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A Few Words from Debbie–A Creative Placemaking Summit

A Few Words From Debbie
A Creative Placemaking Summit

We live in such a wonderful region, filled with lively and engaging festivals, art galleries showcasing emerging and accomplished talents, art centers, dance studios, museums and theatres creating events and productions to draw in visitors and residents.

Our place is special, unique and authentic because of the creative individuals that live and work here. We are creating places to gather, places to commune, places to socialize and places that have meaning.  And now, how we view a place, how we improve a place and how we envision a place through the lens of arts and culture has been given a title: Creative Placemaking.

It will come as no surprise that much of the work of the Arts Council is revolving around creative placemaking initiatives, and we want you to pull up your calendars right now and save Thursday, October 8, 2015 for a full-day event that will bring focus to this topic. For the past couple of months, a community steering committee has been meeting to help shape the day, and we are thrilled with the outcome.

Artists, arts organization leaders, business leaders, municipal leaders, and economic development leaders will join forces that day to learn about placemaking, to hear about successful projects in other areas of the country, to imagine what could happen in our community and to decide on two to three projects that we could accomplish over the course of the next year. Our keynote speaker is Fred Kent, who is the national and international guru on placemaking and President/CEO and Founder of Project for Public Spaces.

It will be a day not to miss, so watch for more information over the summer. For now though, a huge thank you to the following individuals for helping guide our conversations, suggest topics and speakers and step forward to sponsor this capital region Creative Placemaking Summit. We are most appreciative!

Creative Placemaking Summit Steering Committee

Joan Bauer, Lansing Community College

Virginia Bernero, Michigan Osteopathic Association

Mindy Biladeau, Downtown Lansing, Inc.

Marilyn Crowley, Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Kurt Dewhurst, Michigan State University

Rachel Elsinga, Tri-County Planning Commission

Dennis Fliehman, Capital Region Community Foundation

Ginny Haas, Retired, Michigan State University

Josh Holliday, Arts Council of Greater Lansing

Bob Johnson, City of Lansing Planning Department

Scott Keith, Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority

Janet Lillie, Michigan State University Governmental Affairs

Deborah E. Mikula, Arts Council of Greater Lansing

Dru Mitchell, Clinton County Economic Development

Lori Mullins, City of East Lansing Community & Economic Development

Julie Pingston, Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau

Nathan Triplett, City of East Lansing

Sarah Triplett, City of East Lansing Arts Commission

Bob Trezise, Lansing Economic Area Partnership

Arnold Weinfeld, Prima Civitas

Gil White, Gilbert M. White Realtor

 

Deborah E. Mikula
Executive Director