The Lansing Art Gallery ("LAG") was a nonprofit art gallery in downtown Lansing, Michigan, USA. LAG provided a place for other arts groups to meet, spaces for displaying art, memberships for individuals and businesses, art competitions, education programs, "Art Smart" after-school classes, "Art Scholarship Alert," high school competitions, summer art camps, workshops, artist demonstrations, and lectures. In addition to selling art, LAG offered art rental or lending services and worked to promote these services to local businesses.
History
The gallery was created in 1965 by local artists, teachers, and business people, with the help of Lansing government leaders. It was first called the Lansing Community Gallery and became the first permanent art gallery in Lansing. By 1978, the gallery received partial funding from the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), which covered the full salary of the director.
Throughout its history, the gallery moved to six different locations. Its most recent move was to the former J.W. Knapp Company Building in early 2022. Before that, it was located above Jim's Tiffany Restaurant from 1967 to 1975, in the Lansing Center for the Arts Building and Boarshead Theater from 1975 to 2004, and in the former Lieberman's, a commercial building designed by architect George Nelson, from 2004 to 2009. The move to the Knapp Building was partly funded by a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Match on Main program, through the Downtown Lansing Inc. management agency. In February 2022, Lansing’s mayor, Andy Schor, announced plans to build a mid-sized performing arts center in downtown, temporarily named "The Ovation," with the gallery as a possible tenant.
The Lansing Art Gallery stopped operating at the end of April 2025 because of financial problems that were too hard to fix. The nonprofit group that ran the gallery continued to work, managing its remaining funds while deciding whether to focus more on art education and advocacy without a physical space or to end its operations.
Awards
In 1995, LAG was awarded a Distinguished Service Award by the Michigan Art Education Association for its hard work and dedication to supporting the culture and arts in Lansing. The award recognized the programs LAG had at that time, including Art Smart after-school classes, an Art Scholarship for high school students, Visual Arts exhibits, Brown Bag lectures, and the annual Lansing Community College Student Art Show.
Outdoor public art projects
In 2010, LAG started providing free outdoor public art displays. In 2011, LAG received money from the Lansing Economic Development Corporation and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing to create an outdoor public display featuring 75 to 100 artworks across Lansing's streets. The 2011 exhibit, "City Streets," and the 2012 exhibit, "Art by the River," were damaged by vandals. A sculpture called "Meditation Tower," made by artist Mark Chatterley, was destroyed during this time. The sculpture was worth $28,000. After these events, Lansing police added security measures to protect the exhibits. Surveys found that 44% of visitors to "Art by the River" traveled to Lansing specifically to see the display, which helped support the local economy. In 2018, LAG created ArtPath, an art display featuring works by Michigan-based artists along a three-mile section of Lansing's River Trail. This project was supported by MEDC, Auto-Owners Insurance, and Patronicity. In 2020, ArtPath attracted over 82,000 visitors.