GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Artists in five different neighborhoods across the city of Grand Rapids will install over 30 murals between now and the end of the month.
After Dark GR is a public art project aimed at activating city streets and businesses while giving local artists the tools to lead place-making efforts in their own neighborhoods. In order to showcase the art in a socially distanced way, the After Dark team is creating an interactive scavenger hunt type game equipped with prizes, in addition, there's physical board game similar to Life, except Grand Rapids specific.
The project first launched in the Creston neighborhood in 2019, with Creston. After Dark, which included a day long festival celebrating local businesses and the work of eight muralists.
Project founder and Lions & Rabbits gallery owner Hannah Berry said due to the success of the first year, she decided to expand it out to other areas, including Southtown, Downtown, Westside and Michigan Street. The plan was to have one-day festivals in each neighborhood, but due to COVID-19, the team had to get creative to find a new way to engage the community in the effort.
On Sept. 12, the physical board games will be available and the virtual Instagram game will also launch.
"When I think about mobility and equity and people living and working and playing in their neighborhoods and maybe not getting represented correctly, like there's no better way, for me, than to use art to do that," Berry said. "Art is healing, art teaches, art does all these things, so if we can use art to propel ourselves forward, why would we not?"
A message that resonates for one of the project's artist leads, Guillermo Sotelo. Sotelo, a longtime graffiti writer, is leading After Dark's legal graffiti wall in the Creston neighborhood.
"With After Dark, we're able to bring graffiti out into the public. Put it in front of people and just let them know, 'Hey there's no stigma behind it, it's not a terrible thing. This is just another art medium'," Sotelo said.
Sotelo said graffiti has been a focal point of his life since he was young. He tags with the name Asma Speeks.
"As an acronym for All Styles Must Ascend, the Speeks part is just to let you know that this is how I speak. This is how I share my message with the world," Sotelo said.
Sotelo said he hopes to see and help others share their message on the wall located just off Plainfield Avenue on Lafayette Avenue NE.
"It brings the mundane into a different reality, and it really allows the artist to amplify the way that they see the world, and create spaces that they're comfortable in," Sotelo said.
He said he hopes the project as a whole functions to both lift the city up and to also show the value of local artists. Sotelo is one of over 40 different artists creating art in public spaces through After Dark.
"It's not just a glorified hobby, you can make this into a career for yourself. You can do amazing things with your art," he said.
After Dark is in the middle of a crowd funding campaign, all proceeds will go toward the project and funds raised will be matched by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
► Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for Emma? Get in touch by email, Facebook or Twitter.
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