Grand Rapids — As folks make their way through the Grand Rapids streets this year, taking in the sights and sounds of the city’s preeminent art festival, they’re bound to notice hundreds of larger-than-life dragonflies peppering the Heritage Hill neighborhood. Of those hundreds, about 25 were designed by students from Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Sculptures of the winged insects, decorated in a variety of styles and spanning many sizes, can be seen peeking out from people’s yards and displayed in front of businesses and community organizations. It’s all part of the Heritage Hill Dragonflies Project, a community art installation created for the sprawling two-week ArtPrize competition, now underway though Oct. 3.
The project was organized by the Heritage Hill Association, a neighborhood group representing the historic district uphill from downtown. The dragonflies — decorated by community members and neighbors — symbolize the growth, rejuvenation and rebirth the neighborhood has experienced since its inception in the mid- to late 1800s, said Denise Cook, an association board member.
‘It’s a lot, for the younger generation to create something and put it out for other people to see, but the response from the neighborhood has been amazing.’
— Heritage Hill Association board member Denise Cook
In the spirit of community, and with the message in mind that “art is for everyone,” Cook said the association invited some GRPS schools to participate as well, using donated wooden dragonflies.
Innovation Central Middle School, located right in the heart of Heritage Hill, jumped at the opportunity to be involved, as did City High/Middle School and Coit Creative Arts Academy.
Following Their Instincts
SNN paid a visit to the classroom of Innovation Central art teacher Rory Tubbs to learn about how her sixth- through eighth-grade students tackled the project.
Each wooden dragonfly, measuring about 2 feet from wing to wing, was divided up so multiple students could work together on the same dragonfly at the same time.
Tubbs said she offered a little bit of guidance, but mostly let the students follow their own creative impulses in decorating the dragonflies with paints, markers and crayons.
“I did suggest patterns as the idea, but they were able to do whatever they wanted, as long as it was school appropriate,” Tubbs said.
Eighth-graders Carl Murray and Justice Pearson said they appreciated that freedom.
“She just let us be creative,” Justice said. “She didn’t demand, like, we have to do this and that.”
For the most part, students worked on the project in groups, with one dragonfly at each table of about four students, and every student focusing on a different wing or corner.
“Basically, we made different types of patterns for the dragonfly and for the wings and stuff,” said Carl. “We made different shapes for it, like stars or lines, or waves, and we designed it.”
For Carl, the project was a highlight of the early part of the school year. He’s an art lover who has, in the past, attempted to write and illustrate his own comic book. And after this experience, he said he might try again.
“I like art so much, because I like drawing things and designing things (and) I like making stuff out of paper,” he said.
Seventh-grader Leni Brown designed an entire dragonfly herself, because some of the other students in her group were out sick when the work took place. Leni’s favorite part of the process, she said, was “picking out the colors and adding designs — like polka dots, blues, pink, gold, silver, zigzags, squiggly lines.”
Tubbs, their teacher, said the project was a great way to foster creativity, and that it allowed for easy collaboration between general-education students and students with special needs.
“I wanted to make sure it was accessible, and something that all the classes could participate in,” she said.
Tubbs added it felt great to have her students contribute to something that represents the Heritage Hill community, which is pretty new to Innovation Central Middle School. The school relocated from Riverside Middle School to the Innovation Central campus in 2025, as part of the district’s “Reimagine GRPS With Us!” facilities master plan.
Adjusting to the new school has been challenging in some ways, but it ultimately resulted in the school feeling more like it was part of the Grand Rapids community, Tubbs said.
Participating in the dragonfly project has helped cement that feeling, she said.
‘They did an amazing job’
The student-decorated dragonflies can be found around Stonecastle Dentistry at 455 Cherry St. SE, and along College Avenue SE between Cherry and Wealthy streets.
Cook, with the Heritage Hill Association, said the GRPS students made an impressive contribution to the community art installation.
“They did an amazing job,” she said. “It’s a lot, for the younger generation to create something and put it out for other people to see, but the response from the neighborhood has been amazing.
“All in all it’s been a wonderful opportunity, for not only the community of neighbors here in Heritage Hill, but for everybody who was involved in this project.”
Students’ dragonflies will be returned to them when ArtPrize wraps up, Cook said, adding, “We’re just really excited that the kids can say, ‘We had a piece in ArtPrize!’”
The Heritage Hill Association’s website features an interactive map of all 400 of the dragonflies in the city. The voting code for the Heritage Hill Dragonflies Project is 61196.
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