What once was a blank slate of brick or cement is now a canvas. It slowly comes to life as an artist works across the facade, brush in hand, applying a series of bold colors which stretch across the wall in the form of whimsical flowers, curvy vines, or teensy, tiny creatures with wings. The artwork seamlessly blends into the surrounding landscape, as if it spills over the wall and into the sights across downtown. 

This is the Tulip City Walls Mural Festival, which has become a spectacle within our beloved City of Holland. It has brought in artists from all over who have helped to transform the sides of both local buildings and structures alike. It asks, “Where do we need a pop of color?” 

It not only has added a vibrant allure to the city streets, but has brought together the nearby neighborhoods, investing in its rich, local culture through “creativity, unity, and hope for this generation and the next.” 

Through August 20–22, a dozen artists from both near and far will come together to commemorate distinct, unique public murals across Eastcore of Holland.

The Tulip City Walls Mural Festival has also reached its 5th anniversary, celebrating five consecutive festivals where artists have delivered their talents to beautify our beloved Holland streets. 

Though, this all begs the question, “Who exactly are the artists behind these murals?”

‍Meet Dania Grevengoed

Dania Grevengoed is one within the handful of artists scheduled to bring her talents to the 2026 Tulip City Walls Mural Festival. She is both an artist and muralist based in West Michigan. 
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Grevengoed has completed multiple 1000 sq ft+ mural projects in the last five years alone. Her largest project was for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, where she covered nearly 6000 sq ft with 14 murals that depict native plants to West Michigan. This was a three-week-long project. To date, she has painted 60+ public and private walls across North America. 

To add to her list of artistic endeavors, this year’s Tulip City Walls Mural Festival will be Grevengoed’s first time at the event. “I will be painting the looooooong wall by Black River School along 20th Street,” she said. So, keep a lookout for her there. 

How She Became a Muralist

“I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon,” Grevengoed recalled. “I draw a lot of inspiration from riding my bike. My one true love in life is bikes, and you will probably see me biking to and around the mural site.” 

She loves dumplings. She loves her small, messy-yet-eclectic garden filled with native plants. And of course, she adores her “fat cat named Egg.” 

Her other love? Art, specifically LARGE art… in the form of murals. 

“I have been making murals since 2020 when someone came to me with the idea of creating work similar to the botanical line drawings I was making, just at a larger scale,” Grevengoed explained. She has since created murals for various places from airports and nature preserves, to both small and large businesses, to grand public spaces across North America. 
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And if it can’t get any better than that, Grevengoed told us that, “All of my murals are brush painted, freehanded, and I do not use AI in my designs or work.” 

She makes the process apparent in the final product. From the use of intentional dips, brush strokes, and layered colors, she wants you to see that a human made it. 

‍From Floral-Filled Fields to Twisty, Curvy Vines

 Dania Grevengoed’s artwork is centered around her adornment with the natural world. “I try to make work that serves as a contemporary ode to the natural world, influenced by an introspective narrative on human ideals within nature,” Grevengoed explained. “And a fascination with the concept of the sublime.” 

“The sublime is an encounter, through beauty, a brushing of the shoulders with the profound. As huge of a feeling as it is, I find the sublime most often in the minuscule, in sidewalk cracks, and the light through backyard trees, and that is the moment I work to uplift,” she explained. “The sublime isn't limited to grand vistas or huge cliffs; it is in the ordinary.”

Grevengoed’s artwork is painted freehand by brush. She sketches out the designs from her own imagination, emphasizing the visual-yet-intricate components of nature. “I think it’s funny to make small things big, and I keep my work organic and instinctual.” 

Her focus is primarily on local flora and fauna, aiming to blend it with site-specific elements. 

"Through freehand, brushwork murals, I aim to steward environmental consciousness, reminding viewers that our flourishing is forever tied to the health of the earth. I often paint 'ordinary' flora and fauna at large scale in a style inspired by Frisian folk art and art nouveau and then explode them with color. 

“I view murals as tools to mutually uplift underappreciated species and overlooked locations,” Grevengoed explained. A previous mural by her, titled “Golden Crowned Kinglets Mural” in Grand Rapids, depicts the little bird species across a vast canvas.
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“The golden crowned kinglet is a very tiny, very fast, very pretty, and very resilient little bird,” she said. “I thought it was funny to paint a bird that weighs about six skittles as about 9-10 feet tall.” 

The mural spans about 130 feet long and 12 feet tall. It translates the mere, lightweight size of this little bird onto a massive, elongated canvas. It took a few 10-12-hour days to complete. 

To Grevengoed, “The sublime can be found in the common and small elements of where we live, and I consider murals as my own humble contributions of veneration to these plants, species, and moments.” She aims to bring the small, often-passed-over components of nature to eye level, hoping to bring an appreciation for both the art subject matter and the location it’s placed. 

“My process is highly location specific; I often paint hyper-local species (plants found on site) and blend them in with elements of the location,” Grevengoed explained. “Dreamlike mixings of us and our neighbors.”

“I believe everyone and every place deserves access to the peace and benefits of the natural world,” she said.

The Purpose Behind the Paint

Dania Grevengoed grew up alongside a family who took great care and attention to biophilia—or, as she puts it, generations of avid gardeners. This upbringing shaped her personal veneration for nature, but it has also aided her to find a deeper sense of purpose.

“I believe the purpose of my life is stewardship,” Grevengoed explained. “Everyone deserves access to the peace of nature.”

Through her artistic illustrations, Grevengoed hopes to make that peace more accessible, bringing her elements of the natural world into spaces where people live, work, and gather. Her murals invite viewers to slow down and notice the small details of the world around them—things that might otherwise go overlooked. 

“Ultimately, I consider my murals as my own humble shrines to the tiny, overlooked elements of our home,” she said. 

For Grevengoed, the murals are more than simple decorative additions made to a wall. They’re a way of drawing attention to the natural world and reminding viewers of their connection to it. She believes that connection carries a sense of responsibility. 

“Our flourishing is directly tied to the care of our natural world neighbors,” Grevengoed said. “And to notice the sublime is to inherit a duty to protect it. We are all stewards of the sublime.”

See It For Yourself 

The Tulip City Walls Mural Festival is scheduled for August 20-22, 2026, in Holland, Michigan. 

In addition to Dania Grevengoed, there are a handful of other artists scheduled to be present at the festival such as Detour, Studio Zepa, Maria Rosa, and Kev Wolfrom. 

For more information, please visit the website.