arts Welcome to
art town
How Alger County is using art to tell its story Top, the seasonal Art in the Alley contains over 70 reproduced works of art from Alger County residents, annual and perennial plants and flowers, café lighting, and custom designed metal gateways. The alley is located 1/2 block south of Munising Avenue running from Maple to Birch streets. Bottom, the History of Munising mural is located on Madigan’s Ace Hardware in downtown Munising.
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Marquette Monthly
September 2021
Story and photos by Jaymie Depew
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umerous art installations have blossomed around Alger County in the past decade with most of the projects showcasing the area’s rich culture and history. Kathy Reynolds, executive director of the Munising Downtown Development Authority and CEO of the Alger County Chamber of Commerce/ Greater Munising Bay Partnership, said one of her office’s ambitions has been to increase walkability within the county, especially the cities of Munising and Grand Marais, which border the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. “The main goal of the Munising DDA, and really any other downtown organization, is to increase business activity, and one of the ways you can do that is by getting people walking around,” she said. “So, about nine or 10 years ago, we decided to start adding art installations around the county.” With the help of various grants and sponsorships, the Chamber and DDA have successfully implemented art installations throughout the region, with one of the first being a banner contest held in Munising. “We first displayed the art banners along Elm Avenue by the Munising city dock because we knew groups of people would be coming off tour boats and looking for something to do. So, there was that possibility of getting them downtown to visit other businesses,” Reynolds said. The project — which was eventually expanded to other streets around town — has been a hit locally as hundreds of contenders have submitted
