SAGINAW, Mich. — It was once a gray eyesore. Now, it's home to the second largest mural in the United States.
It all started with Mark Flegenheimer, the retired president and CEO of Michigan Sugar. When Flegenheimer visited his alma mater, DePauw University, he found the tired-looking grain silos that greeted campus visitors for decades had been transformed into beautiful murals. It gave him an idea.
That idea became the Shine Bright Saginaw Mural Project, which raised over $50,000 from community members to upgrade Saginaw's own rusty silo complex. Organizers called it "blight into community beautification."
With the funds, the organization brought out Okuda San Miguel, known as OKUDA, who is a renowned street artist based out of Madrid. He and his team traveled from Spain to transform the abandoned silos in Saginaw with colorful works of art.
When he began painting in 1997, OKUDA's pieces graced railroads and abandoned factories in his hometown. Today, his pieces can be seen in streets and galleries around the world: India, Mali, Mozambique, United States, Japan, Chile, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Mexico and more.
His style is pop surrealism, which includes geometric structures and patterns on gray backdrops.
Organizers behind the project hope the mural will help create a public arts and culture space, improve the Saginaw Riverfront, generate tourism that will support local businesses and create a new backdrop for some of Saginaw's most important community assets.
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