Since The Great Mural Project (GMP) was established in 2017, we have completed 24 murals in Riverfront Saginaw that bring color, creativity and economic development to the City of Saginaw. This year we aim to up our game, with a combination of 2 large murals, 2 small murals and 17 utility box murals to be installed in the City. We will also be partnering with a public art sister organization, The Showdown, to combine our efforts on a mural festival in the tradition of their previous two annual events.

Public art adds enormous value to the cultural, aesthetic and economic vitality of a community. It is now a well-accepted principle of urban design that public art contributes to a community's identity, fosters community pride and a sense of belonging, and enhances the quality of life for its residents and visitors. All our neighbors deserve to have access to art, and public art has the lowest barriers of all. 

In 2023, Great Mural Project was awarded an All Area Arts Award by the Saginaw Arts and Enrichment Commission. 

Steering Committee

Cassi Zimmerman, Director of Planning and Economic Development
for the City of Saginaw, has a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning and Development from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Working with Saginaw Future and now the City of Saginaw has educated her on the many economic assists and limitations of Saginaw. Some of the most threatening are the outstandingly low average household income and the number of unoccupied buildings in the primary commercial core of the City, which this project can help to combat. Through her position with the City, fo Saginaw, she seeks to align resources and relationships to redevelop and reinvigorate our community. Though she is a transplant to the region, she loves the City and has a passion for community development. ​

Dawn Goodrow Hillier is a pioneer in the redevelopment of Downtown Saginaw. She was the owner of Dawn of a New Day Coffeehouse, which was located in Downtown Saginaw for 18 years. As a lifetime Saginaw resident, Dawn has spent her career supporting many Saginaw organizations and initiatives that benefit her neighbors including, The Temple Theater, The Ezekiel Project, Downtown Development  Authority, Downtown Saginaw Association, Art and Enrichment Commission and Pit and Balcony Community Theater, Saginaw Celebrates Summer Calendar 
and other community art projects. A trailblazer in Downtown Saginaw, she is a member of the Saginaw Choral Society and a champion of arts and culture initiatives. ​

Jamie Forbes, Director of External Affairs at STARS (Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services), has a bachelor’s degree from Belmont University in Nashville in Business Administration. She has been investing her time in community initiatives and social justice issues in Saginaw, for 12 years. She was in the inaugural class of the Henry Marsh Institute of Pubic Policy, now housed at SVSU, and is currently on the faculty board of this program. She is a member of the 2015-16 class of Leadership Saginaw and 2017 class of Great Lakes Bay Leaders Institute. She was chosen by Mlive as Saginawian of the year in 2017 and received the Save Our STARS award in 2018. She was honored to serve on Saginaw City Council from 2018 to 2020. ​

In 2023, GMP joined forces with the Old Town Graffiti Showdown in Old Town Saginaw Art Park. This annual event scheduled for September 9, 2023 showcases the incredible talent in our region, and the organizers share our love for public art. A partnership just makes sense. 

Amy Spadafore was born and raised in Saginaw County. She holds a BS in Arts Management from Western Michigan University, is a stage manager by trade, a director by choice, and an actor by force. Amy was an active Pit & Balcony volunteer prior to taking the helm in 2016 and is a member of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council’s 2019 class of Rising Leaders. Amy is thoroughly engaged with the arts community and enjoys advocating for arts & culture initiatives on local, regional, and state levels, collaborating with economic developers, and creatively working toward a more vibrant, inviting, and inclusive community.
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Amy sits on many local boards and committees including the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, and the Saginaw Downtown Development Authority. She is also a founding member of The Showdown, a graffiti and mural festival in Old Town Saginaw now in its third year.

Amy believes in the power of art to inspire, create, connect, heal, and celebrate and is continuously seeking opportunities to creatively solve problems through collaboration and artful innovation. When she is not using art to change the world, Amy loves sports, cooking, painting, and any reason to be outside with her husband, Dylan, and her loyal sidekick, Orville the Theatre Pug.

Natalie Vasquez is a founding member of the Saginaw Showdown and board member of the Great Mural Project. She and her husband John own Saginaw Tattoo Company in Old Town, Saginaw. Natalie serves as the Vice President of the Old Town Business Association, is Chair of the Old Town Art Fair, and serves on the planning committee of the Lawn Chair Film Festival. In 2021, Natalie, Amy, and John started the Showdown with the intent to showcase the talented local artists, encourage community cleanup and provide a free, family-friendly event for everyone to enjoy. Natalie is responsible for recruiting vendors and sponsors as well as helping John recruit artists to showcase. Natalie was a catalyst for the partnership between the Showdown and the Great Mural Project. Together the two groups have been able to network on a much larger scale.

John is a Saginaw native, artist, and small business owner. He and his wife Natalie own the Saginaw Tattoo Company in Old Town Saginaw and are active in the economic resurgence of the area, most recently by founding the Showdown graffiti festival. John’s main focus as an artist is large scale public murals. Utilizing spray paint and graffiti style John’s work is featured all along the I-75 corridor in Saginaw, Frankenmuth,
Flint and everywhere in between. Extremely passionate about public artwork, John has been creating public art and events for nearly 15 years. John believes that the purpose of public art is to inspire the whole community, making these works a focal point to our identity.