2022 Meet the Artists

May 15

We are thrilled to bring you two new murals at the 2022 Art Seen Festival! The Ace Hardware mural, sponsored by Ace Hardware, will be a community mural, where you can pick up a brush and be a part of the fun. Ace Hardware is located at 419 E Main St, Midland, MI 48640. The Little Forks mural, sponsored by Members First Credit Union, is in the rear parking lot behind Little Forks Outfitters. You can access this lot off of McDonald St, between E Larkin St and Main St.

The Ace Hardware mural concept was created by local artists Jazzmyn Benitez and Dacia Parker, who will lead a team of artists to make this community mural happen. The Little Forks mural artist was selected by the Art Seen Festival Committee after we released a call for artist submissions earlier this year. After reviewing over seventy applications from artists all around the world, we are so pleased to announce that Michigan native, Maddison Chaffer was selected.

Learn more about this year’s lead artists below.

Meet the Artists

MEET MADDISON

Maddison Chaffer, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been selected as our Little Forks muralist for the 2022 Art Seen Festival! Maddison has been working as a muralist professionally for two years now and apprenticed for the two years prior. They have worked with Lansing's Below The Stacks (2019) Festival, Grand Rapids' After Dark (2020), Dwelling Place‘s Heartside Mural Festival (2021 and 2022), and Grand Rapids' ArtPrize (2021 and 2022).

Of their work, Maddison says, "I love mural work because, when done really well, it functions as a universal language. Like music and facial expressions, public art can transcend literacy, education level, cultural background, and social class. My murals explore evolutionary science and social history in bright, simple illustrations that aim to render concepts accessible to anyone who passes by. With public art, I can make ideas available to people who may not otherwise feel comfortable in a science/history museum (a lot of reading) or an art museum (kind of elitist; way too air conditioned). I aim to design murals in a way that is engaging and thought-provoking so that folks can continue to find new elements over time.

I’ve been working as a muralist for several years now in west and mid Michigan, and take great pride in my home state’s cultural and natural history. My work is deeply informed by place; whether that be the business for whom I’m painting, the neighborhood in which a mural is located, or the ecological landscape of a city. Even though I’m not a Midland native, I wanted to approach a design with this same ethos of honoring the city that you call home. Through historic and ecological research, virtual site visits, and feedback from my trusty Facebook foraging group, I’ve designed a Midland-themed mural that I’m truly excited to share with you."

We are thrilled for you to see the thoughtful and beautiful design Maddison has created for our town! Be sure to stop by and say hello and watch the painting unfold, in the parking lot behind Little Forks Outfitters, off McDonald Street, between E Larkin and Main St. on June 4th and 5th, between 11am-5pm!!

Learn more at maddisonchaffer.com
Instagram: @son.visual

You may recognize the names Jazzmyn Benitez and Dacia Parker from the 2021 Art Seen Festival! These two talented artists are on the Art Seen Festival committee and work diligently all year to make this event a success. Their teamwork, leadership, and heart for our community make them the perfect pair to lead their team of artists to another beautiful, interactive community mural. You can pick up a brush and make your mark on the Ace Hardware mural, located at 419 E Main St, Midland, MI 48640, on Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5, between 11am-5pm.

MEET Jazzmyn

Photo credit: Renee’ Deckrow of Captured Studios

Jazzmyn Benitez is an artist from southern CA, currently living and working in Midland, MI. Art has always been a tool to help her overcome adversity and depression in her life, and also a way to connect with others and herself on a deeper level. Her capability to open her heart, mind and eyes has given Jazzmyn the opportunity to tap into her “higher power” and as she states, “become a vessel” for what is to be created through her.

Since 2017 Jazzmyn has worked closely with Parker Lane Art & Design Studio and is their head instructor. She also works as the Operations Manager of Live Oak Coffeehouse where she enjoys tapping into the heart of its patrons. Jazzmyn’s connections in the community have given her opportunities in 2019 to create murals for businesses around Bay City & Midland. In the summer of 2019 she was awarded the opportunity to work with Midland Area Youth Action Council to create a public mural called “Change” on the Circle Auto Parts Building on Patrick & Washington in Midland, which led her to co-create with Gessica Garber, of Gg Inspires, on the Emergency Food Pantry mural “People Helping People.” Summer of 2020 she worked with the Community of Mental Health to create a mural in their waiting room to help create a colorful & bright mural for the staff & their patience to enjoy. She also organized a group of artists to paint the barricade cement blocks on main. Being a member of Public Arts Midland Committee she is excited to see what comes next for Midlands Creative spaces, she states, “Midland’s downtown has a few 'canvases’ she’d like to help bring to life.” Working closely with Art Seen Festival in 2021, she partnered with Dacia Parker to create the “Fox” mural to kick off the annual festival. She says, “painting alongside community members is something I’ve always loved about mural making. It gives me the chance to share this dream with kids who may have the same dream, giving them a chance to see that they can grow up to be artists if that's what they want to do.”

Along with creating murals, Jazzmyn makes specialty art pieces made with acrylic as well. Working with Walker Custom Carpentry to build frames for her work, to display classically in your home.

Jazzmyn’s positive outlook on life and capacity to pour into others can often be seen and felt in the art that she creates. In her social media posts as well as in person, she uses her art to point to the beauty found in the world and she hopes to influence people to enjoy life through art.

Learn more at enjoylifejazzmynbenitez.com
Instagram: @enjoylifejzb
Email: enjoylifejzb@gmail.com

Meet Dacia

Midland, MI based artpreneur, Dacia Livingston Parker received her first oil paint set at age seven which sparked a myriad of artistic ventures. She has loved expressing her creativity through various media ever since. After graduating from The University of Michigan School of Art and Design with a BFA, Dacia and her husband moved to the Seattle area for 13 years. Deeply inspired by the ocean, mountains, and natural beauty in that part of the country, her work evolved to include those elements. It was in Seattle that Dacia built her professional portrait photography business while honing her craft in art galleries and engaging with the possibilities offered by digital media. In recent years, Dacia has ventured back into painting and working with cyanotypes where her love of the elements - water, mountains and nature continues to inform her work.

Since coming home to Michigan in 2006, Dacia has been involved in the local arts community, doing photography, and developing educational programming for Captured Studios in the Ashman Plaza. She rebranded as Parker Lane Art & Design Studios in 2018 to offer a space for creative instruction and development for emerging artists. Dacia is co-chair of Public Arts Midland, has worked to help establish the community mural making event known as Art Seen Festival, and helps coordinate artistic projects for other groups.

A phrase Dacia believes wholeheartedly is “ART is for Everyone”, and one of the ways she hopes to perpetuate this is by encouraging and mentoring artists, and by making local art more available and accessible through the Ashman Plaza and other venues.

Learn more at http://parkerlane.art