In a move to bring together the environmental and beautification efforts of three Kalamazoo neighborhood (Vine, Edison, and Oakwood), the Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival is launching April 22, 2023.
A conversation with Patrick Hershberger
Still others know Hershberger by the series of comic books he’s created, or as chairman of the Kalamazoo County Public Art Commission.
“Around 2018, we started talking, and by “we,” I mean the Downtown Kalamazoo Partnership - they touched base with me,” Hershberger says. “Bates Alley back then was used just by vehicles dropping off food or beverages, people park their cars back there; it was your typical alley. They wanted to turn this into, not a walking mall but a pedestrian only alley.”
Patrick Hershberger
Credit Courtesy of the artist
The Partnership asked Hershberger to paint a mural that would encourage that change. Overlooking the area from a nearby parking ramp, Hershberger’s idea was to paint a winding river along the ground, signifying movement and adding bright colors.