Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A bold splash of paint hit the wall of a building in downtown Howell Monday as “ART Doing Good” officially launched a new mural series shaped by community voices.

A bright blue color splash is on the exterior wall of Thai Café. It will not be part of the final mural but is a simple teaser to bring attention to the QR code. It’s a link for people to share stories, ideas, and input on what the full mural should become when it’s created next spring.

The mural series is said to be built on a simple idea: “We’re creating a series of murals in Downtown Howell shaped by the voices and stories of our community. This is more than paint on a wall. It is about sharing stories, sparking connection and generosity, and building something meaningful together for good.”

The Rotary Club of Howell is the project’s Founding Partner, helping seed the vision and early momentum. The mural series is also made possible with the support of Explore Brighton Howell Area, the City of Howell, the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce, the Howell Carnegie District Library, and the Howell Downtown Development Authority, all working together to help bring this community-powered art to life.

Each mural in the series will serve as a visual portal connecting people with local non-profits. Anyone who wants to get involved, give back, or find help will be able to discover organizations through the artwork itself.

Local Artist and ART Doing Good Founder Susan Pominville commented “This project makes the walls of Howell feel like open doors. A doorway to help if someone needs support. A doorway to giving if they want to make a difference. And a doorway to the stories that make this community who we are.”

Pominville told WHMI the project is shaped by community stories and will continue to grow over the years as they add more murals - some big, some small – to “keep sharing who we are through art”.

There will be an opportunity for in-person public input this Friday. Residents and visitors will have a hands-on way to shape the first mural during Fantasy of Lights from 3 to 7pm.

ART Doing Good will be on State Street with a large community brainstorming canvas, inviting families and visitors to stop by, share ideas, and add their voices to the creative process.
For those unable to attend, www.ARTDoingGood.org is collecting stories and input around the clock.

The final design will reflect the stories gathered from the community and will be revealed and installed next spring. Pominville will be the artist for the first mural but different artists will be featured for others.

When everything is created and all the community impact information is gathered, Pominville said she wants to use it to create a book that will be at the library so people can look and see how the mural was inspired but also see their own artwork published in a book.

A link to more information is provided.