Arts Council of Greater Lansing announces $157,500 in grants

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FRIDAY, Feb. 21 — Lansing Mayor Andy Schor and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing gathered below the Shiawassee Street Bridge in Rotary Park to announce $157,500 in arts grants earlier today.

The largest award — a $75,000 Arts Impact Project Grant — will fund a community mosaic mural designed by local artist Alexandra Leonard. It will be installed in September on the steps and partition of the Shiawassee Street Bridge’s curved wall. The project also encourages community engagement, as residents will eventually be able to create their own tiles to be incorporated in the final product.

“I’ve been a resident of this general area most of my life, so I’m really excited to be able to do this,” Leonard said.

“We are making the city look better. When this was evaluated, I was fully supportive,” Schor said to Leonard at today’s press conference. “I’m really excited about your project. You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. We keep saying, ‘Lansing’s time is now,’ and this is what we’re talking about.”

Also announced were six arts project grants totaling $82,500. Each is funded by the city of Lansing and administered through the Arts Council of Greater Lansing.

The six other recipients include:

Capital City Film Festival — $15,000

CCFF received its grant to support a multitude of free events and projects that will be presented during its upcoming 10th annual film festival. The free events include “Play,” an interactive virtual reality and video game gallery,“House of More,” a space for experimental art and “Symphonic Cinema,” which features silent films presented with live music performances.

Lansing 5:01 — $14,500

Lansing 5:01 received a grant for Dam Jam, a riverside music festival that features 15 Michigan bands with a headlining performance in the round at the Brenke Fish Ladder. Participants will view the different bands while cruising down the Lansing River Trail with various means of transportation.

Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center — $20,000

Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center’s grant will contribute to the 2020 ARTpath, which connects 3.5 miles of artwork by Michigan-based artists throughout the city while “enhancing the River Trail as a cultural attraction.”

Lansing Symphony Orchestra — $8,500

Lansing Symphony Orchestra’s grant contributes to “Neighborhood Concerts” — performances of chamber music, jazz, a family series and various other pop-up concerts.

Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art — $14,500

The grant for Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art will help fund the Michigan BluesFest and Lansing JazzFest — two concert festivals that have become staples of live summer music in Lansing. 

REACH Studio Art Center — $10,000

REACH Studio Art Center received a grant to help with its “Drop in, Make Art” event on Wednesday evenings, which will begin in October and run until May. These weekly walk-in events partner participants with local artists to create free art workshops on topics such as textile arts, drawing, painting and other special projects.

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