New Banner Project Celebrates Holland’s Diversity Through Public Art
On the evening of June 5, the Holland Area Arts Council welcomed over 300 community members to the opening reception of the Celebrating Diversity Banner Project, a large-scale public art initiative designed to reflect the rich cultural narratives of the Holland area. The event marked the unveiling of sixty new banners now installed throughout downtown, each featuring original artwork by local artists and community groups that speak to identity, belonging, and shared life in the city.
Guests arrived to a full gallery and a vibrant sense of occasion. In the Jane Armstrong Gallery, the original artworks that inspired the banners were on view - representing media as varied as painting, photography, fiber, collage, and collaborative student work. Many artists stood beside their pieces, talking with visitors, posing for photos, and sharing stories behind the work. Attendees moved fluidly between conversations, guided tours, and gallery moments - transforming the space into a gathering point for civic pride and personal recognition.
This year’s project was made possible through a collaborative process between the Holland Area Arts Council and eight partnering organizations: the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH), the City of Holland, CultureWorks, I AM Academy, Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP), Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates, Out On The Lakeshore, and Zeeland High School Art Students.
“It is always wonderful to bring artists together to create a public art project, but having all of the partners joyfully participating in this project was truly thrilling,” said Lorma Freestone, Project Lead and Interim Executive Director. “Celebrating our stories and our connections to one another as a community should give us all hope.”
The theme: “Celebrating Holland’s Diversity” is visible not only in the banners’ bold aesthetics but in the stories they carry: intergenerational collaboration, cultural memory, queer visibility, immigration journeys, and local identity. Many of the artists are youth or first-time exhibitors, and the ages range from 5-80 years old. Others are community leaders, educators, or practicing artists who brought their lived experience into public view. The result is a street-level exhibition that invites both residents and visitors to reflect on who lives here - and how we live together.
The sixty banners will remain installed in downtown Holland through November 2025, and are scheduled to return during the same season for several years. The initiative was supported by generous contributions from Haworth Helps, Jim and Donna Brooks, and the Holland Convention and Visitors Bureau. A downloadable map of banner locations and images of the works are available on the Holland Area Arts Council website and at the Visitors Bureau.
The Celebrating Diversity Banner Project builds on over twenty years of public art programming at HAAC. But this project marks a new chapter—one in which the banners are not just decorative, but intentional: a visual invitation to acknowledge difference, honor identity, and find common ground through creative expression.