2023 Mural Information
We are excited to announce our mural locations and artists for Fresh Waves! Learn more about what is going to be painted below.
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Location: Harborside Cycle
Artists: Sous La Ciel of Ann Arbor, Michigan This mural will be made possible through the support of The Sunset Project, a non-profit focused on fostering creative advancement while being a driving force for mental health awareness. In line with its mission of generating creative advancement opportunities, The Sunset Project committed to providing additional funding for this year’s competition to expand the reach of the Fresh Waves project. The Sunset Project coordinated closely with area business owner Sam Rumbles to find a location for its mural on his building and selected Sous La Ciel as the artist of choice from an outstanding pool of Fresh Waves applicants. The Sunset Project hopes that by providing additional resources to projects such as Fresh Waves, that new talent and opportunity will follow closely behind and benefit the Northeast Michigan community. |
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Location: 133 W. Chisholm St.
Artist: Tim Nijenhuis of Hamilton, Ontario This mural was completed by artist Tim Nijenhuis of Hamilton, Ontario on August 27. Tim was previously part of the Fresh Waves project and painted the mural on the side of Light of Hope Clubhouse in 2022. The building is owned by Chris & Missi LeFave, who have been deeply involved in the growth of Downtown Alpena over the years. “Missi and I are excited to be part of the DDA’s continued efforts to showcase talented artists and make our downtown unique and beautiful,” said Chris. |
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Location: 123 W. Chisholm St.
Artist: Steffi Tsai of New York City Artist Steffi Tsai (@haveanicedayy_) painted the back of Rusty Petunias Marketplace (123 W. Chisholm St) this September. From the artist: “As an illustrator and muralist, I find that a majority of my work is heavily inspired by the nature and communities that surround the particular project I am working on. By slowly down, taking notice of local characteristics and pulling inspiration directly from the project’s surroundings, I aim to make the final results unique to the environment in which they will exist. I want to bring bold, colorful and positivity to Alpena bring people together with my mural!” |
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Location: Power boxes near 1st Ave & 3rd Ave
Artist: Mariah Brancheau of Northeast Michigan Mariah Brancheau of Lovely Little Lettering Co. will paint two power boxes that mark the entrance and exit to the alleyway off 1st and 3rd Avenues. Brancheau, who is based in Northeast Michigan, is the owner, artist, and educator behind Lovely Little Lettering Co. Her signature style showcases modern hand lettering, blooming florals, and vibrant colors. From the artist: "As an artist, my purpose for all of my work is that others are inspired to be creative, find joy, and remember that they are loved. As an art teacher, my hope for my students (and all people) is that they would look for beauty and inspiration in everything and would continue to add to the beauty around them. In this mural concept, organic shapes and vibrant colors flood the wall and flowers and leaves bloom around three small but powerful words: You Are Art. The phrase “You Are Art” is a reminder that everyone is beautifully created, that they have a unique purpose, and that they have the ability to create beautiful things. My hope for this mural, (as well as every piece I create) is that no matter who looks at it they take a moment to pause and observe something vibrantly beautiful that ignites the creative spark inside them.” |
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Our 2023 project is supported by a grant provided by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council
Thanks to their generous support, we are able to target up to 3 large scale, full-wall murals and 3 smaller pieces of sport art. We are grateful for their support to make our fifth year of the project bigger, better, and more colorful than ever! |
About Fresh WavesFresh Waves: The Downtown Alpena Mural Project is an arts initiative facilitated by the Alpena DDA. The project was launched in 2019 with mural artist Aaron Golbeck, an Alpena native who currently works in Colorado, who came up with the idea to bring fresh mural art to the Alpena community and create something fresh that people can enjoy and get behind. He and Denver-based artist Chad Bolsinger painted the first mural as part of Fresh Waves in July 2019 at Family Enterprise Embroidery, located at 211 S. Second Ave. Over the last three years, the program has grown and continued to bring unique, one-of-a-kind artwork to Downtown Alpena.
In November 2021, Fresh Waves was awarded a "Best Placemaking Project" through the Michigan Downtown Association for the project's impact on our downtown and community. You can learn more about the award here! There is no theme for Fresh Waves, instead we want to celebrate art for art’s sake and allow the artwork to shine through without boxing it in. We are looking for artwork that stands out and tells a new story, with fresh perspective. |
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2021 Installation
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In Summer 2021, twelve murals were painted on free-standing structures at the entrance to the City of Alpena Boat Harbor. Eight artists, many of them from Northeast Michigan, painted 1-2 pieces of vibrant artwork each on 4’ wide x 8’ tall structures located on the grassy stretch between the sidewalk and harbor parking lot on Harbor Drive. You can learn all about our 2021 installation and artists by visiting this blog post on Blog Downtown Alpena!
Our 2021 artists included: Danyeal Dorr | Alpena, Michigan Pieces: Falling Water, Dual Shore Hope Reed | Alpena, Michigan Piece: A Sign of Peace Mariah Brancheau | Lachine, Michigan Piece: Summer Samantha Freske | Posen, Michigan Pieces: Branches, An Order of Hope Sarah Bedford | Alpena, Michigan Piece: Rise Tiffany Tracey | Alpena, Michigan Pieces: Valor, Hold On Angelina Villalobos | Seattle, Washington Pieces: Dragon, Color Jungle |
2020 Installation
In the summer of 2020, the DDA commissioned TWO murals in downtown locations.
2019 InstallationView the mural completed in 2019 in person at 211 S. Second Ave., on the side of Family Enterprise Embroidery, Inc.
The 2019 mural was completed by artists Aaron Golbeck & Chad Bolsinger. Both artists kicked off the first year of our Fresh Waves project! |
FAQs
What is the "theme" of Fresh Waves?
There is no theme for Fresh Waves. So often public art is used as a vehicle for other agendas, celebrating history, or promoting science, or any other plethora of reasons. While using art for those purposes is wonderful, that is not the motivation behind Fresh Waves: The Downtown Mural Project. The purpose of Fresh Waves is to celebrate art as art, for art's sake. Fresh Waves is meant to honor creative freedom and bring fresh new fine art to the downtown landscape. Art that exists for its own purpose, to make you feel something, to make you ask questions. So there is no "theme" that drives Fresh Waves, but instead a mission to bring beautiful, one of a kind artwork by professional artists.
How do you choose artists? Who chooses the artists?
Artist Applications for Fresh Waves 2022 is currently open until April 25, 2022 for this summer's installation! You can view an application at the top of the page. Artists of all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to apply. Artists are asked to fill out a short application, describe why they want to contribute to the Fresh Waves project, submit a resume, share a few examples of their work, and include up to three concepts for a mural to paint downtown. Professional artists with mural experience are preferred, and if artists without mural experience apply and are selected, one of our previous mural artists from years may be available to act as a mentor to help the artist execute their vision.
Artists are selected from the submitted applications by the DDA's Promotions & Marketing Committee which consists of 8 - 10 members of our downtown community that serve on the committee year round and also help make decisions on downtown events and the general marketing of the downtown experience. Ultimately, the major factors in the decision are the designs/mock-ups submitted, cost, and experience.
Once an artist is chosen, DDA staff will confirm with them and pair them with a downtown wall and property owner for approval of a final design.
How do you choose locations? Who chooses the locations?
Locations are chosen through a similar process as artists. Applications for locations are also currently open! Locations are also reviewed and selected by the DDA's Promotions & Marketing Committee which consists of 8 - 10 members of our downtown community that serve on the committee year round and also help make decisions on downtown events and the general marketing of the downtown experience.
The major factors in determining location are the size, condition, material, and geographical location of the wall. Building owners submitting applications to be a location should also understand that because Fresh Waves is a celebration of creative freedom, they ultimately do not get to dictate the content of the mural in any way. The committee will rank the locations that applied. The DDA staff will then follow up with the locations in the order they were ranked to show them the mock-ups. Building owners will either accept the design as is, or reject the design and we'll move down the list of locations until the design is accepted.
I've never been to Alpena, can I still apply?
Yes! We encourage any and all experienced artists to apply for consideration. You do not need to be from Alpena or be associated with Alpena to apply. We love seeing all the different and unique perspectives that people from around the country have brought to our community. Past artists have been Alpena natives returning home, artists from Michigan and artists from other states. All are welcome to apply!
Do I need mural painting experience to apply?
Preferably, yes, AND if you submit a design we really love we may be able to pair you up with a past mural artist to bring your vision to life and help you gain the experience. This of course depends on their availability and your willingness to learn.
How are artists compensated as part of Fresh Waves?
Selected artists are of course compensated for their services rendered as part of Fresh Waves! Compensation depends on the size of wall and experience, and often includes travel, supplies, and lodging. Once we select an artist (or artists), we work with them to determine an appropriate compensation amount to bring their vision to life in Downtown Alpena-- within the given budget for each year's project as part of the overall DDA budget. If you have any specific questions about compensation, please contact DDA Executive Director Anne Gentry at anneg@alpena.mi.us or 989-356-6422.
There is no theme for Fresh Waves. So often public art is used as a vehicle for other agendas, celebrating history, or promoting science, or any other plethora of reasons. While using art for those purposes is wonderful, that is not the motivation behind Fresh Waves: The Downtown Mural Project. The purpose of Fresh Waves is to celebrate art as art, for art's sake. Fresh Waves is meant to honor creative freedom and bring fresh new fine art to the downtown landscape. Art that exists for its own purpose, to make you feel something, to make you ask questions. So there is no "theme" that drives Fresh Waves, but instead a mission to bring beautiful, one of a kind artwork by professional artists.
How do you choose artists? Who chooses the artists?
Artist Applications for Fresh Waves 2022 is currently open until April 25, 2022 for this summer's installation! You can view an application at the top of the page. Artists of all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to apply. Artists are asked to fill out a short application, describe why they want to contribute to the Fresh Waves project, submit a resume, share a few examples of their work, and include up to three concepts for a mural to paint downtown. Professional artists with mural experience are preferred, and if artists without mural experience apply and are selected, one of our previous mural artists from years may be available to act as a mentor to help the artist execute their vision.
Artists are selected from the submitted applications by the DDA's Promotions & Marketing Committee which consists of 8 - 10 members of our downtown community that serve on the committee year round and also help make decisions on downtown events and the general marketing of the downtown experience. Ultimately, the major factors in the decision are the designs/mock-ups submitted, cost, and experience.
Once an artist is chosen, DDA staff will confirm with them and pair them with a downtown wall and property owner for approval of a final design.
How do you choose locations? Who chooses the locations?
Locations are chosen through a similar process as artists. Applications for locations are also currently open! Locations are also reviewed and selected by the DDA's Promotions & Marketing Committee which consists of 8 - 10 members of our downtown community that serve on the committee year round and also help make decisions on downtown events and the general marketing of the downtown experience.
The major factors in determining location are the size, condition, material, and geographical location of the wall. Building owners submitting applications to be a location should also understand that because Fresh Waves is a celebration of creative freedom, they ultimately do not get to dictate the content of the mural in any way. The committee will rank the locations that applied. The DDA staff will then follow up with the locations in the order they were ranked to show them the mock-ups. Building owners will either accept the design as is, or reject the design and we'll move down the list of locations until the design is accepted.
I've never been to Alpena, can I still apply?
Yes! We encourage any and all experienced artists to apply for consideration. You do not need to be from Alpena or be associated with Alpena to apply. We love seeing all the different and unique perspectives that people from around the country have brought to our community. Past artists have been Alpena natives returning home, artists from Michigan and artists from other states. All are welcome to apply!
Do I need mural painting experience to apply?
Preferably, yes, AND if you submit a design we really love we may be able to pair you up with a past mural artist to bring your vision to life and help you gain the experience. This of course depends on their availability and your willingness to learn.
How are artists compensated as part of Fresh Waves?
Selected artists are of course compensated for their services rendered as part of Fresh Waves! Compensation depends on the size of wall and experience, and often includes travel, supplies, and lodging. Once we select an artist (or artists), we work with them to determine an appropriate compensation amount to bring their vision to life in Downtown Alpena-- within the given budget for each year's project as part of the overall DDA budget. If you have any specific questions about compensation, please contact DDA Executive Director Anne Gentry at anneg@alpena.mi.us or 989-356-6422.