Meet Ivan Iler
Multi-talented Artist and Engineer, Building on a Dream

Introducing Ivan! Last month we announced that Ivan Iler’s propsal was chosen for the Museum Drive Sense of Place Arts Impact Project. Several amazing artists submitted their visions of what would make Museum Drive stand out on Michigan Ave., but Ivan’s images conveyed the perfect design for what could be. What he’s working on is a secret until ribbon-cutting day, but as we wait, here’s a little info on Ivan and his art.

Artist Bio
Ivan Iler is a Michigan based artist that has been interested in art in all its form, and intrigued about how things work since he was a kid. Ivan has many irons in the fire in terms of the mediums he uses, sometimes even literally iron in the fire. Sculpting, carving, engraving, metal fabrication (including blacksmithing), painting, leather smith, drafting and mechanical design to name a few, as well as his daily work as an engineer and fabricator at his motorcycle shop in St. Johns, Hammer In Hand Custom Cycles.

Artist Statement
I remember going to Impression 5 Science Center as a kid. It was experiences like the ones I had there, and at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, that helped shape who I am today. When I learned about the Sense of Place Arts Impact Project, I was delightfully surprised to learn that these places I visited so often as a child where located there, on Museum Drive. I think as a rule, kids don’t pay much attention to how we get somewhere–we’re just excited to be going–or at least, it seems, that was the case with me.

Museum drive is by far Lansing’s best-kept secret, and when I learned that the project’s focus was sharing that secret with everyone, I knew I had to be a part it. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about building a commissioned piece. A big part of that excitement comes from meeting all of the participants. I feel honored to connect with a team of people who share a similar passion for arts and science.

This project allows me to use my passion and skills to build something that connects others to Museum Drive and to this defining piece of my past in a way that feels as much like a dream as the past itself. It’s truly awe inspiring.