New bike storage area debuts at LCC

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

LCC President Dr. Steve Robinson gave a welcoming speech at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new bike ramp facility on Wednesday, Aug. 9.

Robinson said there are currently over 1776 protected parking places for cars on campus, but nothing to keep bikes out of the elements and protected, until now.

The bike facility is positioned in the northwest corner of the Gannon Parking Ramp. It is a compact space that has carved steel encasing the racks, giving it a very elegant and artsy look, true to LCC’s style.

Robinson is a cyclist himself and considers riding great fun, which is why he has started programs like “Pedal with the Prez” to help get people involved in the sport.

“I love biking because it is a slower, safer way to see things in our environment,” Robinson said. “You see a lot more than you would through a car window. If you think about it, in a car, everything is in a box.

“When you are on a bike, you are in it. Everything surrounds you. It’s also a good sense of accomplishment to get somewhere under your own power.”

The fruition of the project has been a long time coming and, while everyone is looking forward to a winter with safe storage for their property, Robinson maintains the designs are his favorite part of the project.

“These panels had to keep the elements and people who aren’t supposed to be in here out, but these designs do that in a way that is an extension of the other art we have on campus,” Robinson said. “If you walk around the corner, you will see Newton’s Cube (and) the Upward Bound sculpture; to me this is another sculpture with a real function to keep these bikes safe.

“I am no artist; I am more of a literature person, but Taylor’s panels tell a story.”

Taylor Riffle is not only the designer of the ramp art, but also a graphic designer with LCC’s marketing team. He said there is definitely an overlap between art and design that is overlooked by many.

His intent with this project was simply to showcase different types of cycling and to document Michigan beauty, but the design is multi-dimensional.

“It’s like an aluminum stencil,” Riffle said, gesturing to the carved panels.

The stenciling means there is a lot of negative space. Riffle used that to create a twofold design, showcasing the stencil in daylight and illuminating the negative space to create a somewhat different image at night.

Riffle said the imagery is supposed to bring a sense of familiarity and nostalgia because these panels are places that mean something to Michiganders.

There are designs representing Hawk Island, Francis Park, Burchfield Park and even the DALMAC trail, bringing everyone a little piece of home away from home.

“I wanted people to see themselves in this piece, in some way, shape or form,” Riffle said. “I saw this as an opportunity to elevate the space by having art encompass it.”

Sarah and Evelynn Wright are shown inside the new bike rack facility at LCC. Photo by Mallory Stiles.

 

LCC Customer Relations Specialist Yvonne Lehr is also a cyclist. She attended the ceremony, eager to see the new space.

“This is just another way that we are removing barriers to healthy lifestyles and I am very excited about it,” Lehr said. “The fact that they went above and beyond to not only make it functional but to also pair up with a local artist to just make it a nice place to be in really puts the ‘community’ in Lansing Community College.”