EAST LANSING, Mich. — The City of East Lansing is excited to announce the 2020 dates for the East Lansing Art Festival (ELAF) and Summer Solstice Jazz Festival (SSJF).
The 57th Annual ELAF will be taking place over the weekend of May 16-17, 2020 in downtown East Lansing. Each year, the festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the region with its showcase of fine art exhibitors from across the country, live music, interactive children’s activities, artist demonstrations, eat-on-site food and more. Planning is already underway for the 2020 festival, which was recently ranked 64th in the nation in Sunshine Artist Magazine’s Fine Art & Design Category. This prestigious national ranking is based on artist sales. Artists interested in exhibiting at the 2020 festival can submit an online application at https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=7899. The application deadline is January 31, 2020.
The 24th Annual SSJF will be taking place over the weekend of June 19-20, 2020 in downtown East Lansing. For more than two decades, the SSJF has offered a free, multi-stage music event for residents and visitors of Greater Lansing alike. The SSJF is a celebration of jazz music - one of the truly original American art forms - and each festival includes a remarkable lineup of both national and local jazz performers. In addition to live, outdoor music, the event includes activities for children and eat-on-site food.
“The City of East Lansing is committed to the arts and recognizes the tremendous value of these types of arts and cultural offerings for our community,” said East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas. “We are looking forward to another great year of community events and festivals in the East Lansing community.”
New Festival Leadership
In addition to the announcement of 2020 festival dates, the City of East Lansing is announcing new leadership for the ELAF and SSJF.
Heather Majano, the City of East Lansing’s former community events & environmental stewardship specialist, has been selected to serve in a new role as the art festival & arts initiatives coordinator for the City. She assumed this new position on Monday, Sept. 30 and is excited to be a part of bringing the ELAF to downtown East Lansing in 2020. As a part of Majano’s previous role with the City, she coordinated the SSJF and managed the City’s community events program. She has served with the City in various capacities since November 2012.
Justin Drwencke joined the City of East Lansing on Tuesday, Oct. 1 as the new community events & environmental stewardship specialist. Drwencke served on the volunteer advisory board for the SSJF for two years and is excited to provide additional support and coordination for the festival in this new position. Drwencke has also served as the executive director of the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity since February 2016.