Sunshine Alley - Grand Rapids Installation
Late in 2020 my friend, Marissa Fellows, a local fellow multi-passionate, and I applied for a grant to participate in the World Of Winter art installation series in Downtown Grand Rapids. We soon found out we were selected and the first week of 2021 we hit the ground running scouting location and making plans for our big build!
The concept we pitched was an ode to canceled travel plans, a tropical, vacation-inspired installation that made you feel like you were in the warmth of sunshine, even in the bitter cold of February in Michigan. Inspired by retro colors, images from Gray Mailin and vacations in various locations from New England to Palm Springs.
We knew we wanted some kitsch and lots of fun. And we also wanted the whole moment to feel interactive. Our vision included a ceiling of inner tubes, lines of beach umbrellas, bright sunshine colors. We love the way the whole concept was ultimately executed!
The Studio Park Alley was the absolute perfect spot for this installation! People turned the corner and caught a glimpse of the color and were drawn in to this magical space. For a brief moment, they were transported out of the Michigan winter and into a vacation oasis.
One of our favorite moments was the interactive peg wall. We had cards asking visitors to write down the next place they’d like to travel.
We were lucky enough to invite friends and family for a launch celebration. I designed these darling airline ticket-inspired invites for the enent.
The other interactive moment we knew we had to have was a instagramable photo booth. We designed and built this booth, inspired by a charming beach cabana.
I can’t talk about this project without talking about the amazing partnership between myself and Marissa. Our creative processes worked flawlessly. We naturally divided our workload by our strengths and supported each other in our assignments. We spent nearly every weekend and some week nights together for 8 weeks, always enjoying the company, and striking that balance of productivity and fun. Neither of us was above anything or afraid to stack more on our plates. I could go on, but I think I’ve painted the picture. This partnership is a unicorn and I cannot wait to see what Marissa and I cook up in the future.
A huge thank you to DGRI for the grant to bring our creative vision to life, to Studio Park and One Twenty Three for allowing us to use the space. Thank you to Marissa’s parents, especially her dad for helping with the installation and to my husband Kyle for allowing me to take over our house and for helping with the install. And finally to Erica Townsley for photographing.
It was magical to scroll though the hashtag and see people enjoying the installation!