Students’ artwork to be unveiled, displayed at local McDonald’s

By Emily Brown

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    MID-MICHIGAN (WNEM) — Artwork created by two mid-Michigan high school students will be revealed and celebrated at two area McDonald’s restaurants on Wednesday, May 17.

The contest, called “A Celebration of Culture & Community,” tasked students from selected high schools in the Saginaw, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Detroit areas to create a mural that reflects their city’s culture. The winning artists will receive a scholarship and their artwork will be displayed inside a McDonald’s in their hometowns.

The mid-Michigan winners of the contest are Madison Rico, from the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy, and Lorelei Thorton, from Carmen-Ainsworth High School.

The artwork Madison created will be unveiled and put on display at the Saginaw McDonald’s restaurant at 1454 N. Michigan Ave. on Wednesday at 11 a.m. McDonald’s of Michigan will award Madison a $1,500 scholarship and the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy art program will also receive a donation.

The artwork created by Lorelei will be revealed and displayed at the Flint McDonald’s restaurant at 3212 Clio Road at 2 p.m. Lorelei will also receive a $1,500 scholarship and the Carmen-Ainsworth art department will receive a donation.

This program partnered with renowned Detroit artist Desiree Kelly, who met with each participating school’s art class and offered the students a first-hand tutorial about how a mural can reflect a city’s culture and identity.

Kelly was raised on the east-side of Detroit and became inspired by the people, culture, and community around her own neighborhood. Kelly’s work can be seen at the Coleman Young Municipal building, Eastern Market, part of the Permanent Collection of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

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