EAST LANSING, Mich. — The East Lansing Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is pleased to announce the selection of several local artists for inclusion in a rotating display of artwork in downtown East Lansing.
Beginning this week and running for the next three months, the DDA will exhibit prints of artwork submitted by artists from East Lansing and the surrounding Greater Lansing area. The eight artists chosen are: Jon Casey, Karla Forrest-Hewitt, Jacqui Carroll, Kelly Hansen, Aaron Schubert, Amber Prass, Sophie Rutkowski and Tamara Brown.
The selected artists were chosen in September by the DDA. Their work had to meet the following criteria:
- embody the character of East Lansing,
- reflect the sense of community celebrated downtown,
- celebrate the City’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,
- emphasize the importance that art plays in defining a sense of place and community and
- reflect the diversity of the East Lansing community.
As part of its ongoing creative placemaking initiatives in downtown East Lansing, the DDA installed four multi-purpose, double-sided, 4’x6’ artwork display panels on the north side of the Division Street Garage along Albert Avenue in 2021. Several rotating art exhibitions have been featured in the space since then, including reproductions of artwork from the MSU Broad Art Museum’s permanent collection and artwork by local high school AP Art students.
“Can’t wait to add more art to our already vibrant downtown,” said DDA Vice Chair Luke Allen Hackney. “This is another wonderful opportunity for the community to come downtown and support these local artists.”
“We are excited to showcase the dynamic artwork of eight local artists and we encourage the community to come downtown and enjoy the Local Artist Series,” said East Lansing Placemaking & Arts Programming Specialist Wendy Sylvester-Rowan. “We hope to increase the visibility of our local artists and have printed a QR code on each artwork, which will take the viewer to a webpage with more information about each artist.”
To learn more about the City of East Lansing’s placemaking initiatives, visit https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/2240/Placemaking-Initiatives. To learn more about the artists and artwork, visit https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/2152/Downtown-Rotating-Art-Displays.