East Lansing to Get a Theme Song? Host a Puppet Parade? Arts Commission Floats Ideas to Spark Engagement.

What is East Lansing really about? The East Lansing Arts Commission floated the idea of holding a competition that would allow local musicians to answer that question. 

Until recently, the city’s public art fund could only be used on permanent projects, like murals and sculptures. Earlier this year, the City Council approved ordinance changes that allow for the fund to support a more diverse set of projects and events, like poetry readings, traveling exhibits and music. 

Now, the city’s Arts Commission is exploring the possibility of using money from the art fund to sponsor a contest for musicians to write a theme song for East Lansing. 

At the Nov. 20 Arts Commission meeting, commission Vice Chair Allie Siarto said East Lansing can sometimes be overshadowed by the nearby state capital and Michigan State University. She pitched holding a competition where musicians write an original song about what East Lansing is.

“Anecdotally, I’ve talked to a couple different band members and musicians…and they’ve all been really excited about the potential for something like this,” Siarto said.

The budget for a band competition can fluctuate depending on a few different factors, and with nothing set in stone, Siarto shared an estimated cost based on conversations with musicians. Between marketing, recording costs and prize money associated with the event, Siarto estimated it would cost between $5,000 and $7,000. 

If the vision comes to fruition, it would be an opportunity for community members who are in bands to write about their experiences in East Lansing; however, commissioners had concerns regarding messaging. 

“We’re [East Lansing] not a national park area or Detroit or identified with anything, so an alternative identification could be who are we,” Commissioner Gail Burke said. “Other than the obvious ones like children, education, safety, and those things, but is there something unique about us that we can promote?” 

“There’s parameters to it, but it’s really tapping into the creativity of those artists to help talk about who we are,” Councilmember Kerry Ebersole Singh said. “I think that’s a part of the creative element, but also community building.”

Details like the time and location of the event have not been decided, but some commissioners said they favor having the competition during the summer to help bring people downtown.

Another idea proposed by Burke was an endangered species parade to travel along Grand River Avenue and into nearby neighborhoods. The parade would feature large puppets of endangered animals. 

The idea came from The Herds project, a traveling public art display that brings attention to endangered species that could face extinction due to climate change. Life-sized puppets were made, and from April to August, the puppets made appearances in several cities, including Marrakesh, Madrid, London, and Copenhagen, leading up to a final destination in the Arctic Circle. 

“The idea is to engage a community and have them build the animals, even children…what we are known for is our commitment to helping bring consciousness to endangered species,” Burke said. 

The parade would blend art with science, providing opportunities to engage more folks in the community.

“Even though this is an East Lansing thing, I definitely envisioned a lot of university participation,” Burke said. “Some professors and students in the art department and the Broad Art Museum.”

Burke also tossed around the idea of engaging high school students to be the puppeteers and help make the puppets. 

“I love the idea because it’s big enough to bring major attention to the City of East Lansing,” Commissioner Nina Silbergleit said. “I think that’s one of the things we want to happen so that people do come back and spend time here during the summer.”