Students’ murals bring new life to downtown Muskegon

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Muskegon students are painting new murals and revitalizing old ones across downtown to spruce up the city.

Three Muskegon Public Schools students and one recent graduate have been painting throughout the summer, every day that the weather cooperates. The designs range from flowers to a sunrise.

The effort began when the city contacted the Nancy K. Poppen Program to help touch up old murals across Western Avenue, a street lined with pop-up small businesses. The students are also painting new designs at the roundabout at Western Avenue and Third Street.

Nancy Poppen and her husband Sherman R. Poppen founded the program in the early 1990s to help lower income families in Muskegon receive art lessons. Today, about 60 students from third to 12th grades receive weekly art, music or dance lessons each year. Graduating participants can get scholarships through the program.

Emma Prestly, a recent graduate who is attending Grand Valley State University this fall, immediately said yes to creating the new murals. Prestly said it’s a legacy students can leave behind.

“It makes me feel very important and I left some sort of mark on my hometown as I go off to college,” Prestly said. “It feels very special to me.”‘

Painting isn’t just a hobby for Prestly. It’s about self-expression.

“It’s almost like a second way of speaking,” Prestly said. “I just think that’s really wonderful.”

Claire Root Benson, the program’s executive director, hopes the artwork brings the community something positive.

“I just hope it brings a little bit of joy and delight to everyone and they see something creative and innovative on this corridor and in the other places where Muskegon is redefining itself and creating a great space for all,” Root Benson said.

Praising the program, Muskegon Deputy City Manager LeighAnn Mikesell said in a statement to News 8 that the city is “grateful for this opportunity to provide public art experience for high school students.”

“Our goal is to provide meaningful experience for the students and enjoyable public spaces for our residents, businesses, and visitors,” the statement continued. “We thank the instructors, managers, and students for their dedication to our community.”

The group hopes to finish painting all the murals in the next few weeks.

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