I drive by this fence on my way to work and hurt my face smiling the first time I saw it. Thought I'd share something joyful with everyone, particularly since it's local Pride Week.
Local homeowner and architectural designer Sam LaSusa isn’t a “tall fence” person. “I want to engage with the community,” he says with a laugh. “I want to meet my neighbors!”
A born-and-bred Traverse City local and graduate of St. Francis High School, LaSusa moved away in the mid-2010s in pursuit of higher education before eventually purchasing the Cass and Fourteenth Street space he now calls home.
That lot, however, sits at the corner of a high-traffic intersection, making the six-foot wooden fence around the perimeter a necessary evil.
A conventional fence, though, this is not. Instead, it’s become a collaborative art piece—and further, an open invitation—to reflect on what we can do to make our community a more loving place to live. “It’s a little surreal when I drive up and I think, ‘We did that,’” LaSusa says. “It’s changing [the community] dialogue and perspective. That’s what I wanted to accomplish with it.”
I drive by this fence on my way to work and hurt my face smiling the first time I saw it. Thought I'd share something joyful with everyone, particularly since it's local Pride Week.
I drive by this fence on my way to work and hurt my face smiling the first time I saw it. Thought I'd share something joyful with everyone, particularly since it's local Pride Week.