GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A West Michigan artist is asking for the community's help with a new mural painting on the city's west side.
Artist and local business owner, Chelsea Holley is up to the task as this isn't the first time she's completed large-scale paintings in the community.
"I've already done some mural work here on the west side at the holiday bar. And we wanted to continue that community focus by just bringing some color bringing that enrichment and that connection to our community," Holley says.
The now blank grey wall on the side of MWS - Used Cars in Grand Rapids will soon be filled with color on Leonard Street. And business owner Chris Wawee says this placement was intentional.
"Our plan is to listen to community-oriented want to bring the community this is obviously visible from the street, much community feeling and neighborhood feeling we can hear make people realize we're thinking about them in the community," said Wawee.
Wawee and Holley first turned to Facebook to reach out to the community on the 'We are Westsiders' group page and have received over 254 comments of suggestions. They said that reaction confirmed to them that they were doing the right thing.
"I think it's needed. That means when you get a reaction like that, especially about an art project, it means that it's needed in the community, it means that people, people feel passionate, they want to be represented in such a nice way. So I think we'll try to get as much of it in as we can," said Holley.
She says she has a rough idea of what the layout of the painting will be already.
"So we've got a lot of ideas plans to include both the West Side neighborhoods, and then one sort of business Street. Now it's not going to be accurate, because obviously, things are located all over," says Holley, "but we'll try to put as much of that culture and in those businesses are as we're going to pay an homage to a lot of it."
And at the end of the day, Wawee says this is all a way to give back to the community that has been supporting his business for nearly a century.
"We believe in the community. Our businesses are built on community. West Side has been our thing for our whole lives. Our grandpa's and his family are immigrants from Poland and started businesses, you know, 100 plus years ago here and we've stayed here all along," says Wawee, "so the community is everything."
Holley says she expects most of the mural to be complete by the end of the summer. To send your suggestions you can send an email to Holley's business website here, just scroll to the bottom of her page. Or send a Facebook message here to Wawee's business account.
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