UPDATED 7/24/2020

This blog past has been updated to reflect a change in the first mural location as a part of the 2020 Fresh Waves project. The new location will be the warehouse of Thunder Bay Theatre, located on Fletcher St, by artist Britt Flood. Due to the recent fire on the north side of Second Ave, the mural will be painted mid-late August 2020. Dates will be announced soon.

The second mural will be painted at Salon 125, located at 125 E. Chisholm St., by Bay City-based artist Mark Piotrowski. You can learn more about that mural here. 

The downtown mural project, Fresh Waves, is coming back for its second year this summer– which means Downtown Alpena will be getting some new, vibrant public murals.

Fresh Waves was launched in 2019 as a new initiative by the Alpena Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to add vibrant, one-of-a-kind artwork to the downtown district. Aaron Golbeck, an Alpena native who works in Colorado as a professional mural artist, came to the DDA with the idea as a way to give back to the community and create something new and fresh in Alpena. Golbeck and fellow Denver-based artist Chad Bolsinger painted the 2019 mural on the side of Family Enterprise Embroidery.

Earlier this year, the DDA collected applications from mural artists and downtown locations to be considered for this year’s project. Artists submitted mock-ups of what a mural would look like but had the freedom to paint something that celebrated their own artistic freedom and vision– Fresh Waves has no theme or mandated content. 

We are excited to announce our first mural that will be painted this summer will be located on the side of Thunder Bay Theatre’s warehouse building, located at 131 E. Fletcher St., by artist Britt Flood. 

Britt Flood is a professional artist based in Pittsboro, North Carolina and has a goal of providing a mural in all fifty states and beyond. She has painted public murals in Massachusetts, Michigan, and throughout North Carolina for various municipalities, festivals, and businesses.

“I’m interested in visualizing tenderness and bringing moments of poetry, personal transformation, and connection to communities through public art and large scale painting. A simple line moving from a silhouette of a figure to a flower can symbolize an everlasting moment of connection, and that is what I hope to bring to Alpena as a contributing artist to the Fresh Waves project; moments of growth, connection, and positivity that can be felt and remembered,” said the artist.

A work done by Britt Flood in Flint. Photo by Britt Flood.

The artist at work. Photo by Britt Flood.

A public art piece done in Raleigh, NC. Photo by Britt Flood.

“I believe public art and murals activate the space even more when the community interacts with the piece, and I would encourage anyone who stumbles upon this mural to engage with it and get lost within the piece. I hope to see families, friends, and lovers finding pieces of themselves within the art. This is my love letter to Alpena and I hope this piece leaves you feeling transformed, poetic, and connected.”

You can view more examples of Britt Flood’s work by visiting her website or visiting her instagram. Official painting dates will be announced and shared by the Alpena DDA.

Anne Gentry is the Executive Director of the Alpena DDA and is so excited to help facilitate another year of Fresh Waves. Make sure to follow Downtown Alpena on facebook and instagram for more updates on this year’s installations.