pleasant peninsula builds community around a shared love of michigan’s biodiversity by uniting art & science through the radically accessible medium of public art.

we love
where
we live!

Michigan is a place of enormous ecological and spiritual significance. We hold over a fifth of the earth’s fresh water, and we are where the Great Turtle Makinaak gave birth to the world. Yet, Michigan receives little national or global recognition. To an extent, this is a good thing — I don’t want all you Californians blowing up our spot. But as the future of America’s most priceless lands becomes increasingly uncertain, we feel strongly that Michiganders must begin our defense early.

We must learn everything we can about our Great Lakes ecosystems. We must strengthen our sense of state pride and take personal ownership over the wellbeing of our forests, prairies, rivers, and lakes. We must look to our Indigenous leaders as examples of devotion to the Earth that persists across generations!

Pleasant Peninsula is gonna be the ecology party of the century. But more than that, it’s meant to be a love letter to the most beautiful place on earth.

Pleasant Peninsula was founded in 2022 by Michigan muralist Eddie Chaffer. But Eddie quickly realized they had no experience organizing a city-wide event, so they enlisted help from the ever-organized — albeit only slightly more experienced — Erika Collin, who joined as Pleasant Peninsula’s co-director.

That first year, Pleasant Peninsula consisted of one massive ecology mural installed by Eddie, plus booths from over 20 Michigan artists and 15 environmental orgs. To round it out, Pleasant Peninsula booked a day full of music from local bands and conservation-centered talks from educational speakers.

The fest was originally intended to be a one-hit-wonder. But it turns out Grand Rapidians really resonated with Pleasant Peninsula’s message about conservation and native ecology! Michiganders love their state — who’da thunk? To give the people what they wanted, Pleasant Peninsula returned in 2023 and 2024, growing a little bit each year to include more mural installations, community art projects, scientists, artists, organizers, educators, and activists. By 2024, Pleasant Peninsula boasted a lineup of over 100 unique Michigan artists and conservation orgs, a roster of 32 educational speakers, 7 ecology-themed mural installations, and almost 30 thousand attendees over the years.

Now it’s 2025, and Pleasant Peninsula is back with a bigger, bolder plan than ever: host Grand Rapids’ first-ever national mural festival! That means 21 new ecology murals will be installed in downtown Grand Rapids, each featuring a different species on the Michigan Threatened & Endangered Species List. Each of the 21 muralists is paired up with an educator, who serves as a knowledgeable guide to ensure that the murals are as informative as they are eye-catching. With this unique platform for artists and scientists alike, it’s our goal to make conservation both accessible and exciting, right here in the heart of Grand Rapids.