headlines worth sharing
Michigan Culinary Artist On The Rise with Food Network Special
She wasn’t sure how this wild journey began, but Michigan-based culinary artist, Jill Davis is the latest to rise to the national stage as she competes on the Food Network’s latest Halloween themed baking competition for a $25,000 prize. The competition which has episodes airing each week throughout the month of September, aired its first episode on September 12.
Michigan Zoos Prove that Animal Conservation is a Work of Art
As an Uncle, we all want to be a Funcle! You know, the FUN Uncle. But, to carry the title as the Funcle, it takes more than showing your superpowers on extraordinary adventures, or your creativity to places far beyond our imaginations, to be the Funcle – you have to include something educational, engaging and will win over the hearts of Mom and Dad.
State of Michigan FY23 Budget Includes More Money for Arts & Culture
While Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state Legislature have celebrated the passage of a balanced, bipartisan budget for Fiscal Year 2023; artists, administrators and the arts and cultural community can celebrate the increase in budget allocation to support Michigan’s creative economy.
Michigan-born Composer Inspires Next Generation to Pursue Their Passions
Like many, it started at a very young age that classical composer Marcus Norris fell in love with music, but it might not have been classical music that started his pursuit of the artistic career he has today, “Benny Poole, a jazz legend, lived in my neighborhood and I remember seeing him as a teenager coming home after making music all night,” and he thought to himself, “he gets paid to do this? That has to be my life.”
Can Street Festivals Rethink the Layout to Embrace Downtown Brick-and-Mortar Businesses?
One of the highlights for communities all across the State of Michigan during the summer months is the magnitude of quality fine art, craft and street festivals that bring vibrancy to main streets in the Fresh Coast State. Thousands of people flock to them, often times they serve as a massive weekend-long tourism engine, and the arts are in the spotlight to highlight this thriving industry in Michigan’s creative economy.
14 Properties in Michigan Added to the National Register of Historic Places!
Fourteen historic Michigan properties were given special recognition in the first half of 2022 through their listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has announced.
Grand Rapids Artist Mandy Cano Villalobos receives $25K National Grant
Michigan is a haven for creative and high quality artists creating work on display around the globe, and that is once again on the national stage as Grand Rapids-based artist, Mandy Cano Villalobos has been selected by The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation support grant.
Historical Society of Michigan Launches Van Buren County Historical Society Storm Damage Relief Campaign
The Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help the Van Buren County Historical Society (VBCHS) in Hartford recover from the severe storm damage of June 13. Thunderstorms and high winds tore through southwest Michigan, felling trees, knocking out electrical power and damaging buildings.
MIchigan-born Stage Star Remembers Teacher that Inspired Career in the Arts
The saying goes that you may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world for one person. For stage star Sam McLellan, that saying rings true and he can pinpoint the person who changed his trajectory.
The World Needs More Stories… Insightful, Thought-Provoking, Quality Stories.
The World Needs More Stories… Insightful, Good-Hearted, Quality Stories. And that’s exactly what you’ll get when visiting the Williamston Theatre in Downtown Williamston, Mich. What started as a vision in 2004 to create a small professional live theatre company in Mid-Michigan, has grown into something not-so-small — a professional theatre company with an exceptional roster of artists, telling stories that are hugely important for our communities!
Advocacy Works, Michigan Elected Officials Share Their Insight
As Cultural Advocacy Month comes to a close in Michigan, the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan celebrates the successful gathering of arts and culture professionals and advocates to learn about best practices, network, and speak with elected officials on the latest challenges and successes faced here in the Fresh Coast state.
Nadim Azzam Makes Music for Deep-Thinkers, Over-Drinkers & Sensitive Souls
Ann Arbor’s Nadim Azzam is a singer, rapper, and songwriter who makes his own beats and plays multiple instruments on his tracks. Known for making songs for the deep-thinkers, the over-drinkers, and other sensitive souls, Nadim faces his own struggles head-on in hopes of offering some sense of solace to anyone else walking similar valleys of their own.
From the Audience to the Stage, Michigan Native Makes National Tour Debut in Mean Girls
Imagine growing up and attending professional theatrical performances from an early age, then returning years later to make your national tour debut on that same stage that held many memories and cherished experiences. That is Nadina Hassan’s dream coming to life this week as she makes her national tour debut as Regina George in the musical Mean Girls at Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing.
March is Cultural Advocay Month in Michigan
Do you believe in the impact arts and culture has on your community? Are a donor to organizations fulfilling their creative mission? Work as a volunteer to provide vital support for an organization’s purpose? Sit on the board of directors for a community-based non-profit? Or work in the arts and cultural sector? If the answer is yes to any of these, consider yourself an Advocate!
Michigan’s International Dance Festival Brings Focus to New Style, Screendance
The 13th annual RAD Fest is bringing professional dance to the international stage in Kalamazoo, Mich. March 4 – 6 in a hybrid format with both in-person and virtual offerings. The 2022 festival will feature the works of over 25 different choreographers and 20 screendance makers from Russia, Barbados, France, New York City, Chicago, and many other U.S. locations including several cities in Michigan.
Waitress is a Story of Love, Relationships & Pie
It is a story of love, relationships, and pie. Waitress the musical is stopping at the Midland Center for the Arts this week and brings with it the sweet aroma of a poignant and touching story of Jenna, a waitress and creator of extraordinary pies. She tries to find herself and purpose despite a tumultuous marriage and small-town dynamics. She begins to realize her full worth when a relationship with the local physician begins to bloom.
The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs Has a New Name!
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs to announce that the state’s leading arts and culture agency is changing its name to the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) effective today.
Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan Works to Elevate Stories of Arts & Culture in Fresh Coast State
Did you know that in Michigan, the arts and cultural sector represents 2.9% of the State’s GDP, contributed $15.3 billion to the state’s economy in 2019 and creates 122,288 jobs for Michiganders? These are facts (provided by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis), they illustrate why arts and culture matters, and represent a much bigger story about the influence that the sector has on the daily lives of people in the Fresh Coast State.
Uncover the History Behind this Michigan Town that Celebrates Christmas 365 Days a Year
For many people, the sounds of “Christmas Time Is Here” from the 1965 television special A Charlie Brown Christmas, is a welcomed holiday classic to be playing overhead in your local department store. But, in a little town in Mid-Michigan, the phrase doesn’t exactly ring true as they celebrate the joys of the holiday season 365 days a year.
New App Uses Census Data to Help Architects Imagine More Representative Spaces
When an architect or designer completes a rendering of a building, streetscape or space, the last step in the process is to include human figures to provide a sense of scale and to make the space feel alive.