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Local municipalities turn to public art for placemaking

If you live, work or just drive through Meridian Township, you’ve probably noticed the large metal sculpture in the roundabout at Marsh and Hamilton Roads. The work, entitled “MeridiusPrime,” is a 14-foot tall piece commemorating the Michigan Meridian, the north-south baseline by which the state was surveyed in the 19th century. The sculpture is part of a plan to install public art that relays a community’s “sense of place.”  The artwork is a project of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership.

Peter Menser, the assistant planner for Meridian Township, says public art serves as a catalyst and a foundation for a quality public space and creates attachment for a community. 

Tim Higgins, the artist who created “Meridius Prime," says the sculpture has a cartographic feel to it.

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
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