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Downtown Rotating Art Displays
The East Lansing Downtown Development Authority will soon be exhibiting artwork submitted by local, Greater Lansing area artists in the artwork display panels on the north side of the Division Street Garage along Albert Avenue in downtown East Lansing. Learn more about the selected artwork and artists below. Exhibition dates will be announced soon.
Jon Casey, “Wave Sequence”
Twitter: @famousjoncasey
I painted this "Yellow Wave" painting in Phoenix/Tempe, Arizona, a state away from the ocean in California, where I lived for 10 years, that is depicted in this painting that I did in 2018. This painting is an homage to Katsushika Hokusai's Famous Japanese Wave Painting; all of my wave paintings are an homage to Hokusai. I admire that wave painting so dearly, and I think the world does too, because I see it everywhere. My mom encouraged me to paint on this material, and I wasn't pleased with the recycled material at first, but after I finished the painting, I realized that you can pretty much paint on anything. I used acrylic paint for this painting. The color scheme is Neo-Impressionistic, like what Van Gogh, Seurat and Signac were doing in France. I am a Neo-Impressionist, who picked up where Van Gogh left off. My next film is about Monet too, so go check that out when it's released!
Jon Casey is a disabled, multi-media artist, formerly working in the music video and film industry in LA, living in the Eastside Neighborhoods of Lansing since 2019. His paintings represent a form of art therapy and creative expression of mental health challenges. Jon believes that Eastside Lansing, Allen Neighborhood Community Center, CMH, and all the eastside urban gardening and farms have helped him to recover.
Karla Forrest-Hewitt, “Bending the Bars”
Instagram: @katthewi / Facebook: #KarlasHandmadeCreations
My name is Karla Forrest-Hewitt and I am a mixed media artist, wife and mother. I am an advocate for social justice and re-examining of practices to ensure that they are better suited for our community and for future generations. I love exploring different artistic expressions. Bending the Bars is a piece I completed this year in response to the need for communities to re-evaluate the meaning of justice and to make a commitment to equity and ensuring that the justice system serves us all. I believe that East Lansing is committed to its goals towards being an accepting place to live. Bending the Bars was created in response to Martin Luther King's request for “justice to spring from a new moral climate.” It calls attention to the need for us to think about what justice truly means and if and who it should serve. LaTosha Brown asked a question that challenged my thinking. “What would America look like without racism?" Was I allowed to envision such a place? It is not a space that can be created without discomfort. But there it is, the new moral climate that justice must spring from if we are to stop the harm and injustice done to brown bodies. We must keep our eyes open and not forget where we have been and not let it hold us back. I envision an America where we are continuously striving for equity and are never satisfied with maintaining the status quo, but in lifting every man and woman. The image of shackled hands bending bars is symbolic of how we must change systemic racism and the policies that are still in effect today. The eye looking through the symbolic diagram of Africa, references African ancestry. The designs are symbolic of African fabric designs that tell beautiful stories.
Jacqui Carroll, "Motherhood Series: Watering"
Instagram: @jdcarrollphoto
How do we relish in the moments of parenthood, long-term, and overcome the inevitable, overwhelming fallibility of our memories? This piece is about preserving those memories through the combination of visual imagery and lyrics.
Jacqui Carroll has been playfully altering reality in the darkroom since 2008; whether through technique or apparatus, she finds ways to re-imagine the truth. Carroll’s photography is as much about the experimentation, challenge and solace that occurs in the darkroom as it is about the moment the photograph is originally captured.
Kelly Hansen, “Scrambled”
Instagram: @k_hansen_art
Teens, the world, eggs…
Kelly Hansen has an MA in Arts and Cultural Management and a BA in Advertising from Michigan State University. She is a graphic designer, museum exhibit designer, painter and mixed media artist.
Aaron Schubert, “Energy of the Crowd”
Instagram: @flyoverbaseai
This piece represents memories of East Lansing from my time spent there 20 years ago. It represents the energy of the crowds.
I lived in East Lansing 20 years ago for about 5 years. Currently I live not too far away in Bath. I spent most of my time in EL drawing silly cartoons when I was supposed to be studying. I now am an animator for Johnson & Johnson.
Amber Prass, “Diverse-City”
Instagram: @amber_is_artificial
A woman walks through a crowd, losing herself to the sights and sounds of the event.
I was born in Bath, MI. After attending college, I returned to the Lansing area to live and work. I am now a freelance writer, animator and digital painter.
Sophie Rutkowski, “Overwhelmed”
“Overwhelmed” is a multimedia piece created using acrylic paint, watercolor, graphite and collage.
Sophie Rutkowski is an artist from East Lansing. She primarily works in acrylic and oil paint.
Tamara Brown, artist name: TeaMurduh
Instagram: @tea_murduh/Facebook: @teamurduh art
This collection is a take on the “see no, hear no, speak no” evil concept that you should do your best to be good, and not dwell on the evil, since that only makes it stronger. TeaMurduh added the “Fear No” ideology because even in your darkest times you should fear no evil. Spelled backwards, the No EVIL collection spells LIVE On and that’s exactly what you must do in the face of adversity no matter what you may encounter!
Local and well-known intuitive artist “TeaMurduh” has been inspiring and uplifting people for many years with her work. From murals to paintings on canvas, she has used her philosophical and scientific view of the world, inspired by music and intuition to reach a depth of art that is as undiscovered as the depths of the mariana trenches.