Artpath Paints the Way Through Lansing River Trail

Lifelong Lansing resident Nevin Speerbrecker has been creating art since he was 14.

Now with more than 30 years of experience, Speerbrecker is displaying his latest work — a mural called “Lansing the Hidden Garden” — near the Grand River Bridge in Old Town Lansing as part of ArtPath 2022. Speerbrecker hopes his piece helps residents appreciate the hidden beauty of the city.

“It’s a painting of a partly open gate and the wildlife beyond it,” Speerbrecker said. “And the effect is that you’re looking into one of the many beautiful hidden garden spaces in Lansing.”

ArtPath consists of sculptures and murals along nearly 3 miles of the Lansing River Trail on the east bank of the Grand River. Surprise encounters of art and nature afforded by works such as Speerbrecker’s is what ArtPath is all about.

“There are parts of the River Trail that are stunningly beautiful,” said Katrina Daniels, exhibitions and gallery sales director at the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center, which puts on ArtPath in partnership with the city of Lansing. “The places that we are reimagining are more underserved. The art just completely changes the way the space feels.”

Daniels said the artwork offers visitors the chance to see the community in a different way.

“That can be an impetus for wanting to do more,” she said.

ArtPath is in its fifth year. The exhibition is free and will run through Sept. 5. For more information about ArtPath, including an interactive map, visit lansingartgallery.org/artpath/.