Growing Together Mural

Children’s Museum of Branch County x Downtown Coldwater • Coldwater, MI • 2025

Growing Together began as a simple request for vibrant flowers painted on the side of a children’s museum. As I dug into the project, I realized I wanted the mural to symbolize something more. I researched wildflowers, pollinators and insects found in Michigan, and created a garden of assorted species, both native and introduced. I fell in love with the diversity of species that make up our natural ecosystems, and from this I began to draw parallels between plants, animals and people.

Our communities are no different from the dynamics of the natural world. Like flowers, we grow tall and strong from the help of different folks around us. We rely on our families, friends, schools, and communities to help raise us, much like flowers rely on pollinators and neighboring species. Growing together makes us stronger, more enriched and inspired to stand tall and bravely experience the magic surrounding us in our big, wild world.