Contact:
Kathleen Achtenberg, MEDC
517.489.0557
[email protected]

Alexis Rosado
Operations Director- 3Sixty
630.873.9395
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 9, 2025

$50,000 goal to win matching grant through MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places initiative

Photos by: Dusty Rose Photography

LANSING, Mich. – The next year of the Tulip City Walls Mural Festival will bring 10 new public art installations and a multi-day celebration that fills the Eastcore neighborhood of Holland with bold murals, live music, food, artist talks, and thousands of inspired attendees. This project will be fulfilled through the anticipated success of a crowdfunding campaign that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the nonprofit 3Sixty announced today, which is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by August 18^th, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/tcw.

“Public art is a point of connection that has no barriers; regardless of language or cultural difference, people can observe and take in great artwork and feel a part of something,” said MEDC Regional Prosperity Managing Director Paula Holtz. “We are pleased to support and provide resources for this effort through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

The Tulip City Walls Mural Festival is a nationally recognized, award-winning event that brings neighbors together across cultures and backgrounds to celebrate public art and shared vision. What began in 2022 has grown into a recurring multi-day celebration centered around public art.

Public art is more than paint on a wall; it drives economic revitalization, neighborhood safety, and a shared identity. A study conducted by the LA County Arts Commission showed that for every $1 invested in public art there was $24 in economic return. Public art has been shown to increase safety, reduce crime, and increase neighborhood pride. The mural festival itself attracts tourism and foot traffic to local businesses. The festival activities create increased public engagement with the artwork and the focus on cultural representation for underrepresented communities creates belonging. The positive impacts of public art in economic and community development cannot be overstated.

“As a grassroots effort, Tulip City Walls transforms our Eastcore neighborhood through vibrant art, culture, and connection. Because this project is powered by the people, we believe our community will help us meet our $50,000 fundraising target to make this event happen,” said Alexis Rosado, Tulip City Walls spokesperson. “This year, we’re eligible for a matching grant from the MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places, but only if we hit our goal first, so we encourage everyone to invest in our community. Whether it’s $10 or $10,000, every partner matters.”

The next year of the Tulip City Walls Mural Festival will bring 10 new public art installations and a multi-day celebration that fills the Eastcore neighborhood of Holland with bold murals, live music, food, artist talks, and thousands of inspired attendees. This project will be fulfilled through the anticipated success of a crowdfunding campaign that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the nonprofit 3Sixty announced today, which is being offered through the Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by August 18^th, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) program. For project details and to donate, please visit: patronicity.com/tcw.

“Public art is a point of connection that has no barriers; regardless of language or cultural difference, people can observe and take in great artwork and feel a part of something,” said MEDC Regional Prosperity Managing Director Paula Holtz. “We are pleased to support and provide resources for this effort through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”

The Tulip City Walls Mural Festival is a nationally recognized, award-winning event that brings neighbors together across cultures and backgrounds to celebrate public art and shared vision. What began in 2022 has grown into a recurring multi-day celebration centered around public art.

Public art is more than paint on a wall; it drives economic revitalization, neighborhood safety, and a shared identity. A study conducted by the LA County Arts Commission showed that for every $1 invested in public art there was $24 in economic return. Public art has been shown to increase safety, reduce crime, and increase neighborhood pride. The mural festival itself attracts tourism and foot traffic to local businesses. The festival activities create increased public engagement with the artwork and the focus on cultural representation for underrepresented communities creates belonging. The positive impacts of public art in economic and community development cannot be overstated.

“As a grassroots effort, Tulip City Walls transforms our Eastcore neighborhood through vibrant art, culture, and connection. Because this project is powered by the people, we believe our community will help us meet our $50,000 fundraising target to make this event happen,” said Alexis Rosado, Tulip City Walls spokesperson. “This year, we’re eligible for a matching grant from the MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places, but only if we hit our goal first, so we encourage everyone to invest in our community. Whether it’s $10 or $10,000, every partner matters.”

Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org. 

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