Battle Creek native adds splash of neon to Michigan Avenue

Two public art installations are adding a splash of neon to Michigan Avenue.

Neon light works "At Your Innermost Center" and "Always on my Mind" were installed at 80 W. Michigan Ave. April 23. The projects are timed to be lit daily from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. and were designed by Battle Creek native Troy Ramos.

"It’s a huge honor to have it there," said Ramos, who now resides in Metro Detroit. "I just hope that people get to experience it and whatever they get from it is great."

The installations were made possible through grants from the Battle Creek Small Business Development Office and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

The project also received a $1,500 award as part of the BC Placemakers Challenge administered by Penetrator Events.

"The people that are doing these kinds of projects are putting so much time into them," Penetrator Events owner Jeremy Andrews said. "They are giving their time to their community to make it a better place, little by little, and their time is worth so much more than $1,500 that helps them pay for some of the things that they need.

"To me, the most important thing is embracing our artists," he added.

The works were inspired, in part, by a cross-country road-trip Ramos took during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.

While driving through the desert on his way back to Michigan, Ramos began to wonder if people would ever be able to safely enter art galleries again. Observing the neon marquee signs on various hotels, Ramos began to explore the idea of creating neon art installations outdoors.

It wasn't long after in December 2020 that he approached John Hart, development director for Battle Creek Small Business Development, about the possibility of installing neon works downtown.

It took about a year-and-a-half to secure funding, find a neon fabricator — Nain Rouge Neon in Detroit was tasked with bringing Ramos' design to life — and work out the logistics of how to power each piece. But at last, the project has come to fruition.

A bookstore purchase in 2013 served as the primary inspiration behind "At Your Innermost Center," Ramos explained. While picking up a used collection by French poet Arthur Rimbaud, he discovered a handwritten inscription on the inside that read: "When you are ensconced by darkness, remember that you have the heart and soul of a poet and at your innermost center is all of the light you will ever need."

"That stuck with me for years and years," Ramos said. "I just thought it was a great thing to say to someone. ... The more I thought about it over the years, the more I thought I have to do something with this."

The message also serves as an increasingly important reminder in light of the challenges many have faced amid the pandemic.

"We wanted to put some interesting things outdoors for people to experience in light of what was going on," Ramos said of both pieces "The first six months or so (of the pandemic), it felt like maybe the world was going to end. We didn’t know what was going to happen."

"Always on my Mind," a unique arrangement of seven lines, contrasts the everyday routines people experience with life's unforgettable moments.

"Everybody develops habits, right? You go to work, you watch TV. You do that for years and years go by," Ramos said. "But occasionally, there are those moments or those experiences that stick out from everything else that make life exciting."

The orange line represents those special moments that come "few and far between compared to the sea of blue, routine experiences."

While Ramos has his own thoughts on the work, he encourages people to develop their own interpretations.

"For me, the most important thing that people can take away from (the installations) is whatever they want," Ramos said. "They’re going to find their own meaning and they should. … I love thinking about the different possibilities there."

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-501-5661. Follow him on Twitter: G_SteeleBC

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek native adds splash of neon to Michigan Avenue