Plntng Seeds initiative bringing more murals to Monroe in second year

A cultural desert.

Those were the disheartening words that Woody Hoffer once heard to describe his beloved hometown.

"I wanted to figure out what we could do to reengage the creative community in Monroe," Hoffer said. "Unfortunately, a lot of young people in our community don't have access to art and culture. We don't have an art museum, we don't have art galleries, so in order to see those things, you need to go to Toledo or Detroit.

"My thought was, 'How can we bring world-class art into our neighborhoods so that not only can people see them every day, but they can be produced by artists that reflect our community as well?'"

The answer was Plntng Seeds − a community-focused initiative founded by Hoffer and Stephanie Zorn Kasprzak, the executive director of the Monroe County Opportunity Program.

The first year of the program was a huge success.

In 2022, Plntng Seeds was responsible for helping create six public art installations around the city of Monroe. Murals were painted at the Monroe Beer Cooler, Tiffany’s Pizza, Orchard Center High School, and the basketball court at Hellenberg Park. The final two were both painted at the Opportunity Center at Arthur Lesow Community Center: one in the gymnasium and one at the Sharing Garden.

"The response was overwhelmingly positive," Hoffer said. "My gut told me it would be well received just through conversations I had and having access to the community being a lifetime resident. I knew it was something people were desiring."

More than a gut feeling, Hoffer heard positive feedback early and often last year. The community enjoyed the works created by artists Mike Han, Bakpak Durden, Tony Whlgn, Ouizi, Jake Dwyer, and local artist Amy Arnold along with youth from the Opportunity Center.

"When the murals were being created, I would travel to each of them and check it out. Almost every time I stopped, especially at the ones in more public areas like Tiffany's, people were walking up to check it out," Hoffer said. "They were very complimentary of the work, saying how long we needed this and were very happy it's finally happened."

Plntng Seeds is looking to expand in its second year.

So far, four new murals have been planned and officially announced. Hoffer expects a total of seven to eight murals this season along with potentially a few other projects in the works as part of the overall initiative.

"There was more interest (for murals) last year, but we were limited on funding," Hoffer said. "We really didn't want to bite off too big of a project until we at least had a year under our belt. This year, we'll have a larger number of projects."

The first mural this year will be painted at the Monroe Community Ambulance Building on the corner of East First Street and Conant Avenue. Work will begin later this week and is expected to be completed by the following weekend. Southfield artist Rick Williams was selected to create the piece and kick off the initiative's second year.

Another planned mural will be at the FEDCO headquarters on the side of the building facing I-75 to greet people as they travel into Monroe. Ontario artist Dominic Laporte will lead that project, which could become one of the largest murals in the state of Michigan.

"I have quite a few different artists in my network in the design community and through different travels," Hoffer said. "We definitely want a diverse group of artists."

Artists are selected, interviewed and have their previous work vetted in a collaboration with Hoffer and the building or business owners. Artists also have their work reviewed by the Monroe City Council, and owners are asked to enter a licensing agreement with the city in order to maintain the standard of the mural.

The city requires that all murals do not conflict with the existing sign ordinance which allows the artwork as long as it does not promote the business or its services through "graphics, symbols, or written copy."

"If you notice, there's no words on (the murals) and they can't have subject matter that advertises the building," Hoffer said. "Tiffany's (mural) is floral-based. We couldn't do pizza slices or anything that could be construed as an advertisement."

The program was funded last year by contributions from the La-Z-Boy Foundation, DTE Energy, Mid-American Group and MCOP. Many of the same groups have returned to help fund the program this year with new sponsorship coming from Kohler Architecture, the city of Monroe and other community grants.

“Mural installations across the city and the community reaction we’ve seen are a recognition of the support for public art in Monroe," said Monroe Economic and Community Development Director Mark Cochran last year to The Monroe News. "It is widely recognized that public art in a variety of mediums and formats improves the pride, quality of life and aesthetics of communities across the country, and I’m proud our city is taking steps to appropriately celebrate the arts in a manner that reflects our community’s culture."

Editor's note: Keep an eye on The Monroe News for upcoming stories on each mural as they are completed.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Plntng Seeds initiative bringing more murals to Monroe in second year