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I just returned from a photography trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan. These were the first pictures that I captured there.

While walking the streets of downtown I noticed that there were many murals. Several of the murals were very interesting...and some honored local legends.

1- Ethel B Coe mural (by artist Esan Sommersell)

This alleyway is named Ethel B. Coe Way. Ethel B. Coe was a prominent civil rights leader, performer, and educator in Grand Rapids. Notably, she was involved in the city's first major civil rights case as a high school student after being denied service at an ice cream parlor, and she later became the first Black woman to run for public office in Grand Rapids.



2 & 3- "Metamorphosis" mural (by lead artist Tracy Van Duinen)





4- "Raining Wisdom" mural (by artist Abdoulaye Conde)

Conde spent 25 days creating this vibrant, mosaic-style artwork. It depicts elephants in an African wilderness alongside people playing in sprayed water and bubbles. The elephant is the national animal of Guinea (Conde's home country), and the piece was inspired by the intelligence of elephants and their contributions to their families and habitats.



5- "Aztlán" mural (by artist Arturo Morales Romero) on the exterior wall of the MeXo Restaurant



6- "MetaPhorest" mural (by lead artist Tracy Van Duinen)

The project was completed in 2011 with 15 student apprentices from the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology. This just one small segment of the mural.