Public Art of the Week

The electric blue wall on the rear of the building located at 305 S. Washington Ave. in downtown Lansing is about to get a ‘60s makeover, thanks to the efforts of two Lansing artists, Brian Whitfield and Dennis Preston. They are collaborating on a mural titled “Peace, Love and Rock and Roll,” which will recognize the old “hippy dippy” Free Spirit, Sounds & Diversions, and the Sleep Shop, which were located on that block.

The mural project has been organized by Rebekah Cathey as a tribute to her “hippie” father, Tom Cathey, who was involved in those operations, which were hotspots in downtown Lansing from the 1960s into the ‘80s.

She said Whitfield and Preston (who designed the original Sounds & Diversions logo) have collaborated on a design that captures the essence of her father’s iconic record and waterbed shop.

The mural project, which is about to begin, has funding from the Cathey family, the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and the Lansing Economic Development Corp., and Rebekah Cathey is looking to enlarge the mural through a GoFundMe campaign, which can be found at gofundme.com/f/plrr-mural. Donors can also send a check directly to PLRR Properties LLC, 1424 W. Ionia St., Lansing MI 48915.

Additional funding will be used to light the mural and extend it around the corner.

There are two versions of the mural, which will be melded into one design.