A Beautiful Mural Celebrating Michigan’s Maritime Manufacturing (M3) Initiative
BuildSubmarines.com has partnered with Detroit City Walls, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating Detroit's communities through art, to commemorate the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing (M3) initiative and reinforce its commitment to the city.
Through the M3 Initiative, Michigan is on a mission to leverage its extraordinary tradespeople to help build the U.S. Navy’s next-generation submarines. To support this tremendous effort, BuildSubmarines.com commissioned two powerful, inspiring murals to be painted in the heart of Detroit, Michigan.
This endeavor involved two Michigan-based companies willing to donate walls and a contest to select artists’ concepts. Artists Jesse Kassel and Dustin Hunt were chosen to create murals that will last as long as the building stands, through current owners. This serves as a long-lasting investment in the community, as training and recruitment in Detroit continues to meet the demand for skilled labor in the city.
A Vision With a Purpose
Dustin Hunt’s mural debuts first; he is a Michigan-based multidisciplinary creative, and founder of Muralmatics. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Michigan State University's College of Arts and Letters and later completed a teacher certification from the College of Education at the same university.
Dustin’s Muralmatics specializes in creating socially-engaged, community-based, commissioned murals for small businesses, non-profits, municipalities, corporations, and private residences.
“My work centers around creating large-scale, vibrant murals that reflect the unique character and history of the communities in which they are located. Public art has the power to transform spaces and bring people together. Therefore, I strive to create pieces that are visually interesting and complement the community's fabric.”
Dustin had a vision for his “We Build Giants” mural, which pays homage to Detroit’s rich legacy of skilled labor, showcased against the city’s skyline. According to him, this design presents an idea that features skilled workers, from welders to machinists and beyond, each contributing to building large-scale projects like submarines.
Dustin’s hope is that this mural “not only celebrates the achievements of Michigan’s skilled trades, but also inspires future generations to explore careers in their fields.”
This inspiring and captivating M3 mural can be found at 6333 Huber (facing Mount Elliot) within the 1-94 Industrial Park. We invite you to visit, take photos or videos, and share this work of art with friends, family, and beyond, as we unite our communities through this shared, meaningful mission.
Michigan is Leading the Way to Build U.S. Navy Submarines
The U.S. Submarine Industrial Base and Navy launched a 10-year initiative to maintain and construct our submarine fleets, which will provide skilled and aspiring trade workers around the country with significant opportunities for meaningful, enduring maritime manufacturing careers.
In December of 2021, the current Administration signed a series of Presidential authorities emphasizing the importance of our Submarine Industrial Base and its enduring robustness, resilience, and competitive edge in the United States and our undersea warfighting mission.
Though Navy supply chains touch every state across America, there is no better place to focus near-term partnerships and priorities than in the great state of Michigan, which has had manufacturing in its DNA since the turn of the 20th century. The schools and companies who have fundamentally shaped this nation’s automotive and transportation industries are primed to support the tremendous trajectory we are on to build and sustain our maritime fleet, including the backbone of our undersea defense capability, our submarines.
Through the M3 Initiative, we will implement pipelines and programs targeted at meeting the Navy’s demand for thousands of new workers and jobs across the state and the broader Great Lakes region. We need over 100,000 skilled workers to build the largest and most technologically advanced submarines the U.S. Navy has ever put to sea. A monumental mission for the magnificent state of Michigan.
Keep an eye out here and on our social platforms for more information about Dustin's mural and our second mural, which will debut Spring/Summer 2025.
Photo credit: Elonte Davis
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