City of Lansing Announces 2025 Arts Impact Project
Mayor Andy Schor recently announced the awardee for the 2025 City of Lansing Arts Impact Project. The project is a component of the City of Lansing Arts Grant Program, which awards thousands of dollars in funds each year to area arts and culture organizations.

The 2025 Arts Impact grant has been awarded to Jen Estill and Redhead Creative Consultancy for a multidisciplinary installation celebrating history, industry, and reinvention. This project will transform a segment of Friedland Industries’ east fence line on Cedar Street, between Maple and Adams Streets in Lansing, into a multidisciplinary art, history, and education installation celebrating the site’s history and legacy. This often-overlooked stretch of infrastructure — a functional fence nearly a block long — will be reimagined as an inviting, museum-quality experience for both pedestrians and drivers.

“Public art in Lansing is crucial to keep our city and neighborhoods vibrant. Residents can take pride in a city that shows its values through arts, and I am so pleased that we are able to fund this project,” Mayor Schor stated. “It’s an honor to announce Redhead Creative as this year’s Arts Impact awardee. This project will enhance a busy corridor in our City, providing an incredible piece of art along this important stretch of road. I really hope visitors to Old Town take some time to visit and see the work up close, not just driving by in their cars.”

The installation will feature informational panels and a large sculptural element and will blend story, photography, artistic design, and poetry. These components will reflect the raw aesthetic of Friedland’s scrap metal piles while telling a story of innovation, reinvention, and resilience. Designed to integrate seamlessly with the local environment, the elements will both engage commuters from afar and pedestrians at human scale. Spanning approximately 60 feet along Cedar Street, the installation will use high-grade metals, including stainless steel and weathered COR-TEN steel, chosen for durability and their industrial aesthetic.

“This is a project I’ve envisioned for a long time. I’ve always been fascinated by the potential in rethinking discarded objects and overlooked spaces — and Friedland has captured my imagination for years. They have quietly shaped our city, doing work that’s often seen as messy or unsightly but is deeply necessary and rooted in value. With this installation, we have an opportunity to turn what some might misunderstand into a moment of beauty and meaning — right on one of the city’s main gateways. It’s a chance to show that art and industry are not opposites, but partners in our shared story,” said Jen Estill, Principal, Redhead Creative Consultancy.

Panels will include etched or printed narratives and historical photographs sourced through partnerships with other local organizations, artists, and historians. A large sculpture, designed by lead metal sculptor David Such, will add depth, incorporating recycled materials to reinforce the themes of sustainability and repurposing.

The team will map a cohesive narrative, collaborating with Lansing historians to highlight the city’s industrial past, its ties to R.E. Olds, Friedland’s contributions, and the science of recycling. Informational panels will include historical photographs and poetic excerpts by Rose Cooper, whose work explores themes of resilience, reinvention, and potential.

“Friedland has always been a strong supporter of the local art scene. This current project fits perfectly and we’re happy to be a part of it,“ John Lancour, EVP, Friedland Industries.

The Arts Impact Grant is facilitated by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing.

“The Arts Council truly loves being facilitators for the Arts Impact Project, as it brings so much creative invention to the table and showcases the imagination that lives in our region,” said Meghan Martin, Arts Council of Greater Lansing executive director. “This year’s project is unique in that it incorporates multiple mediums to highlight one of our local industries and tell a story of creativity and innovation. We are excited to work with Redhead and their creative team to bring this work to the public.”

Past Arts Impact Projects include “Lansing Shaped” by artist Dustin Hunt, Muralmatics; the “Michigan Women Walls of Fame Project” in Washington Park by artist Tea Brown. Other projects include the “Mother Tree” sculpture in Hunter Park; “Shiawassee Street Mosaic Tile Project;” 10 murals from “Below the Stacks Mural Festival;” “Encompass Lansing,” the Southwest Lansing Town Square Sculpture Project; a projection mapping installation, “Terra Forms;” and the Museum Drive sculpture, “Portrait of a Dreamer.”