Over thirty years ago, when you walked through north Lansing, you would see mostly empty and boarded-up buildings. In the 1980s, a handful of artists set up studios and opened a few art galleries in the vacant buildings.

​In 1995, the Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art (MICA) produced the first JazzFest Michigan, which placed a spotlight on the historic commercial district we now know as Old Town.

​The journey has been steady. MICA helped establish Old Town as one of the first urban Main Streets in the nation. Now there are myriad thriving businesses, galleries, restaurants, boutiques, nightclubs, restored and new buildings, loft apartments and waiting lists of people wanting to live here.

MICA is thankful to be able to serve as the catalyst for this community transformation and recognizes the significance that arts and artists play in sustainable economic development of a region.