Center Line mural celebrates the past, present and future

CENTER LINE — The city of Center Line had a ribbon-cutting to unveil a specially designed mural on the side of City Hall Dec. 6 as part of the Detroit Institute of Arts Partners in Public Art program.

The “Small, but Strong” mural on the outside walls of City Hall in the David W. Hanselman Municipal Complex was painted by local artist Wendy Popko, who describes herself as a community public art muralist.

“I dive deeper into the communities that I trade artwork for,” Popko said in a Facebook video about creating this mural. “I like finding the little nuggets, the little treasures of information that make each community unique and different on their own.

“I bring that into their visual story to share with community members and visitors alike,” Popko said.

“Small, but strong” was something Popko said she heard Center Line Mayor Bob Binson say in one of his speeches describing the city. That is what inspired the name of the mural.

“Honestly, we are just enchanted by the mural,” Center Line Library Director Wesleyann Johnson said about what resonates with her about the artwork. “It’s big, beautiful, colorful. It’s such a charm for our city. It’s Center Line’s past and present and it’s really hopeful and optimistic for the future.”

Popko did her homework and researched Center Line as part of the project.

“I love the historical elements that Wendy included,” Johnson said. “She actually sat in on a few of our Historical Society of Center Line meetings, in order to gather some ideas. She included a 1926 fire truck in Center Line. There was a trolley in Center Line and a water tower.”

Johnson applied for the project with the DIA and wanted Popko as the artist, having seen her work displayed throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.

Popko explained what some of the images in her mural represented.

The eight houses represent the eight firefighters/police officers from Center Line who volunteered and went to ground zero in New York after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The city’s public safety officers — cross-trained as police officers and firefighters — were helpful there because the area was considered a crime scene, but people still needed to be rescued.

The three arches at the top of the mural represent how people from diverse cultures and backgrounds banded together to raise money for the expansion of St. Clement Catholic Church and the modern architecture, Popko said.

“Center Line is the heart of metro Detroit,” Popko said. “There’s lots of (teal) tones in a lot of (Detroit’s) logos and in The Spirit of Detroit. I wanted to tie that in and have that connection between Center Line and metro Detroit.”

She did that by using teal colors in the upper portion of the mural. Some teal colors look aged, and others appear new and vibrant.

The family is represented by the cyclists riding their bike on the Iron Belle Trail that runs through Center Line, according to Popko. There is a young child riding a bike with training wheels, an older child riding a two-wheeler and an adult leading the way.

The mural took several months to complete and was painted directly on the side of City Hall.

“This is such a colorful, bright mural you cannot help but smile when you see those bright pinks and turquoise colors. It’s just grand,” Johnson said.  “I’m just so happy and so thankful we are able to have it through the partnership with the DIA. (The) Partners in Public Art program affords a lot of communities a chance to have beautiful pieces of public art.”

Applications for PIPA murals in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb are open for 2025. Go to dia.org/PIPA for more information.