Max Sansing grew up visiting Gary from the South Side of Chicago.

Now, he’s returned to the city to create a mural for Deniece Williams, a Grammy award-winning singer and Gary native.

“It’s been awesome,” Sansing said. “I’ve painted all over the world, and the response here has hit deeper. I know she means a lot to the people here.”

Williams is known for various songs, including “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” which in May 1984 hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 music chart.

Williams’ mural is one of multiple new art pieces celebrating Gary success stories throughout the city. On Friday, the city unveiled a mural of the Jackson Five in the Miller neighborhood, which was painted by local artist Felix “Flex” Maldonado.

“Gary has always been a city of heart and soul, and we owe so much to the Jackson family for the precious cultural heritage they’ve given us,” Mayor Eddie Melton said in a news release. “My administration is strongly committed to creating opportunities for public art and supporting talented artists like Felix Maldonado who bring these visions to life. This new mural will support our local businesses along Lake Street while giving visitors another compelling reason to discover Gary as the premier beach front destination in Northwest Indiana.”

The Jackson Five mural was privately funded by Gary residents Karren and Patrick Lee, and Tom and Sylvia Collins. The mural is reminiscent of another art piece that was on Lake Street before deterioration led to its removal.The city also plans to collaborate with Indiana University Northwest’s School of Arts to create a mural on the former Sears building along Broadway. IUN students and alumni will help create a series of murals that shows Gary’s history and most influential citizens.

“These city-funded projects represent a commitment to honor Gary’s musical heritage and invite the public to experience Gary’s downtown revitalization,” the news release said.

The mural of Williams — which Sansing planned to finish Wednesday — is at the corner of West 25th Avenue and Broadway. Sansing said his friend, artist Ish Muhammad, asked him to create the art.

Sansing had the idea to paint Williams, and the mural is a portrait of her when she was younger with colors reflective of albums she’s made. He also included flowers and a songbird on the portrait.

“I figured this was a piece where I could tell more about who she was as a person,” Sansing said. “I wanted to tell a story with all these colors and different little images about her.”

Williams visited Sansing while he worked on the mural about a week before he planned to complete it, he said, adding that one of his friends told him Williams started to tear up while she looked at the painting.

Sansing grew up listening to Williams’ music, so he said it’s made the mural more special for him.

“It was barely finished, but it was good to see her happy,” Sansing said. “It’s nerve-racking to have someone show up when you’re painting them, but people said she was happy with how it looked.”

The Post-Tribune was unable to contact Williams for a comment. The city of Gary posted about Williams’ visit on its Facebook page, including photos of her with Melton.

“Honoring a hometown legend,” the Facebook post said. “A beautiful mural is going up at 25th & Broadway to celebrate the incredible Deniece Williams — the Grammy-winning artist whose soaring four-octave voice took her from local church choirs to international stardom.”

Sansing is excited to see how residents throughout the city will continue to embrace his work.

“I really just want to say thank you to the city of Gary and to the people of Gary,” he said. “I mean, it’s not an easy thing to do this, and I appreciate them making me feel welcomed, and them saying hi and sharing their stories. It really helps me get this done.”

The city’s investment in public art is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025, according to a Gary news release.