Grand Rapids Murals: Uptown

USA Today named Grand Rapids one of America’s 10 Best Cities Where You Can See Amazing Art – and our extensive collection of public murals is one reason why. There are more than 100 murals spread out across the neighborhoods of Grand Rapids, on buildings and streets, in parks and playgrounds, under bridges and across parking lots.

Many of the murals in Uptown, a neighborhood encompassing four thriving commercial districts, were commissioned by local businesses to draw attention to their spaces and showcase the creative vitality of the area. Take the self-guided tour below to see some of the murals that have become Uptown landmarks. 

The first stop is just 1.5 miles from downtown GR, and there is plenty of street parking and public parking lots throughout Uptown if you’d like to drive. Otherwise, you can hop on a Rapid bus – routes 4, 5, 6 or 14 will get you here. 

You can also download the Uptown Public Art Walking Tour for a 3.5-mile journey exploring these murals as well as colorful crosswalks, painted storm drains, decorated utility boxes and a functional sculpture – 38 artworks in all!

In the mood for more murals? Check out our City Center, Heartside, North Quarter, Southtown, and West Side mural tours, as well as the Rad Women A-Z Initiative, which spans 26 mechanical boxes in the downtown area.

Art Starts Here

Start your tour at Chartreuse Sisters, a sister-run patisserie café offering French-American fusion food and drink. The refurbished 1905 building this business calls home is itself a work of art, so you may want to step inside for a look, along with a coffee and sweet treat to fuel your tour. It’s open from late morning to early afternoon Thursday-Sunday, but you’ll encounter many more open-every-day dining spots as you journey through Uptown.

“The Bond”

800 Wealthy St SE

Inspired by the Chartreuse Sisters’ story of starting a business together, West Michigan illustrator Rhiannan Sibbald created this piece as a celebration of the sacred bond of sisterhood and an invitation for viewers to ponder what sisterhood means to them. It’s Sibbald’s first exterior wall mural and first ArtPrize submission, entered in the 2024 competition. Her work is also featured in our Painted Ticket Booths Tour.

Head east on Wealthy about one-third of a mile, past the intersection of Diamond Ave. Just beyond The Meanwhile Bar and Electric Cheetah is Testa Rossa Italian Ristorante.

“African Community Mural”

1017 Wealthy St. SE

The building that now houses Testa Rossa Italian Ristorante was once occupied by the African Community Center, and this mural on the rear of the structure pays homage to the war refugees who came from various African countries to start new lives in Grand Rapids. Seven artists – Dennis Nagelkirk, Carrie Andrews, Ruby Miller, Teresa Zbiciak, Jason Rood, Julia Greenway and Colleen O’Donnell – contributed to the mural, which is on the north side of the street.

Follow Wealthy about 150 feet east to the intersection of Wealthy and Robey Place. 

“Scorpion Hearts Club Mural”

1035 Wealthy St SE

The (relatively) small mural on the Robey Place-facing side of the Scorpion Heart Club coffeehouse is by artist Maddison Chaffer, who wanted to explore how caffeine evolved in plants as a way to get pollinators to better remember a plant’s location over the seasons. You’ll see another Chaffer mural later in this tour, at Brewery Vivant.

From here, you can see the next mural on your journey, across Wealthy St. on the west side of the Paddle North building.

“Michigan Sunset”

1048 Wealthy St SE

Michigan-based multidisciplinary artist Cameron Klingenberg created this piece, his very first mural, as an ArtPrize 2024 entry. “I am interested in the places where color and line can bring us to the same moment of insight and epiphany that the wonders of the natural world can bring at any moment,” Klingenberg says, describing both his general approach to art and this particular depiction of a vivid nightfall.

Now continue east past the next building to a small surface lot.

“Wealthy Street Animal Hospital Mural”

1052 Wealthy St SE 

West Michigan artist Erick Picardo employed his characteristic bright colors and positive imagery to depict people interacting with animals in the city – an apt subject for this urban veterinary office.

It’s back east on Wealthy another 100 feet or so, past Louise Earl Butcher Shop and the Wealthy Theatre Community Media Center to the entrance to a public parking lot on the south side of the street.

“Wealthy Theatre Mural”

1110 Wealthy St. SE

This mural is a stylized depiction of the historic Wealthy Theatre (1130 Wealthy St. SE), which was built in 1911 for vaudeville and live theater, and later became a neighborhood movie house. It closed in the late 1970s and was refurbished and reopened in 1998 as a community arts center. The mural on the east side of the building beside the parking lot driveway.

Head east on Wealthy another 200 feet, past Visser Place.

“Uncle Cheetah’s Soup Shop Mural”

1133 Wealthy St SE

Michigan artist Jillian L. painted this mural of a hungry cheetah whose tail has a mind of its own on the east-facing wall of Uncle Cheetah’s Soup Shop, a favorite neighborhood lunch & dinner spot. It’s on the north side of the street.

Follow Wealthy east about four-tenths of a mile to Chez Olga, a Caribbean restaurant occupying one of the city’s most distinctive buildings – the exterior is dominated by uniquely shaped wood treatments and a large stained glass window.

“A Postcard of Eastown”
1441 Wealth St SE

Located on the east side of the Chez Olga Building, this colorful landscape mural is the first of two on this tour painted by Devin DuMond. Inspired by classic postcard-style designs, this bright and bold depiction of the Eastown neighborhood it inhabits was an ArtPrize 2024 entry.

Head back west on Wealthy about 200 feet to Atlas Ave. Turn right (north) and go about 500 yards to Lake Dr. You’ll pass the Grand Rapids Pride Center on the way.

“Eastown Pride Crosswalks”

Lake Drive/Genessee Street Intersection

Look down – three crosswalks at this intersection have been painted with colors from different LGBTQ+ flags. Residents of Eastown – a district of Uptown – used to paint the crosswalks for Pride month every year. In 2022, the art installations were approved by the City of Grand Rapids as ADA compliant, allowing them to be permanently maintained.

Turn left on Lake Drive from Atlas. Travel about 1/10 of a mile, just past Robinson Road.

“Matchbox Diner Mural”

1345 Lake Dr. SE

Adorning the west-facing wall of Matchbox Diner & Drinks, this colorful mural was created by West Michigan artist Devin DuMond, who teaches classes at Kendall College of Art & Design in addition to running her own design business. The mural is chock full of Eastown references.

Continue northwest on Lake Dr. about one half mile to Diamond Ave. Turn right (north) on Diamond and go about 1/10 mile to the Baldwin St. intersection.

“The Best School in the Universe”

103 Diamond Ave SE

Students from Congress Elementary School worked with local artist Richard App to paint this mural on the low wall of a parking lot adjacent to the school. Filled with images of the school, local buildings and a sky filled with the moon, stars and comets, it’s meant to symbolize that “learning can take you anywhere.” The front of school, just west of the parking lot, contains painted images on the same theme.

Take Diamond Place (in between the parking lot and school) south to Lake Dr. Turn right (west) on Lake and it’s just a few feet to the parking lot of Vivant Brewery + Spirits on the south side of the street.

“Brewery Vivant Mural”

925 Cherry St. SE

Grand Rapids artist Maddison Chaffer painted the rear wall and a giant tank in the rear parking lot of sustainably minded Vivant Brewery + Spirits, which is located in refurbished funeral chapel. It is one of a number of local murals painted by Chaffer – her “Seeking a Pleasant Peninsula” at 140 Monroe Center in downtown Grand Rapids was the juried winner of the Installation category in ArtPrize 2022. (The brewery front door is on Cherry St.)

Follow Lake Dr. northwest to the next intersection, Dwight Ave., and turn right (north). Follow Dwight two blocks to Fulton St. Turn right (east) and travel about 1/3 mile to Madcap Coffee on the north side of the street.

Madcap Coffee Mural

1041 Fulton St. E.

An enchanting mural by Michigan-based artist Pat Perry wraps around several walls of Madcap, an award-winning local coffeehouse. Perry murals can also be seen in Alaska, Finland, Iraq, Kosovo, Libya, Germany, New Zealand and other far-flung locales.

Continue west on Fulton about one-tenth of a mile past Diamond Avenue .

"Night Moves"

967 Fulton St E

“I wanted to create that glowy summertime feel,” writes multidisciplinary artist Shannon Mack of this exuberant mural. “One of those nights where you can hear crickets, see lightning bugs, and are warmed by the company you’re with.” Painted on the east exterior wall of Spike & Mike’s Party Store, Mack’s work certainly feels like a celebration.

You can now follow Fulton west about a mile to downtown Grand Rapids, or take one of the south streets off Fulton to return to the Wealthy St. starting location for this tour.