UPlift the UP with Art!

We are proud to announce the return of the Power of Words Project as part of UPLIFT, our Upper Peninsula wide humanitarian mural campaign, with THREE new public mural projects in Manistique, Marquette and Gladstone to be completed this summer. We need your help to accomplish this. Once we meet our goal and earn the $20k matching grant from MEDC, any additional funds raised will go towards future projects we are already planning for each of these three communities.

In July, with our partners Lake Effect Community Arts and Schoolcraft Tourism and Commerce, we are creating Manistique's second mural as Part II of their "Gateway" to the historic downtown.  This will also be the 7th POWP mural in Northern Michigan just across the street from the DISCOVER wall, completed in 2018, and the LARGEST mural in the UP...so far! If we raise additional funds for Manistique, they will go towards our next project, a WORD wall graphic to energize the alley downtown.

Then, in August, our next stop will be Gladstone, Michigan to tackle the HUGE south facing wall of the historic Rialto building where we will be partnering with Tlapa Management LLC., to create the first of numerous projects planned for this community.

And finally, in partnership with the City of Marquette Arts and Culture Division and Be Well, LLC, September will bring a new mural as part of the restoration of a building on 3rd Street in the historic downtown.

Voting on the WORD theme

If you could choose ONE WORD that defined your vision for the future of your community, what would it be?

Over the month of May, all three of these communities will be voting online at POWP, in stores, clubs, offices, schools and anywhere else we can think of, for the ONE WORD that describes what they hope to aspire to in their futures. Stayed tuned, we will be announcing these words soon! 

Once the words are chosen, the award winning artist, Mia Tavonatti, a native of Northern Michigan, will use these communally elected words as the themes for each new public mural. After the murals are designed, Mia will form teams of artists made up of professional, local and student artists who will work side by side to realize all this amazing public art! Along the way, Mia and her local partners will engage the community in their creative process in any way they can, from sponsorships, food, art contests, window displays, discussions and a lot of conversations with as many locals as they can squeeze in.

The DISCOVER mural, Manistique, MI 2018 (photo by Dennis Novak)

We need you: From now until June 15th, we will be raising funds to reach our goal of $20,000. If we reach our goal amount, MEDC will match the funds completely! So your $1 becomes $2!  To donate, click on the amount above, any amount gets us that much closer to our goal. 

Words are powerful seeds, that when planted in the heart of a community, can grow into a unified vision and inspire change.

The mission of the Power of Words Project is to bring the power of words to life by using the transformative influence of art through community-based, creative, humanitarian mural projects. This project weaves together art, artists, students, and the greater community. It also bonds the communities it reaches together.  With UPlift, we hope to turn the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into an art destination sought by art enthusiasts world wide.

COMMUNITY mural, Iron Mountain, MI 2013

Be Apart of this Project!

DONATE

This project would not be possible without the sponsors and your donation.
Be a part of an impactful project that will have a lasting effect on our region for generations to come. You can rest assured that every cent of the money raised through this fundraiser is going directly to these three Power of Words Project murals and all extra funds raised will go towards additional future mural installations in these same towns.  We have LOTS of walls planned for their future.  From $5 to $500, every donation puts us that much closer to our goal. 

Funds raised through Patronicity for this project will go towards the following areas of need:

• Painting materials & supplies
• Storage & Scaffolding
• Promotional VOTE Materials, Reprographics & Sponsor Banners
• T-shirts for Volunteers and Team
• Wall Preparation & Repair
• Wall Varnish and Finish
• Volunteer Recognition and Dedication reception for community
• Scholaships for students chosen to work on the project
• Grants for local artists to work on the project
• Artist Fees

​SIX UPlift murals completed in the UP!

Five complete murals in Iron Mountain, MI

VOTE

To vote, head over to www.powerofwordsproject.org and learn more about the Power of Words Project

VOLUNTEER

We have several areas that we could use help in with these projects! To volunteer for any project please contact mia@powerofwordsproject.org

PAINT

This project is designed to engage local artists and aspiring artists. All local artists interested in grants or volunteering work on the mural project should contact mia@powerofwordsproject.org

APPLY

All students and art teachers interested in student scholarship applications, should contact mia@powerofwordsproject.org

SPONSOR

We need In-Kind Sponsors for the following areas in each town:

• Team Lunches Mon-Sat.
  
• Transportation:  Gas cards and Rental Cars
• Lodging: Lodging for 3-4 Svelata Team members for approx. 3 weeks per project!

Home Grown: Meet the Lead Artist

After consecutive 2nd and 1st Place victories at Artprize, the world's largest art competition, in 2010 and 2011, Mia Tavonatti, a Southern California artist, launched the Power of Words Project in Laguna Beach, California, with the WONDER wall in 2012. Then, in 2013, Mia completed the second Power of Words Project mural in downtown Iron Mountain with the 19'x92' Believe wall, ushering in the future of UPlift, the UP wide POWP.  Mia has a soft spot in her heart for the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, having grown up here. After thirty+ years of building a successful, internationally award winning career as a professional artist, college instructor, Air Force artist, and the founder of the Svelata Foundation for the Arts, Mia has been blessed with the honor and opportunity of returning her artistic victory and experience to her native state of Michigan. It is Mia’s mission to help people reconnect with their creativity by inviting the community to participate in the creative process. Many of her projects provide a space where young potential creators can learn to grow their visions and dreams of being artists as they work with those who have come before them. This project hits close to home for Mia, as she is passionate about using her talents to help revitalize the historic downtowns in the UP, like the one in Iron Mountain, where she grew up working in her parent’s art stores.

How Does It Work?

• The Power of Words Project mural teams are comprised of Mia Tavonatti (project manager) and her professional mural team, qualified artists from the community, volunteers, and students. 
  
• Initially, community volunteers and MIa's local partners work to distribute the Power of Words Project information and promote the project to engage as wide of a representation of the community as possible.
• Voting is be done online (here: www.powerofwordsproject.org)
   to select ONE WORD that defines the vision they hold for the future of each community.  Once these WORDs have been nominated and elected communally, Mia designs the murals with each town's word as the theme...she calls them “Mural Mantras”
• Mia connects with local professional artists, art teachers and students to collaborate on each project and they apply for competitive grants and scholarships available to work on the murals. Mia and her professional team will act as mentors, working side by side with local artists, interns, and students chosen to create the murals.  This experience often results in scholarships when these young creatives apply to art school.
  

WELCOME mural, Iron Mountain, MI 2018

The first six murals in Manistique and Iron Mountain have received overwhelming positive feedback in their communities and continue to be a point of pride for each downtown and a destination within the community and for tourists. The murals are not only beautiful, but they represent the power of community collaboration, the power of art and culture and the power of words. The Svelata Foundation, Schoolcraft Tourism &  Commerce, Lake Effect Community Arts, The City of Marquette Arts & Culture Division, Iron Mountain DDA and our private building owners are all proud partners of the Power of Words Project UPlift and we are excited to see it expand into Delta and Marquette Counties after witnessing the huge POWP success of the first six completed projects in Schoolcraft and Dickinson Counties from 2013-2018.

​We HOPE you will help us!

HOPE mural, Iron Mountain, MI 2018

 IF we meet our goal the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) will match that essentially DOUBLING YOUR DONATION. Please support us by donating here or sharing this page with family and friends easily using our easy share buttons at the top. 

If you prefer to give by cash or check please make check to:

Lake Effect Community Arts (with POWP and which project you are supporting in the memo line)

Or contact Pam @ treasurer@lakeeffectarts.org

If you have any other questions or concerns please contact: mia@powerofwordsproject.org