Why Crosswalk Painting?
Our Lansing neighborhoods are full of friendly folks, flower gardens, and cars. Drivers often travel our streets as fast as they can. This causes hazards to those walking around. Studies have shown that street art can make roads safer for everyone. We want all people to feel safe and at ease while doing the simple activity of walking or strolling across the street.
The aim of the crosswalk painting projects is to increase joy while using the sidewalks and slow traffic on the roads. Playful imagery at common intersections brings people out of the commonplace. Traveling along colorful crosswalks empowers pedestrians with a sense of belonging while catching the eye of drivers to remind them of other roadway users.
Read the Lansing City Pulse Article
Article excerpt:
Christiansen continued, “People are supposed to be driving slow and keeping an eye out for kids. They don’t realize it’s life and death, but it really is. I’m thankful for these projects because this is a place where people live. Children are walking in the street — it isn’t just a thoroughfare for cars.”
Bishop described her most recent experience at a crosswalk painting event as “very organized.”
“I just showed up, and it very quickly became clear how to be helpful,” she said. “Everyone just started chipping in. You’re painting, moving the stencils or directing traffic.”
Bishop has lived on the east side for about two-and-a-half years and has attended five or six crosswalk paintings. She likes to see the community come out and work on a project together.
“I’ve met different neighbors every single time,” she said.
Dombrowski is appreciative of the community’s support.
“It really makes me love Lansing when people come to help out,” she said.
Neighbor Testimonials
We have heard a lot of great feedback from residents who live near the crosswalks. Here are some comments from social media posts:
- “I love these! They brighten my day every time I see them!”
- “I drove over this today and was delighted to encounter it! This should be a trend around the city!”
- “The painting looks cool, and has the additional benefit of tending to cause drivers to slow down through intersections.”
- “I love these! They always make me happy that I live in our neighborhood!”
- “Fantastic! I was pleasantly surprised by this the other day. Thank you for this colorful addition to the neighborhood."
Upcoming Projects
If you see this yard sign the nearby intersection is planned to be painted in the next two weeks, on Saturday or Sunday morning.
Summer and Fall 2024
N Fairview Ave and Vine St, June 8th - COMPLETED
Chicken and egg pattern, grant funded.
Hortone St and Jerome St - Planned for Saturday, August 3rd
Sunflower pattern
N Francis Ave and Vine St - Planned for Saturday, August 24rd
Pattern - to be determined
Past Projects
Ferguson St and Jerome St, 2023
Milkweed and monarch design, funded by private Eastfield neighbors, painted with SealMaster Liquid Thermoplastic Traffic Marking Paint.
N Foster Ave and Vine St, 2023
Nature design elements in white, funded by grants, painted with SealMaster Liquid Thermoplastic Traffic Marking Paint.
N Magnolia Ave and Fernwood Ave, 2023
Magnolia flower design, funded by grants, painted with SealMaster Liquid Thermoplastic Traffic Marking Paint.
N Fairview Ave and Fernwood Ave, 2023
Sparkly gems design, funded by grants, painted with SealMaster Liquid Thermoplastic Traffic Marking Paint.
Post Oak Elementary, 2023
Local leaves and clouds design, funded by the Post Oak PTA, painted with SealMaster Liquid Thermoplastic Traffic Marking Paint.
N Hayford Ave and Fernwood Ave, 2023
Flowers and ferns design, funded by grants, painted with SealMaster Liquid Thermoplastic Traffic Marking Paint.
N Hayford Ave and Vine St, 2023
Confetti design update, funded by grants, painted with SealMaster Liquid Thermoplastic Traffic Marking Paint.
Lansing River Trail south of the Brenke Fish Ladder
ArtPath 2023 - Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center partnership with the City of Lansing, funded by the Lansing Art Gallery. Site number 7 - Duck, Duck, Goose. ArtPath profies interview by NPR/WKAR - HERE.
Marcus St and S Foster Ave, 2022
Designs including garden veggeis, flowers, bugs, sun and rain. Project sponsored by the Lansing Greater Food Bank Garden Project.
N. Clemens and Jerome, Vine, and Fernwood, 2022
Local flowers, including, dandelion, white clover, bleeding heart, violet, columbine, day lily, and lily of the valley painted with various spray paints.
Magnolia and Vine, 2021
Scale design painted with Pro-Park Sherwin Williams paint.
Hayford and Vine, 2021
Confetti design painted with Pro-Park Sherwin Williams paint.
Grant money funding these projects
Arts Council of Greater Lansing - Mini Pocket Grants for Art 2021, 2022, and 2023
The League of Michigan Bicyclists - LMB Micro-Grants 2023
The City of Lansing's Office of Neighborhoods, Art & Citizen Engagement - Neighborhood Grant 2023
Michign Municipal League Foundation - Neighborhood Microgrant 2023
FAQs
Who’s doing this?
Eastside resident Jill Dombrowski is the organizer of these projects. She moved to Lansing in the mid 2010’s and has enjoyed raising her family here. Jill has a visual arts background in drawing and printmaking. She coordinates volunteers to help with the painting projects, we like to have around 15 volunteers per project.
Crosswalk paintings can also be found in other parts of Lansing. There have been rainbow crosswalks in Old Town and Downtown, and a Black Lives Matter crosswalk painting in front of the capitol. We have only organized the projects listed above.
Who’s paying for this?
The projects have been funded by sponsoring organizations or by the grants listed above. The cost for materials is about $600 for a typical intersection, but varries greatly due to the density of the painted surface and paint quality.
Neighbors generously volunteer their time. Each intersection is the product of approximately 50 hrs of volunteer work.
You can help too! Donate to Jill via Venmo.
How is it done?
We decide on a location, date, and design and clear these with the City of Lansing Public Services Department. Large scale templates are made and materials are purchased. The day before painting we try to power wash the crosswalks. On the day of painting we close one lane of traffic at a time on the roads at the intersection where we will paint. Then we measure out a six-foot width for the crosswalks and use a chalk line to mark straight lines. The main white lines are always painted. One side of the crosswalk is painted at a time to allow traffic to continue through the intersection during painting. Once the paint is dry we switch sides. High fives all around at the end of the project.
Is the city ok with this?
Yes. We coordinate all our locations and designs with the head of public services for the city of Lansing.
How do I get one on my street?
How do I get on the volunteer list?
How do I propose a design?
Please use the contact form below.
Contact
Would you like the crosswalks near your home or business painted? Do you have a design idea? We’ll work with you to make it happen!
Contact us
Other Resources and Street Art Projects
Asphalt Art Initiative by Bloomberg Philanthropies
Montreal, Canada based artist Roadsworth
"Art painted on crosswalks makes streets safer, group says" The Washington Post, June 8, 2022