Old Town Welcomes Jazz & Change

by Alyson Gines

There is a growing sense of excitement and energy in the air as the first weekend in August draws close. It is time yet again for a celebration of jazz, musicians, food, and community. The Lansing JazzFest, held every summer since 1995, will bring together over 10,000 people in Old Town’s streets.

One of the first things they might hear could be the sultry notes of Edye Evans Hyde, as she pulls the audience in with her outstanding voice. Or perhaps it will be Etienne Charles, his trumpet’s notes crisply cutting through the night at an incredible speed. Maybe the draw will come from the KidzBeat area, where children can explore new instruments and make some of their own. A leisurely walk down the street could bring festival goers to admire art on display at the MICA Gallery. The possibilities of art, enjoyment, and exploration are endless.

Old Town was not always the hub for performance, music, and the arts like it is now. In the early 1980s, Turner Street and the adjacent stretch of Grand River were practically abandoned, a ghost town on the north edge of Lansing’s core. Local artists, including Terry Terry of MessageMakers and the late Robert Busby of the Creole Gallery, recognized the potential of its historic brick buildings and proximity to the river, and formed the North Lansing Art Association.

In the early 1990s, the committee began to recognize that “North Lansing” was not a very distinctive label, and had some unfortunate associations. Many parts of Lansing are north of the Capitol, but their interest—and incidentally, the region’s earliest commercial development—was focused in a tightly defined area. They changed their name to the Old Town Business and Art Development Association (OTBADA), and “development” is an excellent label for what happened next.

Old Town has come into its own over the past 15 years. Previously deserted, it is now filled with signs of the living—art galleries, businesses, new restaurants, boutiques, sidewalk sales of baskets of flowers or garden fountains. These ventures and the people who run them are telling a different story now. It started with some help from a national Main Street grant, overseen by the Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA). The people of Old Town were ready to proudly display the hard work and efforts they had invested to make something beautiful out of a place that had been almost completely deserted.

Things began to change with a music festival called the “Snake Rodeo,” a celebration of music, art, and new life held out in the streets. Any artist was invited to submit a piece of work, the one rule being that a snake as a symbol of transformation had to play a role in it. A huge success, this festival opened the doors to things like OctoberFest (which became BluesFest) and JazzFest, which started in 1994 and 1995, respectively, and have continued ever since.

Over the years, OTBADA transitioned into the Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art (MICA), but the goal of the organization remained the same: to promote the arts and bring people together to share the joys of music, expression, discussion, and so much more. Now, events like Lansing JazzFest, Old Town BluesFest, and Michigan Mosaic Music Festival occur every year—and even those are just what is happening in late summer.

MICA continues its focus on continually progressing in quality arts programming that catalyzes community development. As an all-volunteer organization, MICA is fortunate to call on the time and talents of an enormous group of dedicated people. These Old Town festivals, among the largest in mid-Michigan, are free to all because of the committee volunteers’ remarkable, year-round commitment.
Outside of the great festivals and events already set in place, MICA is working on taking the vision of arts-driven development to a state-wide level. Bold and innovative ideas are continually being considered and subsequent plans put in motion to keep this wave of music, community, and arts continually growing. This weekend’s Lansing JazzFest provides the perfect opportunity to take a step back, look at all that has been accomplished, and then enjoy the ride.