Mount Pleasant receives grant to paint third intersection downtown
Adding to the art and creativity in downtown Mount Pleasant, a third intersection will be painted in Summer 2019 after the city received a grant to do so.
"Paint the Intersection" is an ongoing project spearheaded by the Art Reach of Mid-Michigan where downtown intersections of road are painted as a public art installation.
"The goal is to beautify downtown and provide an opportunity for a public art installation that everyone is invited to help create," said Amy Powell, executive director at Art Reach.
The City of Mount Pleasant was awarded a mini grant of $2,200 from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs to add another intersection, Franklin and Broadway Streets, to the project.
Currently, the intersections of Broadway and University, and Broadway and Main Streets, are each painted with a bright-colored, geometric design.
Powell said a design for the Franklin intersection will be approved by the city manager in the spring.
"I fully expect that in 2019 all three intersections will have the same geometric design," Powell said.
Larger geometric shapes are easier for people of all ages and all skill sets to paint, she added.
In 2013, more than 400 people flocked to downtown to paint the first intersection on Main Street, according to a Nov. 2 Mount Pleasant press release. The second intersection was painted this year with support from Max and Emily's Bakery Cafe.
"We fully expect there to be at least 400 people again (next) year," Powell said.
She said a lot of community members have come to look forward to the event where they spend a whole day downtown, eating locally and shopping.
"In addition to the feel good benefits of creating this cool art piece and having hundreds of people participate in the creation of it, it's also having an economic impact on the downtown area," Powell said.
In the past, the project has also contributed to the local economy by buying the durable, acrylic paint from Percha Paint and Wallpaper, located in Mount Pleasant, Powell said.
You can learn more about the Art Reach of Mid-Michigan's mission and contribution to Mount pleasant here.
