Welcome to the 2021 Art Seen Festival Archive
As we reflect on the inaugural Art Seen Festival, we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to link arms with Public Arts Midland (an initiative of the Midland Area Community Foundation), Midland Center for the Arts’ Summer Art Fair, Creative 360’s Community Mural and Art Speaks Festival events, and Mural Blast to bring people together in one incredible art-filled weekend.
The 2021 festival was kicked off with a beautiful large-scale mural being painted by local artists Jazzmyn Benitez (enjoylifejazzmynbenitez.com), Dacia Parker (parkerlaneart.com), and their fantastic team! The community was invited to paint the mural along with the artist team and we were honored to witness many people experiencing the power of public art in Midland!
The mural is located on the side wall of “Twice is Nice” in downtown Midland (the parking lot is accessible off McDonald St, between E Main St. and E Larkin St.). Check it out!
Art Seen Festival is a creative movement celebrating public art and mural making in an effort to bring more vibrancy to our community. Art inspires us and propels us forward while bringing voice to diverse experiences, and people. We see art as a catalyst for belonging, and a way to support a community where all people have the opportunity to thrive.
It was a beautiful weekend filled with art making, community connecting, music making, and joy. Hundreds of area community members engaged in the mural event helping to create a one-of-a-kind mural in our city. We couldn’t be more excited as we start planning for the first annual Art Seen Festival!
The Fox – Community Mural by Jazz Benitez & Dacia Parker
Located in the parking lot behind Little Forks Outfitters. Closest address is 123 McDonald St, Midland, MI 48640.
2021 Meet the Artists
Meet Jazzmyn
Jazzmyn Benitez is an artist from southern CA, currently living and working in Midland, MI. Art has always been a tool to help her overcome adversity and depression in her life, and also a way to connect with others and herself on a deeper level. Her capability to open her heart, mind and eyes has given Jazzmyn the opportunity to tap into her “higher power” and as she states, “become a vessel” for what is to be created through her.
Since 2017 Jazzmyn has worked closely with Parker Lane Art & Design Studio and is their head instructor. She also works as the Operations Manager of Live Oak Coffeehouse where she enjoys tapping into the heart of its patrons. Jazzmyn’s connections in the community have given her opportunities in 2019 to create murals for businesses around Bay City & Midland. In the summer of 2019 she was awarded the opportunity to work with Midland Area Youth Action Council to create a public mural called “Change” on the Circle Auto Parts Building on Patrick & Washington in Midland, which led her to co-create with Gessica Garber, of Gg Inspires, on the Emergency Food Pantry mural “People Helping People.” Summer of 2020 she worked with the Community of Mental Health to create a mural in their waiting room to help create a colorful & bright mural for the staff & their patience to enjoy. She also organized a group of artists to paint the barricade cement blocks on main. Being a member of Public Arts Midland Committee she is excited to see what comes next for Midlands Creative spaces, she states, “Midland’s downtown has a few ‘canvases’ she’d like to help bring to life.” Working closely with Art Seen Festival in 2021, she partnered with Dacia Parker to create the “Fox” mural to kick off the annual festival. She says, “painting alongside community members is something I’ve always loved about mural making. It gives me the chance to share this dream with kids who may have the same dream, giving them a chance to see that they can grow up to be artists if that’s what they want to do.”
Along with creating murals, Jazzmyn makes specialty art pieces made with acrylic as well. Working with Walker Custom Carpentry to build frames for her work, to display classically in your home.
Jazzmyn’s positive outlook on life and capacity to pour into others can often be seen and felt in the art that she creates. In her social media posts as well as in person, she uses her art to point to the beauty found in the world and she hopes to influence people to enjoy life through art.
Learn more at enjoylifejazzmynbenitez.com
Instagram: @enjoylifejzb
Email: enjoylifejzb@gmail.com
Meet Dacia
Midland, MI based artpreneur, Dacia Livingston Parker received her first oil paint set at age seven which sparked a myriad of artistic ventures. She has loved expressing her creativity through various media ever since. After graduating from The University of Michigan School of Art and Design with a BFA, Dacia and her husband moved to the Seattle area for 13 years. Deeply inspired by the ocean, mountains, and natural beauty in that part of the country, her work evolved to include those elements. It was in Seattle that Dacia built her professional portrait photography business while honing her craft in art galleries and engaging with the possibilities offered by digital media. In recent years, Dacia has ventured back into painting and working with cyanotypes where her love of the elements – water, mountains and nature continues to inform her work.
Since coming home to Michigan in 2006, Dacia has been involved in the local arts community, doing photography, and developing educational programming for Captured Studios in the Ashman Plaza. She rebranded as Parker Lane Art & Design Studios in 2018 to offer a space for creative instruction and development for emerging artists. Dacia is co-chair of Public Arts Midland, has worked to help establish the community mural making event known as Art Seen Festival, and helps coordinate artistic projects for other groups.
A phrase Dacia believes wholeheartedly is “ART is for Everyone”, and one of the ways she hopes to perpetuate this is by encouraging and mentoring artists, and by making local art more available and accessible through the Ashman Plaza and other venues.
Learn more at http://parkerlane.art
2021 Photo Archive
