildings. 

The idea stuck and today some cities actually have a budget for murals.  

The comment that struck me as I read about the role of public art is a statement by artist Olafur Eliasson on a World Economic Forum page (Jan. 18, 2016).  He said, “I am convinced that by bringing us together to share and discuss, a work of art can make us more tolerant of difference and of one another.  The encounter with art—and with others over art—can help us identify with one another, expand our notions of we, and show us that individual engagement in the world has actual consequences.” 

I interpret this to mean that one of the purposes of art, whether in public outdoor space, museums or in a home, is to start conversations.  

So I ask,  “What conversation would you start after viewing the new murals in Grand Rapids, MI?”   And do you think that “Art has the power to heal, to inspire, to provoke, to challenge, to offer hope? 

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.