The Psychology of Graffiti

Rebecca Arends, who did her first downtown Ann Arbor mural using Olive Leaf Stencils a little over a year ago, has turned her own work into a behavioral research project as part of a psychology course she's taking at Eastern Michigan University. She's been closely tracking the 10 walls she painted last year, passing by every other day to see if there are any new tags. Seven of the 10 walls have gone completely untouched. And none have been tagged so far this spring. Read the story.

Magnolias In The Making

Before she was contacted by a woman in Ann Arbor last year, Cate Tinsley, an artist from New York, hadn't really considered that the stencils she designs could help a community address graffiti problems. Her unique wall stencils of trees, birds and other patterns were mostly just helping people with do-it-yourself home-decor projects. That was until Rebecca Arends, a local business owner on a mission to combat unwanted graffiti in Ann Arbor, came across Tinsley's website. Those tree stencils, Arends thought, would be perfect for sprucing up Tree Town, where many buildings were being repeatedly tagged by vandals. Read the story.

Mike And Mike Rock The Mic

Local musicians Mike Gentry and Mike Vial rock the mic outside the People's Food Co-Op in downtown Ann Arbor on a rain Saturday on May 14, 2016. See clips from the show here and here and here.