Tiffany Nordé (L) leads Sophia Gentil (R) and other Summit guests in line dancing at her Rock the Block Studio in REO Town as part of the day’s activities.
The Arts Council of Greater Lansing is proud to announce that it is a recipient of a $30,000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant in support of the organization’s Creative Placemaking Summit. In total, the NEA will award 1,135 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling more than $37 million as part of its second round of fiscal year 2024 grants.
The Arts Council’s Creative Placemaking Summit first kicked off in 2015, and the event has continued to entice those in the community who are invested in seeing projects that enhance the beauty and economic growth of Greater Lansing. Appealing to artists, creatives, businesses, residents, municipality leaders, arts and cultural organizations and more, the Summit has offered avenues of exploration and created spaces for lively dialog around creative placemaking and its value in our region.
“Projects like the Creative Placemaking Summit exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD.
“So many aspects of our communities such as cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit,” Jackson said.
Over the last 10 years, the Creative Placemaking Summit has worked to shine a light on the importance of creating safe, beautiful and innovative spaces that put art and culture at the center. Through the Summit, the Arts Council works to connect area creatives and developers in order to facilitate collaborations that feature art and creativity as catalysts for change and economic growth.
“We are extremely proud and grateful to be among those chosen to receive an NEA Arts Projects Grant,” said Arts Council executive director, Meghan Martin. “This year marks the tenth anniversary of our Creative Placemaking Summit, and we want it to be a spectacular celebration. We want to bring together the creative placemakers in our region and honor the work they’ve done while also looking at what comes next in regard to creating place in the Capital City and beyond. We are very grateful that the NEA recognized our work and appreciate their generous funding of this project that supports our economy and highlights the creativity of Greater Lansing,” Martin said.
Creative Placemaking Summit 10 will take place on October 10-11, 2024, and will be a celebration of the Greater Lansing community of placemakers who remain passionate about creating place and celebrating the region’s creativity and ingenuity.
To learn more about the Creative Placemaking Summit go to Lansingplacemakers.org and follow #lansingplacemakers