ARTS COMMISSION Quality Services for a Quality Community
MEMBERS Sarah G. Triplett, Chair AGENDA Meegan Holland, Vice Chair Matt Borghi-Weil August 16, 2018 Jessica Gregg Tedda Hughes 5:30 PM Karen Jennings Erin Sedmak 300 Bailey Street, East Lansing, MI VACANT VACANT NOTE CHANGE IN MEETING LOCATION
City Council Liaison 1) Opening Councilmember Aaron Stephens A) Roll Call B) Approval of Agenda for August 16, 2018 Staff Liaison Wendy Wilmers Longpre C) Approval of Minutes for July 19, 2018 (517) 319-6940
City of East Lansing 2) Communication from the Audience PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT 410 Abbot Road 3) Written Communications East Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 337-1731 4) Reports www.cityofeastlansing.com A) Chairperson
B) Council Liaison C) East Lansing Arts Festival Liaison
D) Staff Report
5) Committee Reports A) Cultural Arts Planning
6) Business Items
A) Ordinance 1339 Applications i. Bailey Performance Space – Action Requested
ii. 565 E. Grand River Sculpture Updates B) Proposed Valley Court Park Sculpture Recommendation – Action Requested C) Best Practices for Art Purchases – Action Requested D) Other
7) Discussion Items A) Staffing for Arts Programming in East Lansing (Borghi-Weil) i. Friends of the Lansing Regional Trails Trail Ambassador Program (Gregg) B) Official Greeting Tour Mural (Hughes) C) East Lansing Art Market (Gregg) D) Other
8) Adjourn
ARTS COMMISSION Quality Services for a Quality Community
MEMBERS Sarah G. Triplett, Chair Minutes Meegan Holland, Vice Chair Matt Borghi-Weil August 16, 2018 Jessica Gregg Tedda Hughes 5:30 PM Karen Jennings Erin Sedmak 54B District Court, Courtroom 1, 101 Linden Street VACANT VACANT Present: Chairperson Sarah G. Triplett, Vice-Chairperson Meegan Holland,
City Council Liaison Commissioners Matt Borghi-Weil, Jessica Gregg, Tedda Hughes, Karen Jennings and Erin Councilmember Aaron Stephens Sedmak.
Staff Liaison Wendy Wilmers Longpre Others: Councilmember Aaron Stephens, Staff members Wendy Wilmers-Longpre and (517) 319-6940 Heather Surface
City of East Lansing PARKS AND RECREATION 1) Opening DEPARTMENT 410 Abbot Road A) Roll Call East Lansing, MI 48823 The meeting was called to order at 5:34 p.m. (517) 337-1731 www.cityofeastlansing.com B) Approval of Agenda for August 16, 2018
Moved by Vice-Chairperson Holland, seconded by Commissioner Jennings to approve the August 16, 2018 agenda as presented.
YAYS: All NAYS: None
C) Approval of Minutes for July 19, 2018
Moved by Vice-Chairperson Holland and seconded by Commissioner Borghi- Weil to accept the typographic amendments to the minutes.
YAYS: All NAYS: None
Moved by Commissioner Borghi-Weil, seconded by Commissioner Jennings to approve the amended minutes. YAYS: All NAYS: None
2) Communication from the Audience None
3) Written Communications None
4) Reports A) Chairperson None
Arts Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2018 Page 2
B) Council Liaison Councilmember Stephens shared that the income tax passed, that Mayor Meadows and Councilmember Beier will be taking a leave of absence from their Council duties, and that the Park District site plan has been approved by Council.
C) East Lansing Arts Festival Liaison Vice-Chairperson Holland reported that there are two new board members on the Arts Festival Board. The Board has hired Ciesa Design to help them recruit board members with fundraising experience. They are also working on the artist prospectus.
D) Staff Report Staff member Longpre reviewed the FY18 and FY19 budgets as well as the status of Ordinance 1339 projects.
5) Committee Reports A) Cultural Arts Planning Chairperson Triplett reported that the meeting she had schedules with the Arts Council of Greater Lansing was postponed. An update on this item will be provided at the September meeting.
6) Business Items A) Ordinance 1339 Applications None
B) Proposed Valley Court Park Sculpture Maquette – Action Requested The Art Selection Panel has identified an artist that they would like to recommend the Arts Commission consider for the Valley Court Park sculpture commission. Staff is recommending that the artist, Dane Potter, be authorized to produce a maquette (small model) of his proposed sculpture for presentation to the Arts Commission at the September meeting.
Moved by Vice-Chairperson Holland, seconded by Commissioner Hughes to approve $200 to be dispensed to Dane Porter for building of a maquette. YAYS: All NAYS: None
C) Other None
7) Discussion Items A) Process for Adding Agenda Items to Future Meetings Chair Triplett asked that Commissioner agenda items be submitted to Staff Longpre by Wednesday the week before the Commission meets so that the agenda can be sent to the Commissioners on the Friday before the meeting. Depending on
Arts Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2018 Page 3
the length of the agenda and the items requested to be added, the Chair may decide to postpone some items to future meetings.
B) Trowbridge Area Art Susan R. Chalgain, Trowbridge Business Association – requested that the Commission give consideration to spending funds from Ordinance 1339 on a stimulating and innovative work of art to be placed in the Trowbridge corridor as a welcome to incoming visitors. Suggested placement include in the median across from the law office, on campus and on the fence between the railroad and businesses.
Chairperson Triplett said that the sculpture in Valley Court is the first step in prioritizing art purchases.
C) FY2019 Cultural Arts Grants Schedule The FY2019 Cultural Arts Grant schedule was distributed and reviewed.
D) Bailey Street Performance Space Update Commissioner Borghi-Weil shared an outline of a meeting he had with Mikki Droste, Executive Director of Capital Area Housing Partnership, about the Bailey Street Performance Space. See attached notes.
E) Lansing Eastside Folk-life Festival (Jennings) Commissioner Jennings reported on the Folk-Life Festival that was held at Lansing’s Allen Neighborhood Center on August 11, 2018. The festival was obligated to give out the Folk Life Awards. The Outreach and Communications office gave some money to the event. Mayor Schor would like to keep the event in Lansing.
What is the future of festivals in East Lansing now that the income tax has passed? Councilmember Stephens is willing to talk to other Council members.
F) Best Practices for Public Art Projects and East Lansing Public Art Guidelines (Gregg) Commissioner Gregg would like the Arts Commission to review the art acquisition process including changing the RFP process so that the first round is a request for portfolios only with finalists being given a stipend to create an original piece of artwork for consideration. The City would then own the right to have that piece of artwork for a certain amount of time. Gregg would like the Commission to formally adopt the American for the Arts Best Practices.
G) Proposed Creation of Full-time Arts Coordinator (Borghi-Weil) Commissioner Borghi-Weil would like the City to consider hiring a full-time Arts Coordinator and provided an outline of what this person would be responsible for. See attached notes.
Arts Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2018 Page 4
H) Official Greetings Tour Mural (Hughes) Commissioner Hughes has requested that the City of East Lansing participate in the Official Greetings Tour by having the Arts Commission pay for and fundraise for an official “Welcome to East Lansing” sign to be painted by the Tour. Citizens would collaborate on the contents of the letters. The first five letters are $20,000 every letter after that is $500. Commissioner Hughes will gather some additional information for the Commission to consider at the September meeting.
I) Other Staff person Longpre shared photos of a new mural in Mason, MI.
8) Adjourn Moved by Commissioner Jennings, seconded by Commissioner Hughes to adjourn at 7:47 p.m. YAYS: All NAYS: None
ARTS COMMISSION Quality Services for a Quality Community
MEMBERS Sarah G. Triplett, Chair Meegan Holland, Vice Chair Written Communications Matt Borghi-Weil Jessica Gregg September 20, 2018 Meeting Tedda Hughes Karen Jennings Erin Sedmaak VACANT VACANT A) RE: Developers Fight Efforts to Make Them Pay for Public Art
From: The New York Time, July 10, 2018, City Council Liaison https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/10/business/art-real-estate.html Aaron Stephens
Staff Liaison Wendy Wilmers Longpre B) RE: Four Lansing neighborhoods adorned with sidewalk poems (517) 319-6940 From: Lansing City Pulse, Thursday, August 30, 2018
http://lansingcitypulse.com/article-16377-Four-Lansingneighborhoods- City of East Lansing PARKS AND RECREATION adorned-withsidewalk-poems.html DEPARTMENT 410 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823 C) RE: City of East Lansing Press Release: East Lansing Community Photo Contest
(517) 337-1731 www.cityofeastlansing.com D) RE: City of East Lansing Press Release: East Lansing Arts Commission Now Accepting Applications for FY19 Cultural Arts Grant Program
E) RE: Painting the town: The stories behind Lansing’s Murals
From: Lansing State Journal, Thursday, September 6, 2018, including the Storymap: A tour of 20 years of Lansing murals
https://uploads.knightlab.com/storymapjs/03c039321e44c51c33479494a914 573c/lansing-murals/index.html
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SQUARE FEET Developers Fight Efforts to Make Them Pay for Public Art
By Daniel Grant
July 10, 2018
Real estate developers often agree to finance neighborhood improvements, like a sidewalk or a park or a bus stop, to help secure approval for their projects, but many are drawing the line in a new fight: paying for public art.
A growing effort to make developers include public art in their private projects or contribute to a public art fund is meeting angry resistance. Municipal leaders facing tight budgets are looking for alternative funding, but builders say the new ordinances are an “art tax” that increase the cost of a project.
“Among other cost drivers are the additional expense of hiring art consultants and attorneys to present proposed works to an art board,” said Truly Burton, executive vice president of the Builders Association of South Florida. “All this factors into how much someone pays in rent or a mortgage payment every month.”
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Kim Curry-Evans, the director of Scottsdale Public Art, inside “The Doors.” The city expanded its percent-for-art law to include private developments because “funding for capital projects was declining,” she said. Laura Segall for The New York Times
Percent-for-art ordinances aimed at private developers have been growing in recent years, expanding statutes in 27 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in a variety of counties and cities and even for the federal government. These laws typically require around 1 percent of construction and renovation costs for public buildings to be set aside for the purchase of artworks for the site.
“There is a general understanding that art in a community elevates that community, making it safer, healthier and more fun to live in,” said Sarah Conley Odenkirk, a Los Angeles lawyer specializing in transactional matters related to the arts in the private and public realms.
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Cities in Florida and in California have been leaders in instituting percent-for-art requirements for private developers. But they are facing pushback.
The Builders Association of South Florida and the Miami Downtown Development Authority are both battling a proposal before the Miami City Commission that would require developers whose construction projects cost more than $3 million to spend up to 1.25 percent on publicly accessible art.
The specific percentage depends on the construction costs, although developers could spend a bit less by contributing up to 1 percent of the cost to a city-managed fund for public art. Without proof that this requirement has been met, building owners would not receive a certificate of occupancy.
If the ordinance is adopted, it would generate approximately $14 million annually in public art around the city, said Efren Nuñez, a Miami city planner and a principal author of the measure.
But there is a debate over which neighborhoods should benefit from the regulation. The aim of the Miami Planning Department is to enhance neighborhoods through the installation of works of “art all over the city, not just in the wealthier areas,” Mr. Nuñez said.
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“Passing the Legacy,” a Scottsdale sculpture by Herb Mignery honoring the Hashknife Pony Express. Laura Segall for The New York Times
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Lithocrete designs by Leticia Huerta at Soho Scottsdale. The condominium project’s developer, Catclar Investments, installed a half-million dollars’ worth of art there. Laura Segall for The New York Times
He said many developers of Class A commercial office buildings and luxury residential high-rises already incorporated works of art into their designs. However, the City Commission voted last year to exempt from the proposal developers of affordable housing projects.
“Everyone should have access to art, regardless of their social and economic status,” Mr. Nuñez said.
But opponents complained that the ordinance would increase costs and that developers would not have a free hand in picking art they liked. Alyce M. Robertson, executive director of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, stated in a letter to the city manager that the legislation provided a “disincentive for investing in art, because any art commissioned by the property owner would be subject to review by an advisory committee.”
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The problem for local governments is that “public dollars have gotten much tighter” since the recession of 2008, Ms. Odenkirk said.
“There is a need for public-private partnerships,” she added. “We need more public art.”
There is no database of the number of municipalities with percent-for-art requirements for private developers, although Ms. Odenkirk estimated the number at 80 to 100. She stressed the societal need for the ordinances, saying that art “increases tourism, decreases vandalism and increases property values and thereby the tax base.”
“Building Blocks,” a sculpture by Christopher Weed at Soho Scottsdale. Laura Segall for The New York Times
Some cities have found success. Scottsdale, Ariz., expanded its 1985 percent-for-art law to include art in private development because “funding for capital projects was declining,” said Kim Curry-Evans, director of Scottsdale Public Art.
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Developers in the city were among the strongest supporters of the law, Ms. Curry-Evans said. “It is not seen as taking money away but as enhancing and beautifying these building projects,” she said.
Catclar Investments in Scottsdale installed a half-million dollars’ worth of art, including large-scale photographic murals and a sculpture resembling a Lego brick, at its Soho Scottsdale condominium development. “Putting art in new developments all over town is a brilliant idea, because it gives life to projects,” said Irene Catsibris Clary, principal at Catclar.
But in other areas across the nation, developers are fighting back.
In Oakland, Calif., the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area sued to block an amendment that added developers of commercial and residential properties to the city’s percent-for-art statute. The group argued that the law violated both the First Amendment, by requiring speech in the form of purchasing works of art, and the “takings clause” of the Fifth Amendment, which limits a public entity’s ability to take control of private property for public use.
“The First Amendment’s free-speech guarantees include the right not to give voice to someone else’s message,” the association said in a statement.
In February, the Federal District Court in San Francisco ruled in favor of the city , saying the Supreme Court has interpreted the “takings clause” to apply only when government officials require something from a developer regarding a specific property rather than a broad class of properties.
Judge Vince Chhabria also ruled that “the ordinance does not require a developer to express any specific viewpoint, because developers can purchase and display art that they choose.”
Despite the increased resistance, some municipalities have found ways to negotiate with builders to sweeten the requirement.
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St. Louis Park, Minn., for instance, has no ordinance for public art, but city officials are “able to require it when the developer is getting something in return from the city,” said the city’s community development director, Karen Barton. The negotiations may include public financing or flexibility in land-use requirements, she said.
In Portland, Ore., the building code states that developers may obtain “zoning bonuses,” such as additional square footage, by incorporating public art into their projects. Suwanee, Ga., “will not issue building permits” until developers at least meet with the Public Arts Commission to hear a pitch about spending 1 percent of construction costs on public artwork.
“Lenses” by Joe O’Connell is an illuminated facade that covers a parking garage at the Scottsdale Quarter outdoor mall. Laura Segall for The New York Times
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Behind the garage facade. Developers were among the strongest supporters of Scottsdale’s percent-for-art law, Ms. Curry-Evans said. Laura Segall for The New York Times
That requirement to meet with the commission seemed less “combative” than ordering a 1 percent art expenditure, said Toni Shrewsbury, special projects coordinator in Suwanee’s economic development office.
“Developers we talked to said that requirement wouldn’t be met with opposition if the percent-for-art rule weren’t mandatory,” she said.
What these percent-for-art ordinances do not address is what happens to the public artwork after it has been installed.
Ms. Odenkirk noted that some building owners in Los Angeles had removed them — selling them, junking them or just putting them in storage or somewhere else — “which has the effect of undermining the process.”
“There is no enforcement mechanism within these ordinances, and city officials don’t
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want to irritate the developers who are putting resources into a community,” she said.
A version of this article appears in print on July 11, 2018 , on Page B6 of the New York edition with the headline: Private Money for Community Art Sparks a Public Fight
&$$!!!'(' $% #$ )$ $ ($ ' #$%$% # Four Lansing neighborhoods adorned with sidewalk poems Page 1 of 2
(article-16356- Today-in- (article-16356-Today-in- Lansing-Fresh-produce-at-Lansing-Fresh- Ancona-Farm-Stand.html)produce-at- Today in Lansing: Fresh produce at Ancona Farm Ancona-Farm- Stand (article-16356- Stand.html) (https://clicking.wehaaserver.com/? keyplane=W46SvwAAT43OGJBfs9wf6R8TohSAdlESZT6RfRwiRm4x0y2tzcY8gc2rB2xbbHkGFfkDxZuuXxl9n1E2aZUM1d005GeFCOC2v7feePq3x4M%3D) ARTS AND CULTURE (HTTP://LANSINGCITYPULSE.COM/ARTICLES.SEC-234-1-ARTS-AND-CULTURE.HTML) Click Here to Aug. 30 2018 09:48 AM Read This Week's Paper (http://npaper- Four Lansing neighborhoods wehaa.com/citypul adorned with sidewalk poems (http://lansingcitypulse.com/art 16377-Four-Lansing- neighborhoods-adorned-with- sidewalk-poems.html) (http://npaper-wehaa.com/citypulse) BY SKYLER ASHLEY (HTTP://LANSINGCITYPULSE.COM/BY-AUTHOR-695-1.HTML)
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Keeping rhythm with Lansing’s recent plunge into public art, another installation is completed — the Lansing Sidewalk Poetry Project. Selected from 76 public submissions, eight poems are permanently engraved into their own personal concrete slabs belonging to four (http://lansingcitypulse.com/article- 16198-city-pulse-and-fox-47-present- Lansing Neighborhoods: Old Town, REO Town, the Stadium District and the east side. the-2018-top-of-the-town-winners.html)
“If you think about Lansing and its cultural footprint, those four neighborhoods stand out. Most Read They have a mature ethos to them,” Lansing poet laureate Dennis Hinrichsen said. “REO NEWS Town and the Eastside seem to be up and coming; they seem to be a nice place to focus (HTTP://LANSINGCITYPULSE.CCOM/ARTICLES.SEC- cultural energy.” 233-1-NEWS.HTML) 1 ) Emotions run high in marijuana licensing Hinrichsen and the eight other judges were tasked with finding poems that embodied the so- battle called spirit of each neighborhood. The eight engraved works are odes to subjects familiar to (http://lansingcitypuls 16148-Emotions-run- anyone with a working knowledge of Lansing history. But Hinrichsen said the goal was to give high-in-marijuana- a nod to locals, as well as a brief introduction to the neighborhood for out of towners. licensing-battle.html)
http://lansingcitypulse.com/article-16377-Four-Lansing-neighborhoods-adorned-with-sidew... 9/4/2018 Four Lansing neighborhoods adorned with sidewalk poems Page 2 of 2
“It’s not open mic poetry, it’s not print poetry, it’s poetry that’s going NEWS (article-16356- (HTTP://LANSINGCITYPULSE.CCOM/ARTICLES.SEC- out on the streets. As we thought about it, we knew the poems had to 233-1-NEWS.HTML) Today-in- 2 ) Police chief locks(article-16356-Today-in- hit a certain note in terms of how they spoke about place,” Hinrichsen Lansing-Fresh- crosshairs on Lansing-Fresh-produce-at- Ancona-Farm-Stand.html)produce-at- said. Todaysouthside in Lansing: ‘nuisance’ Fresh producebar at Ancona Farm Ancona-Farm- The chosen poets penned their tributes with the same mentality. “Mi Stand(http://lansingcitypuls (article-16356- Stand.html) 16151-Police-chief- Pueblo,” located next to the Brenke Fish Ladder, by Cruz Villarreal, a locks-crosshairs-on- writing assistant at Lansing Community College, pays homage to Old southside-&lsquonuisa bar.html) Town’s deep Latino history. NEWS “It’s where many of the migrants during the sugar beet era moved into during the ‘40s,” (HTTP://LANSINGCITYPULSE.CCOM/ARTICLES.SEC- 233-1-NEWS.HTML) Villarreal said. “It’s kind of cool to keep that history from disappearing, because it’s an 3 ) Will Republicans important part of Lansing.” or Democrats play Trump card best in primary? But Villarreal also wanted to celebrate the unity within Old Town. (http://lansingcitypuls 16195-Will- “You know what a fish ladder is, right? It’s a bunch of pools. The fish, they congregate in Republicans-or- those pools and they work their way up; then they move on. It’s very representative of what is Democrats-play- Trump-card-best-in- actually happening in Old Town.” primary.html)
Therese Wood, a registered nurse case manager living in East Lansing, used her poem “A Nod FOOD (HTTP://LANSINGCITYPULSE.CCOM/ARTICLES.SEC- to Robert Busby,” located on Turner Street, to remember his influence in shaping Old Town, 237-1-FOOD.HTML) and the Lansing art scene altogether. 4 ) Lansing's Ruckus Ramen takes on Detroit’s Johnny “He was a visionary kind of person. Where other people saw old buildings with nothing going Noodle King in ramen on, he saw a place where there could be art, jazz and great food. He made that happen, and battle (http://lansingcitypuls people have built on that since he’s been gone,” Wood said. 16155-Lansings- Ruckus-Ramen- Wood is optimistic that visions, such as the late Busby’s, are likely to gain more traction, takes-on- thanks to Mayor Andy Schor’s push to get the arts involved in city government. Detroit&rsquos- Johnny-Noodle-King- “Detroit and Grand Rapids have more of a balance between sports and arts. Bringing more in-ramen-battle.html)
arts freelancing and giving more opportunities to people to engage in the art gives us more ARTS AND CULTURE (HTTP://LANSINGCITYPULSE.CCOM/ARTICLES.SEC- balance.” 234-1-ARTS-AND- CULTURE.HTML) As the Lansing Sidewalk Poetry Project prepares for its gala and reception Thursday, 5 ) Lansing rolls out the Mayor’s Arts and Hinrichsen is also hopeful the trend of public art will continue. Culture Commission (http://lansingcitypuls “This makes Lansing an attractive place to live; it isn’t just another crap ass building going 16266-Lansing-rolls- up,” Hinrichsen said. “Your life is almost an artistic gesture against this backdrop. Any kid out-the- Mayor&rsquos-Arts- from any economic strata can look at it, and be changed by seeing the possibilities of making and-Culture- art out of one’s life.” Commission.html)
Lansing Sidewalk Poetry Project
Celebration Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m. Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center 119 N. Washington Sq., Ste. 101 www.lansingpoet.com
http://lansingcitypulse.com/article-16377-Four-Lansing-neighborhoods-adorned-with-sidew... 9/4/2018 Show us what you love most about East Lansing by submitting up to ve high-resolution photos taken in the community during any of its four seasons! Winning photos will be featured in City of East Lansing marketing pieces - online and in print. There will also be gift card prizes:
1ST PLACE $100 Meijer Gift Card 2ND PLACE $75 Meijer Gift Card 3RD PLACE $25 Meijer Gift Card
Special Downtown East Lansing Category $50 Downtown East Lansing Parking Voucher Submit your best photos of downtown East Lansing for a chance to win this prize! 10 Honorable Mention Winners $10 Downtown East Lansing Parking Vouchers
SPONSORS Find more information & submit photos at Meijer, East Lansing www.cityofeastlansing.com/photocontest Downtown Management Board, East Lansing Downtown Development 2017 CONTEST WINNERS PICTURED ABOVE Authority From left to right, photos by Azfar Hussain, Cayla Johnson, William Rowan and Dane Robison CONTEST DEADLINE Sunday, October 14, 2018 at midnight
Communications Department Media Contact 410 Abbot Road Wendy Wilmers Longpre East Lansing, MI 48823 Assistant Director (517) 337-1731 phone East Lansing Parks, Recreation & Arts (517) 337-1607 fax (517) 319-6940 www.cityofeastlansing.com
East Lansing Arts Commission Now Accepting Applications for FY19 Cultural Arts Grant Program
18-129 Sept. 10, 2018
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The East Lansing Arts Commission is currently accepting applications for its Fiscal Year 2019 Cultural Arts Grant program.
The Cultural Arts Grant program supports projects that encourage artistic awareness, public participation and/or cultural arts appreciation in the City of East Lansing. The commission has up to $10,500 to allocate for FY19.
Release FY19 grant-funded projects and events must take place between November 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019.
Applications for FY19 Cultural Arts Grant funding must be received by Friday, October 5, 2018 at 5 p.m. to be considered. The application and additional information is available at www.cityofeastlansing.com/CulturalArtsGrant.
### News
Painting the town: The stories and artists behind Lansing’s murals
IN LANSING, YOU CAN FIND MURALS IN ALLEYS, ON BUILDINGS AND UNDER BRIDGES.
Vickki Dozier, Lansing State Journal Published 7:00 a.m. ET Sept. 6, 2018 | Updated 4:48 p.m. ET Sept. 8, 2018 LANSING — At night, LED lights highlight the beauty of the four murals painted under the bridge where U.S. 127 crosses above Michigan Avenue.
“Under the Bridge” Murals by Brian Whitfield are lit up at night. (Photo: Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal, )
Two sections are Lansing-themed, entitled "Work" and "Play." The "Work" mural honors Lansing's workforce, with an emphasis on General Motors. "Play" includes a visual ode to basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson, his Everett High School roots and high school basketball games. The other two murals, called "Discover" and "Create" are about East Lansing. "Discover" tells a story about Lansing's youth leaving the city so they can discover Michigan State University and themselves. "Create" highlights local festivals, art galleries and other things East Lansing has to offer.
Read More: Depressing no more: Bridge's transformation gets noticed
The four 50-by-25 foot murals, collectively titled "Under the Bridge," are Lansing native Brian Whitfield's first solo mural project.
"It was like jumping off a cliff," Whitfield said. "Because before that, I helped with murals. But that was really my project. So I had to figure out how to do a large scale mural like that.
"People come to visit or they’ve lived here and come back and drive by and say 'Whoa, what’s happened here?'" From empty walls to colorful canvases
The city of Lansing is looking more colorful lately because artists have been turning empty city walls into huge public canvases.
They're in alleys, on buildings, under bridges. They line the Michigan Avenue corridor, and are prominent in REO Town and Old Town.
Read More: A solar-powered mural will light up the new BWL substation in Lansing's REO Town
And they help reinforce a sense of place and history and to remind passersby of neighborhoods' unique identities.
"I think Brian’s piece 'Under the Bridge' has given us a focus of connecting East Lansing and Lansing to each other and brightening up a very dull, drab, dark space," said Debbie Mikula, executive director of the Arts Council of Greater Lansing.
"Murals have a way, by painting pictures and painting things that are important to the community, to tell our story in a different way."
Artist Sam "Samskee" DeBourbon estimates he's painted about 15 to 20 murals around town, sometimes multiple times on the same wall.
Buy Photo The back of Reach Studio at 1804 S. Washington in Lansing has several murals on it. The
About seven or eight of them are in REO Town, but he's also painted in Old Town, including the wall at Golden Harvest, on which freestyle bevel letters say "Smells like bacon." He's also done murals in East Lansing and Haslett. Artists reflect on mural experiences
DeBourbon, a Lansing native, says he's a muralist, but also paints graffiti on his murals. Most of his works are done with spray paint. And he recently had the opportunity to paint inside the Michigan Central Depot in Detroit, which was recently purchased by Ford.
"Ford unveiled the train station, and I was one of the four graffiti writers who were chosen to do some live painting for that," DeBourbon said. "It was really cool."
DeBourbon helped organize the Deluxe Inn Motel project in REO Town at Malcolm X and Washington Avenue. The project was meant to convert the boarded-up Deluxe Inn into a statement of urban artistry. The artists on site were painting mostly words or abbreviated words. DeBourbon worked on a piece that faced South Washington Avenue. It read "SRSLY," which stands for "seriously." It was part of his community service for painting an area bridge that had since been ripped out, he said.
Map: A tour of 20 years of Lansing murals
"That’s pretty much what started the whole revival of REO Town, that project alone in 2010," he said. If he meant to exaggerate, his voice didn't show it. DeBourgon once lived in the neighborhood, but moved to a house he bought in Churchill Downs in south Lansing about a year ago.
And the artist-painted motel was eventually torn down in hopes of seeing the corner redeveloped, although for now it remains a grass covered lot.
DeBourbon is not surprised that murals around Lansing largely remain untouched by vandalism.
"I’ve seen blighted communities where somebody comes in and paints a really sweet mural, lot of times it's like a memorial, and it really doesn’t get messed with," he said.
"People are not going to touch something that they think looks cool."
This mural under the Shiawassee Bridge in Lansing was created by Tea Brown. (Photo: Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal, )
Artist Tea Brown painted the mural "Break Free" under the Shiawassee Street bridge for ARTpath, a new outdoor art exhibit where art is showcased on bridge underpasses and other public spaces along a 3.5 mile stretch of the Grand River. The mural features large, colorful wings as its centerpiece, surrounded by an eye, the Michigan mitten with a yellow arrow pointing at Lansing, scripture and various other things.
"Art brings people together and that’s what I want to do," Brown said. "I like to inspire people. I like bringing people of all different cultures and backgrounds together. That’s what it’s all about, really."
"'Break Free' is epic," Brown said. "It gives you like a shocker boost when you're standing there in the middle of it."
Brown painted her first mural in 2009 — a jungle theme with a tiger, monkeys, frogs, birds, a waterfall and some trees.
Then, she took a break, stopping for several years, in part because she was raising her son by herself. She worked in a factory, a hospital, a restaurant, a bank.
She started to put herself back into her painting when her dad, who died two years ago, started to get sick.
"Before, it was more that I just did it as an outlet," she said. "That was how I expressed myself because I wasn’t that great with expressing myself with my words."
She looks up to Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci and has studied him. There is a lot of hidden symbolism and meaning in everything she paints, she said, which isn't always obvious to spectators.
"This piece in particular, I based it kind of off of the Last Supper," Brown said. "It's empowering, so If you take a step back, all the way to the other wall, you can see it, you can compare it, see what I did." Oldest surviving mural ode to black heroes
Perhaps the oldest surviving mural in Lansing was painted in 1993.
Willie and Orabe Fuller, owners of Shanora's Beauty and Barber Supplies at 829 W. Saginaw St., wanted to introduce people to African Americans who had made a mark in history. Some would be recognized, others maybe not so much, but they'd spark interest. The Fullers commissioned Mark Beard, a Detroit artist and Lansing native, to create a colorful mural on the building's exterior wall. The mural would depict African American heroes, performers and athletes.
A mural on the side of a house adjacent to Shanora’s shows its age. (Photo: Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal, )
Beard, who died at age 36 in 1996, told the Lansing State Journal back then that he "hoped the murals would inspire people to examine their roots and look toward the future."
Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and others graced the wall.
"Mark's mural was something to draw people to, to make people think," Willie Fuller said. "When Mark did the mural, he wanted people to think about what they could be, by seeing these different people on the wall."
Beard also painted a mural on the house adjacent to Shanora's.
"On that mural there was a big quote that said 'Think what you could be.' It was a message to the young people. Some of the people that were on the wall you could relate to, recognize. But he wanted them to know, now you have to put yourself in their places. It’s your time to get on the wall. But you’ve got to do something." Eventually, the store's mural began to fade, and, in 2008, NorthWest Initiative's Westside Alliance Program along with Shanora's, hosted a community day to help paint sections of the mural.
Artists, adults and children participated in painting the new mural, which includes former President Barack Obama, Condoleeza Rice, Tiger Woods, Hillary Clinton and others.
Read More: Lansing's newest mural brings community together at Pennsylvania Avenue Murals reflect Lansing's history, identity
Mikula feels the murals are a way to tell the stories of the community, to bring energy to public spaces.
"They’re bringing life to buildings or spaces or canvasses that are large and can showcase the community in a very different way than a gallery setting and having art within the walls of a building," Mikula said.
This prominent mural by MICA and Reach Studio Art Center is behind the 300 block of E. Cesar Chavez Avenue and Turner Street. (Photo: Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal, )
"Take the 'Greetings from Lansing Michigan' mural overlooking the Nuthouse Sports Grill, now seen in commercials. We've also seen it on TV shows such as 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.' They’re using that as a way to welcome people and tell people that Lansing is a pretty creative place."
Read More: Lansing mural unveiled during placemaking summit The Arts Council has paid for many of the murals, but not all of them.
"We grant out about $275,000 each year for different kinds of programs," Mikula said. "We have six different programs that we actually grant money out to. So our work is not to create the murals, our work is to help fund them.
"Like the mural on the side of our building that was done by ... the teens over at the Reach Studio Art Center, was done through MICA gallery, through a mini grant that they received through the arts council."
The council was instrumental in helping to raise $107,000 for the 'Under the Bridge' mural and get Whitfield attached to the project. That didn’t come from grant money, but through sponsorships and crowd funding. Upcoming mural to show east side history
Whitfield is a graphic designer for the Michigan Department of Transportation. He received statewide recognition for his creation of a Mackinac Bridge-themed license plate in 2012.
He is now working on a project on the Michigan Avenue corridor on the "The Venue," an apartment and retail space at the corner with Clemons Avenue. The artwork was commissioned by developer Scott Gillespie and will have about 10 murals once it's finished.
The mural will show the history of the city's east side, including Emil's, The Green Door, Sparrow and the old Boy's Vocational School.
Brian Whitfield works on one of several murals he is creating on the back of the Venue on Michigan Avenue and Clemens Street in Lansing. He is showing a history of Lansing’s Eastside in his work. (Photo: Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal, )
"The one I’m doing now is focused on the history of that area, so I come up with my own ideas how I want to portray that," Whitfield said. "Sometimes that can be difficult.
"People love to remember Emil's," he said, referring to the Italian restaurant once located at that corner. Indeed, the Emil's building torn down to make way for The Venue was known for a mural depicting sights of Italy on a west-facing wall.
"There are a lot of stories behind that one," Whitfield said. "So, that kind of helps me out with the ideas. Then you have to decide how you want to show that particular thing. That’s where I try to tell a story when I do it."
Many of the murals around town look a lot like graffiti. But they're not.
"A lot of them are done by the same type of artist," Brown said. "I’m not a graffiti artist. I’m a street artist. I’m a muralist. There’s a difference. Most people don’t know that. Because graffiti is lettering.
"Letters aren’t my thing. Painting pictures, that’s my thing. A picture can say a thousand words."
Contact Vickki Dozier at (517) 267-1342 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @vickkiD
In Lansing, you can find murals in alleys, on buildings and under bridges.Robert Killips | Lansing State Journal, Lansing State Journal
PARKS, RECREATION AND ARTS Quality Services for a Quality Community
MEMORANDUM
TO: Arts Commission
FROM: Wendy Wilmers Longpre, Assistant Director
DATE: September 18, 2018
SUBJECT: September 20, 2018 Staff Report City of East Lansing PARKS, RECREATION AND ARTS 410 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823 Staff has the following items to report: (517) 319-6809 www.cityofeastlansing.com 1. Ordinance 1339 Update Report
2. The Art Commission Meeting Attendance Chart is attached for Commissioner information. 2018 19 Percent for Art Report September 18, 2018 PROJECTS UNDER REVIEW Project Name & Address Developer Notes Option Chosen Project Status
955 Alton Road St. Thomas Aquinas Expand school for a daycare Install art on site Under Site Plan Review Leo Brown Group, Troy Coolidge Road Bertsch Geriatric/Psychiatric Facility Donate sculpture to City Under Site Plan and SUP Review 3400 West Road John Gentilozzi Dog Kennel/daycare Unspecified Under Site Plan and SUP Review Council on 6/20/17. Have Letter of Credit on file, expires Harbor Bay Real Estate 125, 135, 201 E. Grand River Donation asking to change 8/30/19. Needs Commission approval of art. Under Center City Development Advisory: Mark Bell & 200 Albert Ave to art installation Construction Corner of Bogue & GR Install art on site two Council approval in November, 2017. Needs Commission The Hub, 918 & 101 E. Grand River Core Spaces Lansing Avenue murals approval of art. Under Construction Construct an office building Under consideration by the Planning Commission for an 1560 Earl Avenue TMN Builders for ins. Co. Donation SUP Burcham Hills Expansion Burcham Hills Expand the existing Install art on site Site Plan approved by Council on 6/19/18. Needs retirement center Commission approval of art. APPROVED OR EXEMPT PROJECTS Project Name & Address Developer Notes Option Chosen Resolution
Received City Council SUP Approval June 19, 2018. Needs to Michigan Assoc of School Boards Dennis Rogoszewski Donation deposit funds before receiving bldg permit Corner of Abbot and Grand Park District David Pierson River Avenue Donation Has applied for Special Use Permit. SUP under review. Install one sculpture on site with Mercantile Bank, auto renews on 8/19/18 for 12 m. and donate one sculpture to Received approval from Commission 4/26/18. Installation Stonehouse, 565 E. GR Ave Krause & Cron Former Taco Bell City in process Approved by Commission 4/28/2016; under construction; Capital Area Housing Partnership 300 Mikki Droste w:332 Install art on site Theater staff site visit for May 24. Anticipate completion September Bailey Street 4663 Bailey Community Center improvements 2018 Burcham Park Solar Array, Michigan John Kinch w:337 0422 Install art on site Approved by Commission 9/15/16; approved by Council Energy Options c:993 7718 11/9/16; Under construction. COMPLETED PROJECTS Project Name & Address Developer Notes Option Chosen Resolution Costco, 5800 Park Lake Road Donation $25,000 deposited 3/2017. Project completed. Hagan Realty, Brian Approved by Commission 1/25/17. Art choices approved by 122, 134, and 136 Durand Hagan w:351 0765 Apartment Complex Donate art to the City Commission in May. Installation completed. $25,000 deposited 6/2017. Received Site Plan approval Spring Hill Suites, Trowbridge Bogi Group Hotel Donation from Council on April 18, 2017. Colin Cronin w: 371 Install art on site DTN, 300 Grand River 5300 c:204 0041 Gateway Project at Valley Ct. dimensional mural Approved by Commission 4/28/2016; dedicated 10/30/16 Lake Trust Credit Union, 1300 Lake Chris Pierson 517 889 Lansing Road 6612 Next to Meijer Install art Mesa Luna Approved by Commission 9/15/16; dedicated 11/14/16 The Cottages at MSU, 1670 Abbot Alan Johns S. of vet clinic Donation made $25,000 deposited East Lansing Arts Commission Meeting Attendance Commissioner 9/21/2017 10/19/2017 11/16/2017 12/14/2017 1/18/2018 2/15/2018 3/15/2018 4/26/2018 7/19/2018 8/16/2018 Matt Borghi Weil PPPP P P P P P P Erin Sedmak A A P P A P A A A P Richard Graham Yooll A P P P P A P P P vacant Jessica GreggPPPP P P P P P P Elinor Holbrook PPPPvacantvacantvacantvacantvacantvacant Meegan Holland P P A P P P P P P P Karen Jennings n/a n/a n/a n/a P P P P P P Sarah G. Triplett P A P P P P P P P P Tedda Hughes n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a P P P
ARTICLE 5: BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS Division One Sec. 2-243. Remo
Unless otherwise provided by this Code or by law, members of boards and commissions established by this article shall serve at the will of the council. Nonattendance at three regularly scheduled consecutive board or commission meetings or 90 days, whichever is longer, is hereby determined to constitute neglect of duty and shall automatically create a vacancy without further action. Except in a circumstance of an automatic vacancy under this provision, any commission or board member removed by city council during their term may request a hearing before city council and receive an explanation of the reason for their removal. A member may request the city council to grant a leave of absence, not to exceed 120 days from a board or commission. Such leave may be granted upon the request of the commission and upon a majority vote of the city council prior to the commencement of the leave of absence.
9/18/2018 PARKS, RECREATION AND ARTS Quality Services for a Quality Community
MEMORANDUM
TO: East Lansing Arts Commission
FROM: Wendy Wilmers Longpre, Assistant Director
DATE: September 18, 2018
SUBJECT: Valley Court Park Sculpture
City of East Lansing PARKS, RECREATION AND ARTS 410 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 319-6809 www.cityofeastlansing.com On Tuesday, April 10, 2018 proposals were received from artists interested in
being considered for a sculpture commission. The sculpture is to be installed in
Valley Court Park, in the circular raised landscape bed just north of Delta Street. Seven artists provided proposals for consideration.
The Art Selection Panel met on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 to review the
proposals. It requested additional information from five of the seven artists and received supporting documentation from four. The supporting materials were
reviewed by the Panel on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Based on its review, the Art Selection Panel is recommending that the Arts Commission give further
consideration to sculptor Dane Porter for his sculpture Lemon Grass.
Dane Porter is a local sculptor, living and working out of Holt, Michigan. He is a graduate of Lansing Christian High School and has been a self-employed artist since 2010. He specializes in creating modern, sculptural works for residential and commercial applications. A copy of Mr. Porter’s proposal submission and supporting information is attached.
Lemon Grass is proposed to be a 12’ tall acrylic and aluminum sculpture with an open, elongated form reminiscent of strands of grass. Lime green in color, bent acrylic and aluminum fronds will be attached to a stationary center pole and will move with wind, creating the effect of tall moving grass.
The cost proposal for this work is $50,000 and is attached. The cost includes funds to have installation drawings developed and sealed by an Engineer registered in the state of Michigan, as required by East Lansing ordinance. Mr. Porter will be responsible for securing the professional for this work and will be responsible for installation of the sculpture when completed. It is expected that the sculpture will take six months to be fabricated. Valley Court Park Sculpture Page 2
Mr. Porter has prepared a small scale mock-up of Lemon Grass and will be available during the September 20, Arts Commission meeting to address any questions the Commission may have.
If the Commission concurs with the recommendation of the Art Selection Panel, the following motion is suggested:
Move that the Arts Commission recommend that City Council award a Contract for $50,000 to Dane Porter for the fabrication and installation of the sculpture Lemon Grass in Valley Court Park. The funds for the sculpture to be provided by the Public Art Fund in accordance with Ordinance 1339.
Attachments (3)
LEMON-GRASS SCULPTURE ESTIMATED BUDGET
COSTS ASSOCIATED Qty. Estimated Cost
Estimated Materials $6000
Estimated Install Costs $3200
Estimated Outsourced Labor $2600
Estimated Design, Time, Labor $38,200
-No sales tax calculated
TOTAL ESTIMATED COSTS $50,000
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