A large mural was unveiled Wednesday on the side of the law offices of DeGrand, Reardon & Hall in Escanaba.
Artist Jim Finlan says he is glad to be a part of beautifying downtown Escanaba.

“This is wonderful,” Finlan said during the unveiling. “This is what I had a dream of doing since I came back here in 1998. I saw all these blank walls a I went, ‘We need something here.'”

Art students Kaylee Hubert and Tyler Welch assisted Finlan on the project.

The mural includes a silhouette of the Sand Point Lighthouse inside the shape of the Upper Peninsula. It includes the state motto in Latin, Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice.

“It’s in Latin which is very influential in law. It gets people thinking. I really like the motto because it gives beauty to this peninsula and what this is all about,” said Finlan.

Attorney Russ Hall said he likes the motto in Latin. He likes the shape of the U.P. too.

“We had to put something there and I’m into maps and the U.P. and we thought the state motto would be something fun for the community to see so why not make it something a little more exciting than a big mural that says law office. We are happy with it, Hall said.

The mural was funded by a Prosperous Places Placemaking grant from CUPPAD and the Bonifas Arts Center. The law office and Escanaba Downtown Clean Up provided supplies, Bosk Equipment Rental supplied the scaffolding, and the Delta County Historical Society offer the use of the image of the lighthouse.

Sue Roll, executive director at the Bonifas, said they would like to see more of this type of mural art in Escanaba.

Every year, the Bonifas offers an ArtScene class for students to participate on a mural in the community.

This year, the group did a wildlife mural at the Escanaba Department of Natural Resources office.
By the way, the state motto is “If you are seeking a pleasant peninsula, look about you.”