GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Grey barricades have covered Grand Rapids' downtown in the past year, marking the social zones. The barricades themselves are concrete, dull, and according to artist Kevin Wolfrom, "just an eyesore."
This week, about 40 artists began painting murals on 127 social zone barriers in the city. Wolfrom is creating an Italian garden inspired painting outside Uccello's on Monroe Center.
"Hopefully, people can look at it and say, 'oh that’s awesome,'" said Wolfrom, "And they’ll want to see more art in the city."
The project to paint murals on the barricades is a collaboration with Lions and Rabbits Center for the Arts and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI).
The street-facing portion of the barriers will be stenciled with a design marking the area each social zone is in, like Monroe North. The inside, where the tables are, will feature local artists' work.
"We saw a blank canvas," said Jasmine Bruce, public arts manager for Lions and Rabbits, "It's an opportunity for us to give jobs to artists."
The social zones themselves are authorized through November 1. According to a city spokesperson, they are temporary for now, but could be extended by the City Commission. Generally, comments they receive on the zones have been positive, but no decisions have been made for the long-term future.
Also, State law enables alcohol consumption in the zones until the end of 2024.
The artists will work on the murals on the barricades through the month of August, hopefully finishing up in the fall.
"There’s artists in every city," said Wolfrom, "They need to be highlighted and exposed."
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