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.