Chalk artist David Zinn wins Ann Arbor’s 2021 Golden Paintbrush Community Voice Award

David Zinn returns to Ann Arbor Summer Festival for Sidewalk Chalk Day. (Ann Arbor Summer Festival)

ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor Public Art Commission announced on Tuesday David Zinn as its 2021 Golden Paintbrush Community Voice Award winner.

According to the commission, 65 of the 167 votes cast went to Zinn’s permanent installation “Laughing at Clouds” outside Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown branch.

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The mural depicts Gene Kelly’s famous scene in “Singin’ in the Rain” in which he sings, swings and dances from a lamppost in a downpour. As part of the work, Zinn created an illusion using a real lamppost next to the mural.

Fun fact: Kelly’s daughter, Kerry Kelly Noviak, is a longtime Ann Arbor resident.

“David Zinn is a staple of the Ann Arbor arts community, and we are incredibly lucky to enjoy his talent on a regular basis in our city,” chair of the Ann Arbor Art Commission Sarah Fuller said in a statement. “David Zinn’s ‘Laughing at Clouds’ mural reminded audiences that you can laugh on rainy days. Humor breeds hope and allows us to prevail through the toughest of times. A particularly poignant sentiment to reflect upon as we continue to move forward through the pandemic.”

The art commission will begin accepting submissions for the 2022 Golden Paintbrush awards in July.

For more information, visit www.a2gov.org/golden.


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