A piece of Jackson’s art history, which narrowly avoided the wrecking ball, may soon have new life.
The 28' x 9' glass mural depicting the history of electric power hung in Consumers Energy’s old Jackson headquarters for more than four decades.
Preservationists were able to save it from the wrecking ball that brought the building down last year. The mural was disassembled and has been in storage ever since.
The plan now is to reconstruct the glass mural, replace its internal lighting system, and build a new outdoor display to house the mural.
The mural would be placed on the grounds of a new city park being built on the site of the old Consumers Energy headquarters.
“We hope to be able to have the new mural in place by….this time next year,” says Grant Bauman, whose part of the team working on the project.
He says the glass mural will add to the mix of public art in downtown Jackson.
This month, the project received a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Organizers still need to raise about $200,000 for the glass mural project.
A Consumers Energy spokesman says the company has contributed to the preservation of the mural in the past, but has not committed to donating to the current project.
