Public art: Once vandalism, now visionary

Public art can be traced to ancient times, but it has evolved into its own art form, beginning in the 1960s on the streets of New York City and the underground subway lines traversing the city. …

By By BILL CASTANIER

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Arts and Culture

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September 3, 2025

A hidden alley behind Good Truckin’ Diner in Old Town holds two outstanding murals: one of Elvis Presley, painted by Eric Schantz, and another of a robot guarding a back entrance, created by Bob Rose.

Public art can be traced to ancient times, but it has evolved into its own art form, beginning in the 1960s on the streets of New York City and the underground subway lines traversing the city. Initially, it was considered vandalism, until modern-day graffiti artists and sculptors like Banksy, Basquiat, Haring, Fairey and Lady Pink expanded the medium in creative ways. Lansing is home to hundreds of public art pieces and outdoor sculptures. You never know where you might stumble across them, but they add life to the city.

Lansing Community College boasts a collection of outdoor sculptures that invite a look, such as this sculpture of a woman holding two umbrellas, being admired by a young woman with an umbrella.

Michigan State University’s Horticulture Gardens come to life with public art, like this sculpture of a young boy reading in the Children’s Garden.

The area on the south side of the Shiawassee Street Bridge is crying for a large stone or a bench on which to sit and admire the ceramic tile installation. Completed by Alexandra Leonard, it is one of the most impressive community-based public art projects in the city.

Dustin Hunt’s mural on the old Verlinden Elementary School tells the story of two brothers, part of a series on a multi-generational Lansing family titled “Lansing Shaped.”

— BILL CASTANIER

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By BILL CASTANIER

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Public art: Once vandalism, now visionary

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