Crowdfunding campaign launched for “Art in the Park” project in Spring Lake

$30,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

LANSING, Mich. – The Village of Spring Lake will create a public art exhibit along its Lakeside Trail through a new crowdfunding campaign, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Village of Spring Lake announced today. The campaign is being offered through Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $30,000 by February 19, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/artinthepark.

“The installation of local art pieces along the trail will enhance the use and vibrancy of the area and the nearby park,” said MEDC Senior Vice President of Community Development Katharine Czarnecki. “The artwork will be the result of a collaboration with local business owners and community feedback. We are pleased to provide resources for this effort through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

The campaign will create a linear park along Lakeside Trail using public art as a medium of connectivity and engagement. This project for Art in the Park will issue a call to local artists from the Spring Lake and Tri-Cities area. Entries will be collected and voted on by the public through community engagement meetings as well as by the Spring Lake Village Council for a juried artist award.

The chosen artists will collaborate with local business owners and be provided with materials, supplies, ad compensation for their work. The trail provides the potential for natural progression of this concept along the backs other business that face Lakeside Trail, as well as plentiful areas where we would like to pursue alternate mediums, such as sculpture.

“What the MEDC has done is provided us with an amazing opportunity to bring public art to the Village of Spring Lake. Our Lakeside Trail is a multi-use path and a linear park. At times the trail hugs the beautiful shores of both the Grand River and Spring Lake, and at others runs along a corridor behind a series of businesses downtown. While the trail sites can be gorgeous, the backs of buildings simply are not. We will be engaging our community by calling for local artists to submit mural concepts and for our community and Village Council to vote on them so that we can commission the chosen artists to create murals for the backs of these buildings,” said Village of Spring Lake DDA Director Angela Stanford-Butler. “Art is something that this lovely peninsula community sorely needs. Since their inception, our trails have been enjoyed by so many people from the community and beyond. With art, we expect them to become a destination that draws people in and excites them about what we call Spring Lake Life. With this generous support, we are over the moon about the possibilities.”

Public Spaces Community Places is a collaborative effort of the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity, in which local residents can use crowdfunding to be part of the development of strategic projects in their communities and be backed with a matching grant from MEDC. Communities, nonprofits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/puremichigan.

“Providing vibrant cultural experiences is key to great placemaking,” said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League. “Spring Lake Village is taking it to the next level by bringing local artists and the community together to design a unique public art space along Lakeside Trail.”

The Public Spaces Community Places initiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for community improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of November 30, 2018, MEDC has provided $5,686,841 in matching grants. Since the launch of the program, 186 projects have been successful in reaching their goal, with $6.7 million raised from 35,005 individual donors.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.