Downtown East Lansing will have a more artsy appearance starting this fall to complement the opening of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum.
New artistic features, such as a temporary art exhibit, a mural in the Division Street parking garage and displays of student artwork in local businesses, will be added to the downtown area along Grand River Avenue between Abbot Road and Collingwood Drive, to make it look more aesthetically pleasing, said Lori Mullins, the Community and Economic Development Administrator.
“We want to make sure the community is engaged in the activities of the museum,” Mullins said. “We also want to be as welcoming as we can to visitors from around the world that we expect to be coming to see this incredible museum.”
The art museum originally was scheduled to open in April, but the date has been pushed back to the fall semester because of construction delays.
The temporary art exhibit will feature 10 sculptures from the Midwest Sculpture Initiative, which provides outdoor sculpture exhibitions. The artwork will be placed in the area for a year and then be sold, she said.
“It’ll be kind of like an art walk,” Mullins said. “We want to bring together different aspects of the community and focus on art.”
Museum director Michael Rush said he is working to engage MSU students with museum activities. He said thousands are expected to come on opening day, although no official date has been set.
“We fully expect the museum to be a real hub for student activity,” he said. “We’re certainly hoping students will come hang out in the café and participate in programs which will include poetry readings and live music.”
Mullins also has been working with the city to create a wayfinding system, or a series of markers and signs to help visitors locate parking and help pedestrians find their destinations. Mullins said wayfinding markers help people understand the identity of the city and will be added throughout downtown later this year.
Media information sophomore Alec Rademacher, an East Lansing native, said the change is helping the city.
“I think it’ll be good for East Lansing because now it’s just pinned as a party town,” he said. “It’ll be good to have a change of people in the area – like more artsy and cultured people.”
Jayne Goeddeke, exhibitions and projects coordinator for the Broad museum, said the MSU Students for the Broad Art Museum group will play an important role in bringing support to museum.
The organization is composed of students who will provide educational activities and opportunities for its members, MSU students and the public.
“A lot of the programming we do will be focusing on students,” she said. “We want students to have an active voice in the project.”
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