DETROIT – A new collaborative artwork representing Detroit’s rich maritime history was officially unveiled at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle on Wednesday.
The 32-by-8-foot mural, created by local artist and multidisciplinary designer Brontae Williamson, was completed in sections by volunteers and museum visitors throughout the summer using a “paint-by-number” technique popularized by the late Detroit artist, Dan Robbins.
The Detroit Historical Society put out a call for mural design submissions in April, and announced Williamson’s original piece, “Currents in Color,” as the winning design in June.
Selections were made by a six-member committee comprised of local creatives and museum stakeholders — including Claire and Doug Dossin, the museum’s benefactors.
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The final piece, located on the museum’s west facing wall, aims to reflect the diversity between people and the natural world and Detroiters love for the city’s beauty, Williamson said.
Tracy Irwin, chief exhibition and enrichment officer at the Detroit Historical Society, said this summer that the museum — which just celebrated its 65th anniversary — fills a unique role in telling the city’s story.
“We’re really the only institution that tells specifically Detroit stories. We tell Detroit stories and why they matter,” Irwin told Local 4. “Hopefully a generation from now, somebody will be talking to their grandkids and say, ‘Hey, I was a part of that [mural project].”
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is located at 100 Strand Drive on Belle Isle. Museum admission is $5 for adults and children and free for Detroit Historical Society members and children under 6.
The mural project was supported by Lisa Capra.
