This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, and the University Musical Society.

As part of Riverside Arts Center's (RAC) ongoing effort to support Ypsilanti's arts community, RAC staff recently collaborated with two local artists to add a mural and a sculpture to the center's outdoor space. The mural by Ann Arbor artist T’onna Clemons and the sculpture by Ypsilanti artists Bryant and Sharon Tubbs reflect RAC’s mission to celebrate local talent and make art accessible to the Ypsi community.

RAC Executive Director Liz Warren says she and her colleagues at RAC have been wanting to add public art outside the art center. She says connecting with Clemons and the Tubbses, and finding funding from Ann Arbor glass artist Larry Nisson, made that dream possible late last year.

"Using public art as a bridge to get people to come into the facility has been a beautiful marriage between RAC and the community we serve," Warren says. "Public art really messages to anyone visiting that you will be surrounded by creativity the moment you walk in, based on the setting we’ve created outside."
Doug CoombeLiz Warren with Bryant and Sharon Tubbs' sculpture RIBBONS at RAC.
Larry Nisson and his wife Lucie Nisson saw an opportunity to fund a beautification initiative at RAC, but also another way to support artists in the community. The Nissons, who have also funded the Ann Arbor Art Center’s (A2AC) Art in Public program, thought RAC was the best place to start bringing more public art installations to Ypsi.

"Lucie and I strongly believe that art should be available to be enjoyed by everyone," Larry Nisson says. "RAC does a great job of supporting local artists, and we’re open to working on more projects like this in the future."

Warren sought to prioritize the artists' creative freedom in commissioning the new pieces. Clemons provided RAC staff a selection of color palettes to choose from for the final mural, and the Tubbses allowed Warren to choose from a selection of sculptures. 

"We want to rely on the artist’s vision since they know their work best," Warren says. "It was important to me to let the art speak for itself, in the way that the artists want it to be viewed and experienced."

T'onna Clemons enlists Ypsi community to create mural

Clemons' mural is a geometric piece in shades of pink, green, and purple, created on panels along the center's historic brick wall and running up the accessibility ramp beside RAC’s parking lot. It was completed throughout the summer and fall of last year. Warren says that while working with Clemons on the proposal, the artist "knew we needed something exciting and fun to juxtapose the structure and look of the building as it was." The eye-catching design began to draw in passersby on North Huron Street as soon as it was finished.

"The very first day T’onna’s mural was up, I saw half a dozen people stop to look and talk about it," Warren says. "That’s what we want. We think art should start conversations and create connections."

Clemons says that after 13 years of working in health care, she realized her true passion had always been the arts. She began painting murals in Ann Arbor’s West Park as part of her burgeoning arts business. But after painting on her own for a while, she says she "started to feel lonely" and wanted to find a way to share her passion with others. She founded the nonprofit Youth Art Gallery (YAG), which aims "to inspire creativity, foster talent, encourage community building, and provide a platform for young artists to showcase their work," according to the organization's website. Clemons connected with Warren through the nonprofit Creative Washtenaw two years ago.

"Community is one of the most important things to me in making art," Clemons says. "Since 2023, I’ve been focusing on building community with young people through these cool art projects, while also trying different mediums and styles to keep my skills fresh."
T'onna Clemons with her mural at RAC.
Clemons and YAG have created several murals throughout the Ypsi-Ann Arbor areas, including another Nissons-supported piece at the Community Auto Wash of Ann Arbor. Many of these works, Clemons explains, were created as a community project, inviting residents near the mural locations to help complete the paintings. The RAC mural was completed in the same way, with many young people and their families volunteering to help with the project. That approach falls in line with Clemons' goal of using her art to encourage more young people to consider the arts as a profession, and more adults to realize the value of a career in the arts.

"Most kids have been discouraged from making art at an early age. It’s been planted in their heads that it’s not a real career," Clemons says. "I want to be a positive representation for young people like myself that aren’t represented in the community, or feel that they have to move somewhere else because there are no opportunities for them here."

Clemons’ work with RAC goes beyond this mural, as well. YAG frequently collaborates with RAC to bring free and unique arts workshops to the Ypsi community, including an upcoming lamp-making workshop on Feb. 1. Clemons says she continues to attend Ypsilanti Fine Arts Club meetings in order to stay connected with fellow artists in the community. 

"RAC makes a point to have artists in the building all the time. They’ve made the space a place for artists to talk and to commune," she says. "Having these public art installations and giving artists opportunities like this makes such a difference in the lives of artists."

Bryant and Sharon Tubbs bring sculpture to downtown Ypsi

Warren was introduced to the Tubbses’ work through Nisson, who had seen the couple's metal sculptures at various art shows throughout Washtenaw County. Bryant Tubbs' work in sculpture began with wood, but after restoring a 1965 Ford Mustang, he says he became "fascinated with metal fabrication." Now he and Sharon Tubbs use the medium to create abstract works of art that curve and flow, appearing in motion even when standing still.

"The inspiration is different for each piece," Sharon Tubbs says. "Sometimes it’s something that we see in the world around us. Sometimes we let the random shape of the metal speak to us."
courtesy Bryant TubbsBryant Tubbs with the sculpture RIBBONS at RAC.
The sculpture Warren chose for RAC’s sculpture garden is titled "RIBBONS." Its twisting sheets of metal and its position allow for visitors to view and enjoy the sculpture from nearly every angle. Tubbs explains that this piece was quite challenging to make, given that every piece of metal is shaped and manipulated by hand.

"In 'RIBBONS,' we were pushing the boundaries of what the metal could do," Sharon Tubbs says. "Since we do everything by hand, getting a smooth bend in this thickness of metal is difficult, but it was a journey we wanted to take."

The Tubbses’ work has been featured throughout Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, as well as Farmington Hills, Bloomfield Hills, and the Woodland Meadows Sculpture walk in Perrysburg, Ohio. They frequently attend art shows and festivals throughout the United States, and have also received awards of distinction from the Ann Arbor Guild of Artists and Artisans.

"Each display is a unique piece, and all of our metals are created to withstand the Midwest weather," Sharon Tubbs says. "We want our pieces to withstand the test of time."

Expanding public art in Ypsi

Warren hopes that these two pieces are just RAC's first step in supporting public art initiatives. She encourages private property owners who want to adorn public spaces with art to reach out to the RAC team, who can connect them with interested artists. 

"The messaging behind so many of these pieces speaks to the heart of who this community is," Warren says. "When someone moves here full-time, it’s a good way to start conversations and become a part of the fabric of the city you’ve moved to. For people who have lived here their whole lives, it’s an amazing reflection of the story you’ve been told your whole life."

Sharon Tubbs agrees.
Doug CoombeLiz Warren and T'onna Clemons at RAC.
"Unlike artwork that stays inside museums, these sculptures are right where life happens, where people can experience them every day," she says. "Hopefully, this piece will give people something that they can relate to being in Ypsilanti, and give them a sense of being part of the larger community."

Clemons hopes the pieces will inspire the next generation of artists in Ypsi.

"Sometimes it can be discouraging to look at public art and love it, then realize the public art in your town wasn’t made by artists in your town," she says. "Having public art made by local artists, people in your own culture, it puts out positivity to young people that they can do something and it’s possible to do anything."

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

All photos by Doug Coombe.