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State commissions murals in Chicago to spotlight Michigan’s vibrant city life

Courtesty artist Sheefy McFly
This mural depicting Michigan can be found in a Chicago neighborhood.

Michigan has gotten plenty of mileage out of Tim Allen's voice spreading the word about Pure Michigan as a travel destination.

Now, the talents of a Detroit artist will lure Chicagoans to come visit Michigan's big cities.

“Michigan is not only a place where you can get to enjoy beautiful natural areas, but [also] a place where you can enjoy night life and all the fun things there are to enjoy in the cities,” said David Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan, which is part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Pure Michigan has partnered with celebrated Detroit artist Sheefy McFly to create and install murals in Chicago. The $1.2 million Seek AuthentiCITYcampaign will spotlight some of Michigan’s largest and most vibrant cities including Ann Arbor, Detroit and Grand Rapids.

“For a longtime, Detroit has been seen as something lesser than what you can get in Chicago, and let’s just state it: Chicago is a great American city, but so is Detroit.”

Lorenz believes Michigan has a “big city experience” to offer that’s different than Chicago, but “just as rewarding.”

Lansing, Kalamazoo and Flint are some of the other big cities in Michigan that artist McFly will showcase in his mural that will be seen in Chicago’s Uptown and Wicker Park areas.

“Flint is one of these cities that’s coming back, where this grassroots movement, combined with city and state involvement is coming back and provides a really fun experience.”

Listen to the interview to hear more about the message behind these murals.

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