GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids park is getting a fresh look with the help of a local artist.
It's all from a push from a nonprofit to curate art in and around the area.
It took the artist around two months to complete the entire project, and she said the play dome took the longest because of its size and detail.
"This one I was really interested in, because it's not your typical wall mural, it's definitely a unique opportunity, so I put together a proposal for each structure," said Erin Keller, the Grand Rapids artist who painted play structures at Mary Waters Park.
A #GrandRapids artist has gone viral on TikTok after sharing her journey of painting murals on play structures at a Belknap neighborhood park.
— Lauren Kummer (@LaurenKummerTV) August 18, 2022
She says it’s all part of a push from a nonprofit — connecting businesses and artists to curate art in and around the city. @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/t1ufcZ9xiC
Erin Keller is an engineer by day and an artist in her free time.
The park project mural was her first big project, awarded to her through the nonprofit Lions and Rabbits Center for the Arts.
"Sometimes it's harder for artists to get into the public art space, so Lions and Rabbits kind of makes those connection with the businesses or with the parks department, for example, proposing some ideas so that everything's already set up for the artists to come in and do the work," said Keller.
Keller got right to work beginning in June, preparing and painting before and after work and on weekends until it was completed at the end of July.
She painted the play dome, animal spring structures and merry-go-round structure.
"I wanted it to be something that was really playful, really interactive, something that parents can to point out different things on the structures, or even have an educational component," said Keller.
@createdbyerink Scope of my current project! I will be posting my progress throughout the month of July so stay tuned :) #artist #artistsoftiktok #muralist #grandrapids #restorationprojects ♬ Green Light - John Legend
She even documented the journey of her completing the project on social media, posting on TikTok. Some of her videos ended up going viral, getting millions of views.
"With this project, you know, I thought it would be really good to show the whole process and maybe some people would want to follow along. It was definitely really cool to gain an audience that I did not have before, and I would encourage any artists to, you know, put themselves out there on social media for for that reason," said Keller.
@createdbyerink Structure 1/3 complete at Mary Waters Park! Started priming 2 and 3 today 🤩 #artistsoftiktok #restorationprojects #mural #localartist #artistsupport ♬ Get Ready - Steve Aoki Vocal Radio Edit - 2 Unlimited
The budget for the project was $5,000 which paid for Keller's time and her supplies.
All of the money came from crowdfunding fundraisers through Lions and Rabbits.
Keller said now that she's finished her first big project, she is ready for the next.
"I did apply for another mural you know, always just trying to put new ideas and designs out there. Other than that, just kind of building up my website again, because this this did take a lot of time so kind of putting new products out there, and just trying to keep everything rolling," said Keller.
If you're an artist interested in getting involved in projects like these or would like to support the effort, click here.
