A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for a new public art installation July 1 at the community garden at James C. Nelson Park in Sterling Heights. The installation is one of several that have been installed around the city in recent years.
By: Brian Wells | Sterling Heights Sentry | Published July 8, 2025
STERLING HEIGHTS — Residents of Sterling Heights are invited to create connections to each other and to their city by taking in a number of new public art installations around the city.
In 2018, as the city celebrated the 50th anniversary of its incorporation, it launched a multifaceted initiative called Visioning 2030. This was part of another initiative, called Visioning 2040, which envisions the city as “an inclusive, vibrant community that is safe, active and sustainable,” according to a release from the city.
“A key guiding principle in all this is ensuring we have ‘distinctive areas,’ or ‘vibrant and attractive areas with unique offerings and focal points,’” said Melanie Davis, Sterling Heights’ community relations director.
Public art and cultural attractions help to create these distinctive areas while also helping to create a connection between the community and the city, she said.
“These amenities draw people in and allow them to connect in unique ways,” Davis said in an email. “Almost everyone has a distinct memory of how art has impacted them.”
Using four different principles, the city looks to create public art that goes “well beyond a simple statue in front of a municipal building,” she said.
Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor echoed the sentiment that art connects people.
“Creating distinctive areas with unique focal points across the city is a guiding principle of our Visioning 2040 plan because placemaking is one of the best ways to connect residents to their community,” he said. “We want to make art accessible to all because it connects people and starts conversations while adding beauty to public spaces.”
To help create citywide cultural programs, the city formed the Cultural Commission in 1973. The commission was focused on arts and culture within the city but was renamed to the Arts Commission in 2015.
The goal of the Arts Commission is to study and recommend citywide cultural programs that reflect the act of developing social, moral and intellectual facilities through education.
“Through the work of the Arts Commission, Sterling Heights has accumulated an impressive inventory of public art over the course of the past 50 years,” Davis said. “With these existing pieces, plans for future installations and the resources and commitment to sustain them, Sterling Heights will remain vibrant, distinctive and fun.”
In addition to art that has been installed around the city — most recently a hand-painted bench, swing and pizza garden at the city’s community garden and two pieces installed along the walkway outside the city library — residents can enjoy SterlingScapes, a walking sculpture exhibition on the city’s campus, including 13 different sculptures.