KALAMAZOO — Kalamazoo County commissioners approved the design for a massive public art project that will transform the visual landscape of downtown Michigan on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
The mural will be displayed on 40 large fabric panels surrounding a new parking garage being built at 440 N. Church St. in the Northside neighborhood, according to local officials.
Patrick Hershberger, the selected artist, said the design incorporates faces of well-known community leaders while capturing Kalamazoo's history.
"The design uses all local faces, people that are really involved in our communities," Hershberger told WWMT Newschannel 3. "The design is facing the north side, and so there is a lot of north side representation, as well as inclusivity for a larger part of members of the county."
The 40-foot tall panels will showcase nature elements woven throughout the design, including the cardinal flower and monarch butterfly, symbols of the local ecosystem.
"I want the focus to be on people that are doing things now and that also can give us inspiration to what we can do in our local community," Hershberger said. "The design uses all local faces, people that are really involved in our communities."
The parking garage will contain approximately 440 spaces and will sit adjacent to where the county plans to build a new county administration building. Construction was approved at the March 17, 2026 commissioners meeting with a guaranteed maximum price of $26.8 million.
The project represents a significant investment in public art. The county bought the property at 440 N. Church St. for $730,000 in 2023 and approved preparation work in July 2025 for $590,800. The county purchased the former McDonald's property on Kalamazoo Avenue in late 2025 for $9 million and tore down the building earlier in 2026.
Hershberger will personally paint a couple of the panels, but his primary role is designing what the remaining 31 larger panels will look like. The panels will depict sketches of several local leaders, local flora and fauna, and other local scenes.
County Administrator Kevin Catlin has advised commissioners that they need to get the art project underway this month if they hope to have the huge panels ready in time.
"This project is made possible through a collaborative partnership," said Hershberger, who works to show off what he calls a flourishing community. "The design uses all local faces, people that are really involved in our communities."
The subcommittee that selected Hershberger for the commission recommended his work for the parking garage downtown, according to MLive. The proposed design features fabric panels to be placed on the building once construction is finished.
Two ground-floor murals will be finished by hand after the building is completed, according to Hershberger. The design features some familiar faces representing what makes Kalamazoo a strong, inclusive community.
The mural project represents a creative vision for the future of downtown Kalamazoo, blending community leadership with local natural beauty in a permanent public installation.