The 2024 festival included two beautiful large-scale commissioned murals and one incredible community mural.

The community mural, titled Bloom, was designed by local artist, Allise Noble, facilitated by Parker Lane Art & Design Studios and painted with the community! This mural was painted on wood panels down by the courthouse on Main Street, then was installed at Pizza Sam’s, 102 W Main St, on the Ashman St side of the building.

Of the Bloom design, Noble says, “This design was created in bright, cheerful colors with dark outlines so that it can be easily viewed from far away. The faces were done in a line contour style, with different blended colors to represent racial diversity. I wanted my design to celebrate inclusion, and emphasize that we need everyone’s presence and ideas to have the best community possible. I hear so many people feeling defeated, isolated, and like they have no place. This mural can serve as a powerful reminder to people who may be struggling that ‘you are valuable!’ no matter your background, age, or ability. The people are visually diverse, but I also wanted to include the idea of neurodiversity, which is often invisible. This is why I included the symbol inside the butterflies in the foreground. The overall message is that we all grow better individually when we have a village to support us, and that our community grows and thrives when everyone is included.”

We were thrilled to meet and work with the team of artists known as Often Seen Rarely Spoken. OSRS is a commercial art team based in Louisville, Kentucky who have been creating murals throughout the region since forming in 2016. “Our mission is simple: to interact with our environments. We want to create public art
that speaks to the community and tells local history. Our goal is for our work to wow youngsters, inspire individuals, and encourage pride from residents of all ages. Our processes involve techniques from a variety of avenues: photography, graphic design, screen printing, virtual reality etc. Much of our work involves typography and dimensional lettering, which we lay bold solid shapes and patterns against to juxtapose an aesthetic that feels rich and stimulating while not overly complex. Imagery in our work often relates to relics of the past– a telephone booth, an analog clock or a postal box – gesturing an opportunity to produce dialogue and storylines.”

The mural they designed is located at Located at LaLonde’s Market, 4007 North Jefferson Avenue, on the Jefferson Ave side of the building. It’s a beautiful representation of Midland, utilizing Mid-Century Modern colors, fonts, and shapes it adds a welcoming burst of personality to The Neighborhood.

Our largest mural to date is located in Lee Township and was created by Colorado native, David Swartz. This big and bold, weird and wonderful design can be enjoyed at 430 W Isabella Rd, on the East side of the building.

Of the design David says it is, “A chimp experiencing that first moment of higher consciousness! Brain synapses firing, continuous epiphanies, each breath is a whole new world! My design is pretty straight forward. It’s energetic, fun, and dynamic. I incorporated some American Robins which are the Michigan state bird. Because Michigan is awesome and American Robins are (beautiful). The whales are just for fun.”

We also had two nights of amazing live music presented by The Blue Light. Meet the musicians here.

Art Seen Festival seeks to strengthen our Midland County, Michigan, community through vibrant mural making and live performances. Accessible public art is a meaningful way to connect people to feel seen, heard, and included. Art inspires us and propels us forward while bringing voice to diverse experiences, and people. Art is a catalyst for belonging, and supports a community where all people have the opportunity to thrive.

Use the tabs on this page to learn more about the artists and explore the photo archive.

The following murals were completed: