MANISTEE — Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital will hold a ribbon cutting and guided tours Thursday, March 5, to mark the revival of historic student-created tunnel murals, with restored reproductions now displayed on the hospital’s first floor and the original artwork featured during tours of an underground tunnel.
The free event, titled “Through the Tunnel” Ribbon Cutting & Guided Tour, is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. A ribbon cutting is set for 5:15 p.m. with tours to follow. It will be held at the hospital’s main entrance and is open to staff, families and the public.
The murals date back to a project that began in 2009 at the former West Shore Medical Center, now Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital. Hospital leaders, looking for ways to promote wellness and connection, said they recognized the creativity of local students during Fit Kids program visits and saw an opportunity in the long tunnel connecting the hospital to the Medical Care Facility.
Over volunteer weekends, Manistee County high school art students and teachers hand-painted 17 large-scale murals in the tunnel using donated supplies, according to the hospital. Students scaled original sketches into 4-by-10-foot murals. The tunnel, used daily for patient transport, evolved over five years into what the hospital described as a vibrant underground gallery symbolizing movement, healing and community connection.
“These murals reflect the heart of Manistee — creativity, collaboration and care,” said Peter Marinoff, president and chief executive officer of Munson Healthcare South Region. “By reviving them on our first floor and opening the original tunnel for tours, we’re honoring the students who gave our community a lasting gift — and we’re inviting everyone to experience that spirit again.”
Hospital officials said the first-floor exhibit is fully accessible and staff will support guided tunnel tours. The hospital credited photographers Carol Lynne Locey and Steve Growcock for helping recapture images of the murals to allow the community to experience the artwork again.