There’s a new mural being painted in Sterling Heights. Local artist Wendy Popko is putting it on the back of an indoor pickleball facility set to open this summer, formerly the site of an F&M drug store and then a Spirit Halloween.
The mural is mainly visible to people inside cars on nearby Brougham Road. The immediate area around the mural consists of a large grass field and some brand new apartments, still wrapping construction.
Sterling Heights is one of the anchor cities of Detroit suburbia, but, large and populated as it is, I think it’s little more than lines on a map in most people’s imagination. The city has been trying hard for a few years to manufacture a more distinctive identity for itself, starting with a large circular sculpture along a major road that people instantly nicknamed “the Golden Butthole.”
Popko has done two murals for the city before, one on the side of an Italian deli/cafe and one on the side of a gas station outside the Sterling Heights Community Center. She apparently also did the painted steps outside the courthouse in Mount Clemens that I liked so much.
Sterling Heights bought this building and is converting it into a pickleball center using $9.7 million from a big millage it passed in 2024. They put out an open call for artists to paint a mural on its north wall back in March, and it was Popko’s submission that got greenlit by the Arts Commission and an upper cadre of city officials.
This is the design she submitted:
The city describes it as a “postcard-style mural” inspired by similar murals “in communities across the country,” which “celebrate community pride and landmarks while creating a welcoming and photo-friendly destination.”
From left to right, here’s what I’m seeing inside the letters. It’s a mixture of general feel-good stuff and what count for landmarks in this relatively anonymous city — all of them built within the last 10 years. All but one of them stem from the recent rejuvenation of Dodge Park, which lies nearly three miles to the north of this mural. Notably, no Golden Butthole is to be found in this celebration of local landmarks. [Update: I missed a few things here, so make sure to also read this post.]
S: A dog.
TE: A person playing guitar; hands making hearts and peace signs.
R: The butterfly conservatory at Nelson Park.
L: The bridge at Dodge Park.
IN: A Ferris wheel.
G: People kayaking, presumably the Clinton River.
A pickleball paddle with the Sterling Heights logo.
HE: Something involving a splash of water. Probably related to the Dodge Park splash pad, but I honestly don’t know what this represents.
I: The sculpture in the center of the roundabout at Dodge Park.
G: The farmer’s market gazebo at Dodge Park.
HT: People in ethnic garb dancing in front of a globe.
S: People skateboarding and biking.
Another dog.
City Council put $30,000 toward it, half paid on signing and half on completion, to cover the labor, supplies and rental of the lift-me-up machine Popko is using. The contract says it’s supposed to be done by July 10.
Popko herself is a member of the Arts Commission that narrowed the submissions down to three and forwarded them up to the city. I figured that was at least worth asking about, so I sent an email to Community Relations Director Melanie Davis, who told me it was all above board.
“She recused herself from the selection process,” Davis said. “We did a first blind selection with the remaining members of the Arts Commission. They chose their top three submissions. These top three were then presented to city management and parks and recreation leadership, again as a blind selection. Wendy’s submission was selected as the top choice by this group.”
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