Detroit artist chosen to paint huge mural at Jeep plant

Detroit — Detroit artist Hubert Massey will lead the creation a large mural on a sound barrier outside the new Jeep plant, automaker Stellantis NV said Thursday.

A virtual community will be held Wednesday for residents to provide input and ideas. The art piece will be on the wall outside the $1.6 billion Mack Assembly Plant on the city’s east side along two sections of Beniteau Street near Southeastern High School and Kercheval Avenue.

Hubert Massey will create a mural on the sound barrier outside the Detroit Assembly Complex – Mack plant. The Detroit resident is a renowned fresco artist whose work can be found throughout the city and state.

It is part of the $35 million community benefits agreement between the company, city and residents in return for public support for the plant that began producing Jeep Grand Cherokee L SUVs last summer.

Expected to be 15 feet high and 1,500 feet long, the mural will be one of the largest  murals in the region, the company said, citing Rochelle Riley, the city’s director of arts and culture. Auburn Hills-based Commercial Contracting Corp. will provide equipment.

Flint native Massey is a fresco artist who learned the technique from former assistants of Diego Rivera, the artist of the Detroit Industry Murals found at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Massey’s work can be found at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Huntington Place, Detroit Athletic Club and elsewhere throughout the city and state.