The main section of the mural behind City Hall.
Gemma Flores | Collegian
The illustrations highlight the city’s growth from before its settlement to its founding
Students returning to the City of Hillsdale might recognize a new fixture outside City Hall: a mural honoring the city’s storied history.
The Hillsdale Heritage Association, a community organization aimed at preserving Hillsdale County’s history through art, installed a three-panel mural on the north side of City Hall in May.
“We wanted to expound on our town history a little bit,” said Connie Sexton, executive director and cofounder of The Heritage Association.
The mural depicts scenes of Hillsdale’s development, from before the city was settled to its bustling popularity in the late 1800s.
Sexton said the project started as an attempt to hide the HVAC unit located behind City Hall.
“It’s always been an eyesore for everybody, and people were always telling us we should do something there,” Sexton said
The Heritage Association commissioned local artist David Youngman for the project.
“I knew a number of the [Heritage Association] board members,” Youngman said. “I think them just knowing I’m a local artist. They are trying to display more of the history of the area through the arts.”
Youngman moved to Hillsdale with his wife after graduating from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. A musician and guitarist for 15 years, Youngman said he was inspired to change his career after he “hit a wall.”
“I was kind of stuck with that,” Youngman said. “I just started drawing for fun, and that kind of just took over. I felt like God was leading me in a new direction.”
Youngman said each of the three panels shows a portion of Hillsdale’s history. The main panel depicts a group of Potawatomi Native Americans at Baw Beese Lake, with a train passing by in the background.
“From that one, I like the natural sense of Hillsdale,” Youngman said. “I remove all our business and economics and sort of the logistics of a town and get back more to a spirit state.”
The second panel, which Youngman said is the crowd favorite, depicts a train with steam swirling around it.
“To me, it isn’t so much about the train but about the liveliness and excitement,” Youngman said. “I want to see this town feel alive, and I wanted to portray and stir those feelings. I want to help people both be motivated and remember that there’s a lot we can do in this town.”
The third and final panel shows downtown Hillsdale filled with pedestrians and activity.
“It’s not a specific scene of Hillsdale, but it brings in elements of it, and also that sense of thriving,” Youngman said.
Youngman has his own studio in downtown Hillsdale, located at 2 N. Howell St, where his work can be viewed and purchased.
The Heritage Association fundraised the mural with donations from Hillsdale Hospital, Arrowswift Painting, Moore Insurance, County National Bank, the Hillsdale County Community Foundation, Hillsdale Brewing Co., Rough Draft, the Hillsdale County Board of Realtors, the local radio station WCSR, The Dale 99.5, Hillsdale Renaissance, LLC, and Woman’s Life Insurance #741.
Gelzer’s Hardware also provided materials to Youngman when he was preparing the murals.
Sam Fry, the City of Hillsdale’s marketing and economic development coordinator, said the project embodies the history of Hillsdale.
“On behalf of the city, we’re obviously very appreciative of both the effort of The Heritage Association and also David,” Fry said. “This is not a project the city set out to do, but it was a group of folks that understand and believe in the importance of having high-quality public art to adorn our downtown.”
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