Local artists bring vibrance to Lansing

By Sophia Potter
Editor in Chief

Lansing's newest placemaking endeavor, just a few steps away from LCC’s downtown campus, is both a depiction of what makes the city great and a celebration of the powerful women who help make it so.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor was clearly moved at the sign unveiling in late September.

“I have seen these (signs) in other cities, and we’ve said, ‘This would be really important to have here, but let’s do it right,” Schor was seen saying in a video from the event.

“Let’s not just have the letters, let’s have the letters showing off our local artists and the excitement, color and vibrancy of our city.”

The Hollywood-style “LANSING” sign, located on the corner of Saginaw Street and Grand Avenue (across the street from Adado Riverfront Park) features six-foot letters each designed and painted by local artists – all of whom happen to be femme or  female.

Many of the artists are well connected to the community either through art or their business endeavors.

Artists Teresa Dunn, Cait Schneider and Sara Pulver, who painted the A, S and I respectively, have murals or other public art installations in the city.

Some may recognize the art of Dunn in particular, as her piece “A Long Line of Women” was featured in the Broad Art Museum, at Art Prize, and recreated on the side of the REO Gateway apartment complex. It shares a striking resemblance to the portrait of student Azya she painted for the letter, A.

Several of the artists also own businesses in the Lansing area. Pulver, a well-known muralist in the area, is co-owner of the stationary store Dear Ollie and Co. at 222 S. Washington Square.

Theresa Rosado, who painted the second N, is the director of Casa de Rosado Galería and Cultural Center. She chose to depict several important but lesser-known Latinx figures in Lansing’s history.

“A lot of people don’t know our Hispanic historical figures in Lansing,” Rosado said. “They’re not represented, they’re not talked about, they’re left out frequently.

“So, for me, this is a way of making sure we have our foot in the door.”

Emily Wilson (L), Jasmyne Wells (N1),  Marissa Tawney Thaler (G) are all emerging artists in the area. Wilson and Thaler both depicted scenes of the many joyful activities to be found around the city, with Thaler specifically focusing on REO Town and the Moores Park Pool restoration.

Wells, a lifelong resident of Lansing, took a more personal approach and incorporated several small images of what the city means to her.

“My design is titled 'Lansing Through the Fence.'” Wells said. “I based my design off of a chain link fence, almost to seem as if we could look through the fence and see the whole city at once.”