Public Art of the Week

Charlie Gehringer mural

It’s worth a detour off Interstate 96 to the village of Fowlerville to see the new mural honoring baseball great Charlie Gehringer. The Hall of Famer was raised on a farm and played for sandlot teams and the University of Michigan before joining the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons, from 1924 through 1942, at second base, including starting in six All-Star Games. He was called the Mechanical Man for his sterling ability fielding and batting. His accomplishments were legendary, batting .371 the year he won the American League Most Valuable Player award and playing on the 1935 World Championship team. He held a .320-career batting average.

The new mural, which was completed in early September, was underwritten by a $25,000 grant from the Consumers Power Foundation.

Fowlerville has planned an unveiling at 2 p.m. Friday (Oct. 3) at 200 N. Grand River Ave.

Local artist Sarah Elaine painted the mural with assistance by Nona Zink and Amanda Johnson on the side of the village’s new EMS Building. The large mural shows Gehringer posing in his Fowlerville High School uniform. He led the team to a state championship.

There are plans percolating in the Lansing area to name a street after Magic Johnson, so why not a large mural like Fowlerville’s showcasing our own hometown hero?

 

Public Art of the Week rotates with Eyesore of the Week. If you have an idea for either, please email eye@lansingcitypulse.com or call (517) 999-6704.