Art plan can bring prosperity to Lansing area

When money is tight in government, the arts usually are cut right away. Considered expendable and unimportant, art, music and other cultural programs often are the first to see the chopping block in favor of more “valuable” programs or services.

That’s why it was so encouraging for us to hear officials from Lansing, East Lansing and MSU are working together to foster arts and culture in the area.

City officials have hired Creative Community Builders, a Milwaukee-based planning firm, to formulate a plan on how to bring a renewal of arts and culture to the area. The hope is that by making Greater Lansing an “epicenter” of regional arts and culture, the area will attract new jobs, tenants and tourists.

Although quite vague, the plan should be encouraging to anyone who might benefit from an increase in art and culture in the area, which is all of us. Even though no definitive plans are in place, it’s simply refreshing to see government officials begin to realize the value in a culture that supports the arts.

Now is the perfect time to revitalize our area with creativity, not in spite of the economic climate, but because of it. Lansing and East Lansing both are looking to attract more young professionals to the area, and few things attract the younger crowd more than a community that supports and values the arts.

In recent years, it appears as though the arts — particularly in East Lansing — have been neglected, or perhaps hurt, as a result of the recession. As a college town, East Lansing has little to offer in terms of originality or a unique identity. In fact, one of the only areas on Grand River Avenue that has any character at all is the space formerly occupied by Flats Grille, 551 E. Grand River Ave. The graffiti in the adjacent alley is fun, warm and inviting. We need more of that downtown.

Promoting the arts has worked in the area before, as the revitalization of Lansing’s Old Town has demonstrated. Once a run-down and abandoned area abounding in empty storefronts, Old Town now is thriving, due in no small part to its reemphasis on arts and culture.

One of the great aspects of bringing art into a community is it’s inviting to everyone. Even the nonartists among us can enjoy a good street mural. By fostering arts and culture in the area, everyone has the opportunity to be affected and enlivened. It will attract new people to come live and work in the area, and exhilarate those who already do.

Now, more than ever, we need the arts. Whether it’s a cheerful street mural, music playing on the sidewalks or decorated storefronts, art is something from which we all can benefit and enjoy. Although it’s important to realize this won’t solve all of the problems facing our area, encouraging the arts never can be a bad thing. We’re pleased city officials are coming to understand something can have value even if it doesn’t make the city tons of money.

We’re far from the end of this recession, and Michigan will have a long way to go before it’s revitalized. But while we’re trudging through these hard times, why not add a little art to lift our spirits?