The City of Lansing and Arts Council Greater Lansing are proud to announce round-one FY2021 City of Lansing Arts and Culture Arts Projects Grants totaling $40,000 to two local arts and cultural organizations.

The Arts Council of Greater Lansing is excited to announce the launch of its 2020/2021 “Art in the Sky” billboards, featuring the work of six Greater Lansing area artists. Now in its 11th year, the billboard program was made possible through a successful collaboration with local business, Adams Outdoor Advertising and multiple partnerships with Arts Council member artists from across the Tri-County region.

The Arts Council of Greater Lansing announces grant funding totaling $25,700 to be distributed to area artists and arts and culture organizations. Funding support is provided through the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) Minigrant Program, the Arts Council’s Young Creatives and Artists in the Community.

Welcome to Episode 2 of Arts Roll Call--a podcast for the arts curious. In this episode, host Robin Miner-Swartz and Chad Swan-Badgero, founder and artistic director of Peppermint Creek Theatre Company and arts education program manager for the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs, dig deep into the value of the arts, arts advocacy, the theatre community and how it is surviving during COVID, and that's just a few of the highlights. This episodes gets serious and silly, and we hope you love it.

Every year around this time, the Arts Council takes the opportunity to remind you all about the importance of shopping local and buying local art, fine crafts and arts experiences during the gift-giving season. This year, supporting our local businesses and our creative sector is especially important. Learn how it benefits us all!

Arts Council executive director, Meghan Martin, recently received a scholarship from Resch Strategies to attend to Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Lansing initiative, which offers leadership training and experiences to local community leaders.

The Arts Council of Greater Lansing invites you to join our team! We are looking for an administrative assistant. Find more information, including job description and contact information here.

Earlier this week, the Arts Council announced our new program Arts Roll Call, a podcast/video cast featuring our members. Meet our guest for Episode 1, Artist Ryan Holmes as he talks about his life as an artist and arts educator in Greater Lansing and what that looks like during these times of change.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently announced the nonprofit arts organizations recommended for direct funding through the Corona virus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and The Arts Council of Greater Lansing is pleased to share that it is one of 855 organizations, and one of 23 in the state of Michigan, to receive $50,000 in relief funding.

The National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $84 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2020. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $10,000 to the Arts Council of Greater Lansing for the 2020 Creative Placemaking Summit. This is one of 1,015 grants nation wide that the agency has approved in this category.‍

The Arts Council recognizes the wealth of culture in our community, and as a community organization, we deeply value and uphold everyone's right to tell their story and share their history.

It comes as no surprise to us at the Arts Council of Greater Lansing to see our community facing this challenge with all the grit, strength and creativity it is known for. As we slowly emerge from this crisis, we will be proud of how we stood strong and supported one another.

Arts Night Out. If you haven't been, it is the perfect alchemy of arts, culture and business. It's a whole lot of fun, but it's also the Arts Council's way of supporting our artists and our awesome Old Town business community. We love to talk about it, so we invite you to pull up a chair and get ready for an Arts Night Out tale.

We miss you! We miss you stopping by our office, saying hello and telling us what you've been up to. We miss bumping into you at gallery openings, art shows, craft fairs and exhibitions. We miss seeing you at concerts and plays, dance recitals, poetry readings and open mics. We miss waving at you from across the street, across the restaurant, across the cafes and watering holes. Yep. We miss you. So we hatched an idea.

The times are uncertain, but creativity will get us through! Arts and culture are so important during times like these, and we are very fortunate to have an amazing arts community here in Greater Lansing. You all inspire us so much, and we want you to know that we are here for you--to support you in any way that we can!

We want you to be a part of our amazing advocates for arts and culture! Sign up for our Articulate Activators Network to learn about opportunities to keep art and creativity alive in our region and beyond!

It's been a year of exciting changes and growth at the Arts Council, and you helped us through all of it! We are going and growing strong thanks to all of the support and hard work of our staff, our board and our amazing members and arts community. We truly couldn't have done it without you. Take a look at our Annual Report for a snapshot of all that you helped us accomplish in 2019!

The Arts Council and Blue Owl Cafes are partnering up to support the arts for Arts Advocacy Month. If you love yourself a latte, a pour over or perhaps a cup of tea and you're also a champion of the arts, then get to your nearest Blue Owl and show your support with your very own "Support the Arts" sticker!

To celebrate Arts Advocacy Month, the Arts Council is excited to launch its second annual 32 Auction website! Now is your chance to purchase local art and support not only local artists but our area young creatives too! We love this campaign as the proceeds go to our Young Creatives Program and back to the artists as well!

The Arts Council's 2020 Support Young Creatives Campaign launches in March with the work of six Lansing-area youth artists whose work will be featured on Adams Outdoor Advertising digital billboards throughout the Greater Lansing region for the entire month. Original artworks were submitted by Greater Lansing area teachers and final pieces were selected based on composition and overall visual elements, including roadside appeal, as well as their combined representation of ages and regions.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor was joined this afternoon by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and 2020 City of Lansing Arts & Culture Grant awardees. The group gathered beneath the Shiawassee Bridge in Rotary Park to announce $157,500 in 2020 Arts & Culture Grants.

The Arts Council of Greater Lansing’s board of directors appoints Meghan Martin as executive director. Martin served as interim executive director since May 2019 and steps into her permanent role as the organization's leader effective immediately.

Kelly Hansen is a graphic designer, museum exhibit designer and painter. She believes that the creative process is therapeutic and enjoys experimenting with color, texture and a variety of mediums. In this exhibition, she uses acrylic paint on canvas to explore the relationship between a person’s outer appearance and their inner story.