The City of Saline has a well established Arts and Culture Committee and specifically seeks to promote awareness of images in a variety of locations, readily available for residents and visitors to see. [1,2,3]
But it turns out that the value here is more than “public good.” Business thinkers are now discovering that such efforts may be their key to innovation breakthroughs and competitive advantage. Downtown, this might come by serendipity to someone happening to glance across the street when coming out of Bill’s Barber Shop. [4,5]
In Eastgate, it can literally be found right on the window of Capstone Tax & Financial. [6]
There’s one important difference here: This is original art that’s not meant to be permanent.
If that’s a tough concept for some, it’s certainly not an unfamiliar one to Saline. Take a look toward Brecon Grille out front of the Chamber of Commerce offices, then cast your gaze upward until you see the large eastward face of the building just beyond. Surely you’ve tried to make out what it once read. Bob Lane of the Saline Area Historical Society recently told Saline Journal that he’s still asked about it. Bring it up for discussion during city celebrations at Saline History Museum: If anyone would know, they’d know there.
Last year, one Los Angeles artist explained that part of the value of street art is in its transience. “These moments are meant to mark time, and to remark on times. And times change.” [7]
Today — and for a little while — one piece of that art adorns a large plate glass window at Capstone. Captioned “What’s on Your Bucket List!” (and punctated as an imperative rather than question), people passing buy are welcome to connect meaning with the financial services offered within, adviser Gabriel Sandler assured us. “But it’s there for everyone to enjoy in any way they’d like.”
The artist behind this creation is Sharon Sunday of Creative Endeavors. After completing her studio arts degree at Michigan State University in the 1980s, her father asked if she could replace work done at his business by talent that had just retired. “I didn’t graduate college to paint windows,” she responded. Still, the request was from her father,” she added during an interview with Saline Journal. [8]
So I did it. Then I discovered it was good for me.
Here in Saline, her work has also been seen in windows at Mark’s Midtown Coney Island and Cunningham Vision Center, mostly around Christmastime. She paints on the glass side that faces inside the building, which means applying overlapping colors in reverse order and letting backward. She has become so accustomed to doing things this way that the real challenge is when she does right-facing work on mirrors for bars. [9,10]
Projects such as the Capstone window take about four hours. Because she depends on daylight for her process, she typically works during times when the establishment is open. This frequently attracts a crowd and she gets “a lot of questions.” Is that a distraction? “Not at all. “I know how to talk with people and still get my work done,” she replied. “I love their questions.”
When it comes time for removal, it’s relatively straightforward for clients to take care of that on their own. Or she does that herself when returning to paint a new image. Sharon Sunday also embraces this point in the cycle and closure.
“That’s when it’s time for the next painting,” she beamed.
And it’s this process that helps add to the awareness of the continuing growth in places that support the value Saline shows for Michigan artists and their art.
References
- “Arts & Culture Committee” Saline.
- “Art Around Saline” Saline.
- “Mayor Brian Marl Dedicated Historic ‘Pre-Prix” Race Print to City of Saline” Dell Deaton (August 23, 2016) Saline Journal.
- “The Best Leaders See Things That Others Don’t. Art Can Help.” Bill Taylor (April 18, 2018) Harvard Business Review.
- “Art Around Saline Program” Saline Main Street.
- Capstone Tax & Financial (home page).
- “Street Art: It’s Not Meant to be Permanent” Ron English (December 3, 2017) Huffington Post.
- Creative Endeavours (home page).
- Mark’s Midtown Coney Island (home page).
- Cunningham Vision Centers (home page).
