HEARTSIDE HISTORIC MURALS
Space for beauty, history and community.
In 2021, Dwelling Place—supported by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.—launched the Heartside Historic Mural Project, a community-led effort to honor the untold stories of the Heartside neighborhood through public art.
A steering committee made up of Heartside residents and local leaders selected five artists through an open call: three from Grand Rapids, one from Lansing, and one from Detroit. These artists were connected to historic resources like the Grand Rapids Archives, the African American Archives, and other local collections. Inspired by what they uncovered, each artist chose a person or place rooted in the neighborhood’s history to bring to life through their mural.
To deepen community connection to these works, Dwelling Place partnered with Caroline Cook, founder of Grand Rapids Walking Tours, to offer both in-person and virtual tours exploring the stories behind the murals. Below, you'll find more resources to help you discover and celebrate the rich histories represented in each piece.
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Madame Bell - Harmony Nguyen and Bobby Phillips
Wong Chin Fu - Thiago Porraz
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Travelers - Son Visual
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Tea Garden Cafe + Sun Sai Gai - Kim Nguyen
Chinese, Hispanic, and Syrian Immigrants - Arturo Romero
Heartside Through the Geologic Ages - Nick Nortier
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The Beverly Sisters - Jamari Taylor
Women Activists in Grand Rapids - Kevin Wolfrom
Grand Rapids Black Baseball League - George Eberhardt
Commitment to Community - E’lla Aimee Webber
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Black Entertainment Venues - Edwin Anderson
Honoring the Names Project - Kim Kunze + LGBTQ+ Health Consortium
Union Depot Station - Jasmine Bruce
The Legacy of Dr. Ella Mary Sims - Dustin Hunt
The Black Free People’s Store - Ijania Cortez
Madame Bell - Harmony Nguyen and Bobby Phillips
Harmony/Huong Nguyen:
Huong or Harmony Nguyen, 31, they/them. Huong identifies as a multi-racial (Viet/Chinese/white) and trans interdisciplinary artist, their goal is to use art as a tool explore their identity and break cultural norms. Harmony works as a freelance ceramic and tattoo artist, often showing in local galleries. They have also been an arts educator and community organizer for 10 years. Since then, They received an AFA from GRCC (2015) and BS in Art History from KCAD (2020). Huong is currently working as the 2025 AIR for Dwelling Place
@t4tstudio on all socials
Website: taketimestudio.com
t4tstudiogr@gmail.com
Bobby Phillips:
I'm Bobby, a West Michigan based multidisciplinary artist.
Yeah Media was originally founded to document the life of emergency tree removal specialists chasing tornados and hurricanes across the US. It now represents my work as a filmmaker, editor, & improvisation coach. Locally, I support the arts through advocacy, improvisation,
public art, and collaboration with other artists and makers.
My improv workshops are given in the tradition of Viola Spolin. Yeah Media is available for collaboration on any creative front. I look forward to putting on workshops in amazing new locations, facilitating opportunities for artists, and creating films. I'd love to start the conversation about
how we can amplify each other's voices.
@yeah___media on socials (3 underscores)
website: www.Yeahmedia.art
youtub.com/yeahmedia
Location: 48 Bartlett
Thiago Porraz is a trans, queer, Latino artist living and working in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He began his artistic education with two years of courses at Michigan State University and a semester at Kendall College of Art and Design before deciding to continue building his artistic skills as a self-taught artist. While his foremost passion is acrylic painting, he enjoys working in a variety of mediums including colored pencil, ink, and gouache. Much of his work gravitates toward themes of his lived experiences of queerness and trauma, as well as nature and the cycle of life and death.
Wong Chin Fu - Thiago Porraz
Location: 48 Goodrich
Son Visual or Maddie Chaffer is a muralist, illustrator, and community organizer. Maddie’s murals can be found In Michigan, Colorado, and Oklahoma! They have organized a series of Art & Activism events like Pleasant Peninsula, an ongoing environmental festival, and Forest Fires, a multidisciplinary gallery event about grief, conservation, and rebirth. In the summers, they are foraging & hugging trees & shirtless. Follow them on all social media @son.visual
Travelers - Son Visual
Location: 41 S Cherry St
Kim Thái Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American illustrator, designer, and artist. Born and raised in a Midwest town, she is currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Common themes in her art include food, pop culture, and exploring her cultural identity as a child of refugees.
Tea Garden Cafe and Sun Sai Gai - Kim Nguyen
Location: 60 Division S
Arturo was born in a town called Tepetixtla in the Mexican state of Guerrero on the country’s Pacific coast. He came to the U.S. with his mother and three sisters in 1989, settling in Visalia, California. He worked alongside his mother picking grapes, olives, oranges, peaches, plums and tangerines while attending elementary, middle and high school.
Arturo started painting at the age of five and took two years of art lessons at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia before moving to North Carolina, where he studied automotive custom fabrication, custom paint and auto body repair at Forsyth Technical Community College. He moved his family to Grand Rapids in 2014 for his job, and quickly began making his artistic mark around town.
Much of Arturo’s work showcases Hispanic history and culture, and he uses bright colors to symbolize unity and life. These elements are prominent in the murals showcased below, which the artist and Experience Grand Rapids Marketing & Social Media Manager Rachel Greiner explored for an Instagram story.
Chinese, Hispanic, and Syrian Immigrants - Arturo Romero
Location: 333 Division S
Nick Nortier is an illustrator, mural painter, and printmaker, but also enjoys woodworking, performing spoken word poetry, and the overall process of making creative work. Growing up, his main interests were skating and drawing, two hobbies which would eventually merge into one. From skating, he learned to look at the environment in new and creative ways, which would end up influencing how his work interacts with the area that it’s placed in. He believes the role of street art and murals is to be an art form that is accessible to everyone.
Heartside Through The Geologic Ages - Nick Nortier
Location: 18 Goodrich
Using Charcoal, Acrylics, and Oils, Jamari Taylor creates images that portray a person’s character, power, and strength. She also uses art symbolism as a way to connect with one’s inner-soul, desire of high spirits, and a peace of mind through portraiture and nature. Jamari also uses art symbolism to uplift and get others inspired through an artist’s vision.
The Beverly Sisters - Jamari Taylor
Location: 106 Division S
E’lla Aimee Webber was born in Grand Rapids, MI as E’lla Aimee Luster. A world renowned black female artist, remarkable spirit, vibrant personality, painter, muralist and sculptor of renowned skill, E’lla’s work has been sought after by top celebrities while also impressing at events such as ArtPrize, Harlem Fine Arts Show, and others across America. Through her art, E’lla wants to purposely leave a spiritual impression to show others how art is a God given talent and her gift, prayers and answers come strictly from Lord who leads her.
Commitment to Community - E’lla Aimee Webber
Location: 101 Sheldon Blvd
My name is George Eberhardt III. I am a mural artist with a background in project management, event planning and human-centered design. For the last ten years I have been dedicated to creating artwork in public spaces: specifically, mural installations for the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan in a variety of ways. Most of my large-scale mural projects are the result of partnering with community organizations, nonprofits, neighborhood associations, the City of Grand Rapids and public schools.
Grand Rapids Black Baseball League - George Eberhardt
Location: 106 Division S
Originally from Lansing, MI, Kevin is a fine artist and muralist based out of Grand Rapids, MI. Kevin’s work is heavily influenced by natural elements of the world, outer space, and the human figure. Using outer space as inspiration allows Kevin to explore the realm of color and its vibrancy. Merging the cosmic with the human form allows a new visual to emerge in hopes of inspiring others to create whatever they please.
Women Activists in Grand Rapids - Kevin Wolfrom
Location: 44 Ionia St
Edwin Anderson is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Raised as an inner-city kid in the Southtown area, Edwin is looking to positively represent his community. He is contributing to the growth of his hometown through his mission to promote the arts and business culture together by creating opportunities among the community members and within the city. Edwin is currently attending Aquinas College and will soon receive a dual major in business and visual arts.
Black Entertainment Venues – Edwin Anderson
Location: 359 Division Ave N
AIDS Resource Center Mural - Kimberley Kunze & Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium
Kimberley Kunze is a full-time clinical psychologist in Grand Rapids, MI. She is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially for individuals from the LGBTQ+ community. For the production of this mural, Kim will be leading a team from the Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium, which is a new nonprofit in Grand Rapids whose mission is to provide holistic and accountable healthcare support for LGBTQ+ people through coordinated health advocacy, communication, and accountability with healthcare organizations in the greater Grand Rapids area.
Location: 42 Divison S
Jasmine Bruce is a visual artist whose work emphasizes the healing power of creating. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan she obtained her BFA from Grand Valley State University. Her versatile and powerful style tells the story of a universal trauma which plagues the entire human race. This trauma, ancestral and ancient, is a pain that carves deep into the veins beneath the skin and surfaces as blemishes of the Ism: racism, alcoholism, narcissism. It surfaces as insecurities, anger, abuse, violence, imbalance. Her work aims to draw out this pain, restoring balance and connection with the inner, outer and divine self.
Union Depot Station Mural - Jasmine Bruce
Location: 101 Sheldon Blvd
Dustin Hunt is a committed teaching artist and designer working to inspire emerging creatives through proven strengths in curriculum development, engaging content, inclusive instruction, mentorship and collaboration. Dustin operates Muralmatics and facilitates youth-driven mural projects with middle and high school students using a unique blend of design-centered, hands-on, project-based, math curriculum. He received his Bachelor of Fine Art and graduate teaching certification from Michigan State University. Dustin’s creative practice is informed by several years exploring hip-hop culture as a DJ and graffiti artist.
Mural Honoring Dr. Ella Mary Sims - Dustin Hunt
Location: 21 Weston St
Ijania Cortez is a fine artist living and working in Detroit MI, USA. A self-taught artist, her practice is centralized around painting but also includes murals as well as works of mixed media. She is known for the color she uses in her portraits as well as the subjects, exclusively depicting black men from the inner city. Influenced by a modest childhood in 90’s Detroit and her love for the residents there, her work serves to create conversations between painting and viewer. In her practice Cortez uses neon color to note the modern era, showing her subjects as natural and central in environments that are unnatural, a reflection of the man-made conditions of the city. Her work interrogates beauty and vulnerability in masculinity, as well as the ability to thrive and existence despite adversity. She hosted her first solo exhibition, A Summer Nativity, in July 2017.
Black People's Free Store Mural - Ijania Cortez
Location: 235 Division S