Make A Wave – Leave Your Mark
At the new Promenade community park located in Downtown Farmington at Grand River and Grove St.
The Make A Wave installation is complete! We ended up with 672 tiles, 42 panels and thousands of hours creativity, layout and kiln firing time.
The park did a soft open for the Farmington Founders Festival with more artwork coming, and an official dedication at Harvest Moon in September.
This is how the wave project happened:
WE REACHED OUR GOAL!
We have now completed all the needed tiles for the new art installation downtown. For the past few months we have been fusing and slumping all the tiles into the wave shapes and plan on the big reveal at Founders Festival 2026
We kicked off of the project at the Harvest Moon festival and Farmers Market on June 18, 19 and 20 at Riley Park and continue to add tiles throughout the year!
If you would like to leave your mark, you still have time to participate. See our calendar for ‘Make A Wave’ dates. Gather your friends and make your tiles together.
You are going to create a 3″x6″ glass tile which will be added to a 12″x24″ panel. The panel will be shaped into an individual wave and mounted along a wall to create a permanent art installation in the spring. The installation is representative of a long wave – a nod to the Rouge River, which runs through Shiawassee Park, where the Art Promenade leads.
A suggested minimum $50 donation for each tile will ensure the city creates and maintains the new park for years to come. See below for some images and answered questions.
Where is the new park located?
The new park is on the north side of Grand River at Grove St. This is across the street from Riley Park and the gazebo. Cross at the stop light and walk into the park and the wave is on the back fence – you can’t miss it! Thomas St. is on the other side of the park, where the new townhouses are being built.
What is the 'Make A Wave' project?
It is a fundraiser and permanent art installation for the new Art Park Promenade in downtown Farmington, MI.
Do you have to be a Farmington resident to participate?
No, everyone from any community is welcome to leave their mark and visit the installation to find their tile for many years to come.
When do we make our donation?
You make your donation at the time you create a tile. There is a suggested minimum donation of $50 and anything more continues to help fund the new promenade space.
When will it be installed?
The Art Promenade is being built throughout 2025 and we will be installing the wave panels in the spring of 2026.
Do I have unlimited choice of glass design elements?
No, but you have lots of element choices (sheet bits, frit, gems, vitirgraph). There will be two colors pallets to choose from – blue and aqua. Both pallets include two transparent colors and one opaque, plus white and clear. All tiles start on a white 3″x6″ base.
How long will it take to make a tile?
Depends on your creativity and design style. Anywhere in the 10-30 min range is typical, but some people take longer – all up to you.
What if I don't have a design idea in mind?
Random pieces of colored glass make a great design and you decide where to place them. We will have samples at the events for you to draw inspiration from.
How old do you have to be to participate?
All ages welcome.
When must the tiles be completed?
Once we hit 320 of each color tile, we will be done. That said, we would like to have them completed by the end of the year but if we move into January or February we will.