Ann Arbor has a number of public sculptures and murals that can be viewed both on campus and downtown. Of these, several are particularly well-known:
The Cube, Maynard Street and E Jefferson Street (Regents Plaza north of the Michigan Union), . A 15-foot-tall, 2400-lb glossy black cube created by Tony Rosenthal; there's an identical one in the East Village of New York City. The Cube spins on its axis when pushed. �
The Wave Field, Hayward Avenue (in the courtyard outside the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud building), . Created by Maya Lin, the Wave Field is an earth sculpture, 90 feet by 90 feet square, consisting of a series of fifty grass waves in eight rows. �
Alley mural, E Liberty Street, by the Liberty Square parking structure. The alley mural began as a one-man project in the 1980s and became a popular spot for graffiti artists. The city took the spot over in 1999 by hiring artist Katherine Tombeau Cost to paint over the original mural and graffiti with a new 5,000-square-foot mural. The graffiti artists haven't entirely relinquished their claim to it, meaning that Cost's mural has been partially defaced with large bubble lettering, but it's still an interesting (and out-of-the-way) sight. Be sure to seek out the "trippers'" bubble gum wall toward the back. During warmer weather, you'll often find musicians or dancers putting on solo performances in the alley entrance, hoping to glean donations. �
Bookstore mural, corner of E Liberty Street and S State Street. Painted in 1984, when the corner location was still occupied by David's Books, this mural depicts the five authorial visages of Woody Allen, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Hesse, Franz Kafka, and Anaïs Nin. �
Painted fixtures, throughout downtown. Fire hydrants and transformers, painted in bright colors by local artists and schoolchildren. �
Fairy Doors, throughout downtown. Keep your eyes near the ground for fairy doors-- miniature colorful doors through which fairies can enter local businesses. According to Jonathan B. Wright of urban-fairies.com , the doors began appearing around town in the early 1990s. �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Ann Arbor
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Ann Arbor - updated May 2024
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Ann Arbor Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
