62nd East Lansing Art Festival to Return to Downtown Streets
The trees are blooming with pink and white flowers, and it’s officially Spring! That can only mean one thing — the 62nd annual East Lansing Art Festival is ramping up to take over downtown Albert and M.A.C. Avenues.
The tradition brings artisans, painters, sculptors, photographers, food trucks, live music and kids activities on Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival runs at the same time as the MSU Spring Arts and Craft Show on the grounds of the Michigan State University Union, across Grand River Avenue.
City of East Lansing Art Festival and Arts Initiative Coordinator Heather Majano organizes the annual art festival, and is the staff liaison to the Arts Commission and Art Selection Panel. She leads the efforts to organize the artists, performers, food trucks, volunteers, advertising, fundraising and grant writing for the art festival.
What started out decades ago as an art sidewalk sale downtown has grown into one of the area’s most well-attended festivals. Today, its mission is to enhance the sense of community and appreciation of art, culture, and creativity in East Lansing and the greater Lansing region.
“Last year, a little over 44,000 people visited the festival,” Majano said. “We have been voted by our artists as one of the top 200 fine art festivals in the country consistently.”
This year’s event brings artists from 13 different states, ranging from California to Maine, Texas to Montana. 329 artists of all mediums, including 2D and 3D mixed media, functional and nonfunctional ceramics, drawing, fiber, wood, sculpture, photography, painting, metals, and more applied to be at the festival, and 171 were chosen.
Majano’s favorite part of organizing the event is setting up the website when artists are finalized.
“I visit each of their websites and start making my ‘shopping list,’” she said. “Finding time during the weekend to take a break and visit these artists is a highlight.”
James Gorman is one of the artists who will be selling his original paintings at the festival. The retired Certified Public Accountant always had an interest in painting and drawing, but went with a more business-focused career. After retiring in 2012, he found time for his hobbies, including putting paintbrush to canvas.
“Well, after accumulating too many paintings, I figured I could sell my excess art at shows,” he said. “My first art fair was in Muskegon five years ago. I sold some stuff, not much, but enough to suggest that it might be worthwhile to do more shows in the future. It was barely worth the cost to continue. I was doing almost all oil paintings and they were getting nice compliments, but sales were rare. Not wanting to give up, I switched my inventory to include watercolors… I learned that watercolors, if presented well, sell.”
Gorman was an artist in the ELAF in 2022 and 2023. After skipping last year’s event, he’s excited to see how watercolor paintings will be received this year.
“This year I will attend five shows, which are fairly spread out from May through September,” he said. “Next year I will enter shows if my health permits it. I’ll be 80 next year, and I might have to slow down.”
While festivals and sales are nice, they’re not all that matters to Gorman, who truly enjoys painting.
Last year’s festival piloted a sensory-friendly space that was well-received, and will be returning. The space offers a small quiet area with chairs and sensory-friendly items for folks who need it, Majano said.
There will be four different artist demonstrators each day of the festival, and an interactive weaving project from the East Lansing Public Library and Downtown Development Authority.
“We have a great lineup of performers that we’re really excited about,” Majano said. “A few returning that always draw a crowd like the East Lansing Jazz Band, Flames N Dames, and the Eagle Medicine Dancers. And some new ones that I can’t wait to see like the Kuungana Drum and Dance Company, Sistrum and the Greater Lansing Area Ballet Folklorico.”
The full entertainment schedule is available online here
“We’re also piloting a small public art scavenger hunt this year,” Majano said. “We’ve worked with Cameron Warren to create video clues to go from one piece of art to the next. Participants will end at the merchandise tent where the first five who successfully finish will receive a swag bag full of goodies from the art festival, WKAR and Downtown East Lansing. For all the people who complete the scavenger hunt after the first five, there will be stickers and bookmarks they can choose from.”
For those hungry scavengers, there will be nine different food trucks serving up cuisine from all over the world. CATA shuttles will be running from Lot 89 on MSU’s campus for a flat $0.50 fee, and more information on parking, biking, and transportation is available here.
New sponsors include Metzger Realty Co. and Provision Senior Living Community, Horizon Bank, and returning support provided by Jackson and CATA.
Majano is even excited for folks to connect with the graphic designs used to promote the festival this year.
“For those of us who are local, we recognize the birdhouse right away, but for new visitors, I think it will be like a festival easter egg when they make the connection,” she said. “The designers are also artists that have been coming to our festival for a few years, so it’ll be a great conversation for them to have with guests as well.”