Oct 11
19
Artists “Attack” REO Town
REO Town is working to redefine itself. And not in the way you might think. It may well be on its way to becoming Lansing’s future artistic district. To celebrate this natural shift from industrial to creative, artists, musicians and residents in the Capital region came out to enjoy the inaugural Art Attack! Festival. The bonus: watching artists create before your very eyes.
The purpose of the Art Attack! Festival, which took place on Saturday, September 24, from noon to 8:00 p.m., was to promote REO Town while raising money for local art and artists. Artists were given four hours to create their works on-site and in full view of the public. Jurors scored the works which were then auctioned off, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Art Alley, a non-traditional, nonprofit art gallery located at 1133 South Washington.
Sep 11
14
REO Town Art Attack!
The first annual Art Attack! Showdown in REO Town Art Battle & Festival was developed though a collaboration of the REO Town Commercial Association with a group of local artists. The Art Attack! is an all‐inclusive, all‐embracing celebration of the arts in our community. The Art Attack! Festival will feature the diverse works of local artists for sale while the Showdown in REO Town art completion will offer local artist the chance to test their creative swagger. Throughout these events, local musicians will sculpt sonic art for our harmonic enjoyment. The Art Attack! along with the local artists and patrons who contribute testifies to the fact that REO Town is a place where people not only buy and appreciate art but where people come together to create and experience art.
REO Town’s Reach Studio Art Center is growing right out of its current location.
“We’re completely bursting at the seams,” says Reach Outreach Coordinator Jeana-Dee Rogers. “When people wan to donate things we often have to say we just don’t have any place to put anything. Most of our programs are full way before the start date.”
That’s why the local arts non-profit has kicked off their “Expanding our Reach” campaign to raise funds for a new location. While two different potential locations are under review, Reach plans least triple their current 1,000 square foot space. Though the exact location is undecided, the center does not have any plans to leave the neighborhood.
David C. VanderKlok is a licensed architect and principal owner of Studio [intrigue] Architects LLC in Lansing.
Studio [intrigue] Architects is an 8-year-old business that has been described as a “developer’s architect.”
“We focus our client base on developers and private owners that pay their bills,” said VanderKlok, a Kalamazoo native who was recently named the American Institute of Architects-Michigan’s 2011 Young Architect of the Year.
The business, which is co-owned by Kenneth L. Jones II, was lauded by the AIA for work that includes “urban revitalization, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, restaurants, nightclubs, retail, multi-family, dental practices and medical buildings.”
Jul 11
20
A New Beginning
Renovations are complete at a south side traditional Buddhist temple
by Chris Galford
After nearly seven years of construction, Lansing’s Vietnamese community finally has a religious and cultural center to call its own.
It’s been a long road, but after its christening celebration on Sunday, the temple at 3015 S. Washington Ave. south of REO Town stands as a true-to-form, traditional Vietnamese Buddhist temple. The character is in the angles, shapes and furnishings of the place — including a traditional bell, rack and drum all imported from Vietnam. According to the Vietnamese American Buddhist Association of Lansing, it’s the only such temple in Michigan.
Jun 11
20
Chasing Cash in DC
The mayor is in Washington to track down federal money for REO Town and the old Verlinden plant
by Andy Balaskovitz
Monday, June 20 — Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero is in Washington today to make the city’s case for about $2 million in federal grant money that would revamp Washington Avenue in REO Town and repurpose the former General Motors Co. manufacturing site on Verlinden Avenue.
A press release issued this morning by Bernero’s office said he is holding “key meetings with Obama Administration officials concerning several Lansing development projects.”
May 11
18
Graffiti Artists Have Their Day
Collaborative project aims to freshen up REO Town streets
by Chris Galford
Throughout the day on Monday, Lansing’s graffiti artists gathered in a REO Town parking lot to work their magic on canvases of wood, stone and steel.
There was nothing cloak and dagger in the arrangement, though. These artists — far from the “taggers” that many cities have attempted to crack down upon — were invited as part of the latest in a joint effort by the REACH Studio Art Center and the REO Town Commercial Association to breathe new cultural life into the city.
The artists themselves were organized by local street artist Sam deBourbon, who oversaw last year’s graffiti project at the now-demolished Deluxe Inn.
May 11
11
REO Town Gets Hip (Hop)
Graffiti artists team up with local sculptor for ‘Deluxe Graffiti REO-vised’
For better or for worse — and most would say for the better — the once-notorious Deluxe Inn is history. Pieces of the former motel will on, however, in graffiti art that was created on the site. At 7 p.m. Monday, REO Town kicks off National Hip Hop Week with an event called “Deluxe Graffiti REO-vised,” in which graffiti artists will be creating new pieces that will be installed onto wood and recycled metal sculptures created by Lansing artist Tom Sheerin, who began working on his project in January.
“The materials used go hand in hand with REO Town,” said Sheerin in a press release. “It has a rich history in industry and by recycling and reusing materials it is acknowledging that history.”
Michael Lewis loves pit bulls.
“They’re great dogs,” he says. “Some get bad stigmas, but it’s all about the owner. I want to create awareness about the level of responsibility that goes along with the bully breed.”
To do so, Lewis opened Trick Your Bully, a new specialty pet store in REO Town featuring equipment for larger dog breeds including specialty collars, show leads, large muzzle and more. Lewis invested approximately $8,500 in the new location, including high-quality, handmade dog handling accessories.
Mar 11
10
Repaving REO Town
The city seeks input on redesigning Washington Avenue through REO Town
by Andy Balaskovitz
Thursday, March 10 — Lansing city officials say that in about two years, the stretch of Washington Avenue between Malcolm X Street and Barnes Avenue — through the heart of REO Town — will look a lot different than it does today.
The stretch of road is crumbling, but it’s also poised to be a main thoroughfare as the new Board of Water and Light cogeneration plant comes online, said Chad Gamble, director of the Public Service Department.
Though a design plan is in its infancy, the city has secured $1.18 million in federal funding, which pays for 80 percent of the project, Gamble said. The city will have to pay for the rest, or $605,000.