The Alliance of Creative Students (the Alliance) is a group of emerging talent formed in early 2011 as the result of a relationship established between the Arts Council of Greater Lansing (ACGL) and Michigan State University’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH). Modeled as a “student arts council,” the group is run by creative students and young emerging talent between the ages of 18 and 25. The Alliance’s charge is to build a network of resources and enhance a sense of community among young creatives in greater Lansing. The Alliance will help to build a strong, reciprocal relationship between the emerging and established arts communities of the greater Lansing region. Through engaged programming such as educational and creative outings, student placements within community groups, and acting as a resource for scholarship, exhibition and networking opportunities, the Alliance will help to educate young talent about the vast resources in the region. In turn, we hope to contribute to the reinvention of Michigan by helping to foster a new generation of creative, culturally engaged citizens.
The Need
The creation of the Alliance of Creative Students arose from need in the area for a more engaged network of young emerging talent. The lack of a strong link between the culture of emerging talent on MSU’s campus with the growing arts and cultural sector in greater Lansing creates a disconnect between students and the community. A sense of ownership, loyalty and pride in the community must be developed by students if they are to invest in it.
The “Cultural Economic Development Plan for Greater Lansing’s Urban Center” (CED) is a regional plan, jointly produced in 2009 by the cities of Lansing and East Lansing, Michigan State University, the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the State of Michigan. The CED aims to retain local graduates and reduce the growing “replacement gap” of 20 - 34 year olds. Defined in the CED plan as the rate at which young workers replace those nearing retirement in the greater Lansing region, the “gap” in the Lansing region is over three times higher than the national average. The plan outlines several action steps to address this problem, including recruitment and retention efforts to develop future audience and participants in the arts. The Alliance aims to facilitate this through mentorship of young artists with more established Lansing area art professionals, exhibition and lecture opportunities, creative and educational outings with similarly minded people, and opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Outcomes
It is the goal of the Alliance to work towards student awareness of existing art and cultural resources and assets in the region, as well as introduce possibilities for entrepreneurial creation of new programs, initiatives and businesses. Building a strong relationship between the Alliance and entrepreneurial resources in the area such as the Hatch, the Technology Innovation Center (the TIC), Lansing Start-up Weekend, Leap, Inc. and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing teh Alliance aims to provide its members with streamlined, easily accessible opportunities to be innovative and entrepreneurial.
Beyond entrepreneurial opportunities, the development of such a student-community organization holds large implications for the area’s cultural and economic development. By building a bridge of communication and interaction between these two groups of creatives, relationships and networks will be fostered, opportunities for professional and artistic skill development will arise, and a strongly knit, widely diverse body of creatives will be formed.