Case Study: 2025 Pleasant Peninsula Mural Festival
Pleasant Peninsula held a mural festival in downtown Grand Rapids honoring and celebrating Michigan’s native flora and fauna.
Pleasant Peninsula is a Grand Rapids-based nonprofit that supports and fosters the conservation, biodiversity, and education of Michigan ecology through public art. The organization is comprised of artists, ecologists, educators, and community organizers dedicated to environmental action.
Since 2022, Pleasant Peninsula has held 3 fairs, installed 7 ecology murals, platformed more than 30 environmental activists and educators, installed and engaged community and kid-friendly art projects, and more.
With support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the 2025 mural festival installed 21 murals, each featuring one of Michigan’s endangered native species, informed by the research of environmental educators. The free, city-wide environmental festival celebrated art and ecology, featuring live music, food, speakers from local conservation organizations, 50+ vendors, and educational opportunities, attended by over 2,500 community members.
Pleasant Peninsula was pleased to host Grand Rapids’ first international mural festival, featuring artists from across the US and Canada and activating an underutilized space downtown.
Exceeding their goal with the help of over 200 generous patrons, they were able to overdeliver and install 21 murals dedicated to connecting artists, activists, and community members with native plants and wildlife, bridging a gap and giving a voice and audience to the local landscape. The mural festival also featured a community art project, highlighting 100 local artists displaying their own mini-murals of Michigan native plants and pollinators.
“I never could have imagined what a festival themed around conservation and endangered wildlife would even look like, but this has exceeded every single one of my expectations and there are way more people here than I ever thought was possible. Everyone is here having fun being a part of the conservation community together. It’s simply legendary.” –Jesse L., community member
Project Details
- Project: 2025 Pleasant Peninsula Mural Festival
- Project Type: Public Art
- Project Location: Grand Rapids, MI
- Crowdfunding Raise: $44,712
- Crowdgranting Match: $37,500
- Patrons: 212
- Leveraged Funding: $46,000
- Total Project Estimate: $121,000
With the support of the Grand Rapids community and the Public Spaces Community Places matching grant, Pleasant Peninsula successfully covered:
- Stipends for muralists, educators, and apprentices
- Programming costs to help acquaint the artists with Michigan’s unique ecological landscape
- Installation costs to complete 21 murals over a week
- Festival costs including local musicians, market stalls, talks and demonstrations, live animals, food trucks, and more
- Community Public Art programs like the kids’ art tent and mini-mural features
About Public Spaces Community Places
Public Spaces Community Places (PSCP) is a crowdgranting partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). This initiative provides matching grant funds to eligible projects that improve public spaces in the state of Michigan. Projects can receive a matching grant of up to $50,000 if they reach their crowdfunding goal.
Thriving places help define a community’s economic vitality. From bike trails and pocket parks to public sculpture projects, public spaces contribute to a strong quality of life, help attract and retain talent, and strengthen local economies. Public Spaces Community Places is dedicated to building vibrant communities.
