Category: History

Nathan Houghton

Nathan Houghton

- History
Growing up flicking through his grandma’s Norman Rockwell coffee table book, Nathan has always liked creative expression. His philosophy on art versus design gives him a unique perspective on the difference between artists and designers. For Nathan, art is something more expressive like George Serat’s pointillism techniques. Still, design was inspiring…
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during the Renegade Theater Festival in Old Town August 20, 2010. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

Renegade Theatre Festival

- History
Renegade Theatre Festival was an opportunity created by Chad Badgero to address the lack of theatre production and representation in the otherwise ubiquitous local festival scene. Theaters organized to produce and perform plays that were exploratory, experimental or did not fit into their season’s schedule. They would do so in any…
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Barbara Hranilovich

- History
Barbara Hranilovich is an artist of many mediums and much talent. Her current passion is in pottery, actively a member of the Greater Lansing Potters’ Guild. Beyond pottery, she is an avid painter with her BFA in oil painting from Western Michigan University — the same school as Lauren! Despite all…
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Close up of silk screen printing process for posters

McLean Screenprinting

- History
In 1919, 18-year-old Ivan McLean started Quality Sign Co., eventually becoming the predominant sign printer for the city of Lansing. His company produced an innumerable amount of landmark signs for Lansing including the Boji Tower clockface, the Frandor signs, and the “One-Legged Shopping Lady” at the former Okemos Schmidt Store. In…
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Michigan Festival Logo

The Michigan Festival

- History
From August 1987 to 1997, Michigan State University hosted the Michigan Festival on the University’s campus in East Lansing. Organized as part of Michigan’s sesquicentennial celebration, the event was geared toward providing affordable, high-quality entertainment to the people of greater Lansing and Michigan as a whole. Ciesa Design supported the festival…
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Great Lakes Folk Festival

- History
From 1999-2017 Ciesa Design created print and design work for the Folk Festivals in East Lansing. However, the events originated in 1987, when MSU Michigan Traditional Arts Program folklorists produced the first “Festival of Michigan Folklife.” Bringing together over 75 musicians, storytellers, and craft demonstrators, this event ran successfully from 1987-1998,…
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(SCENE) Metrospace

- History
In 2004, founding board member Lauren Ciesa and his team at Ciesa Design, alongside the Downtown Development Authority and the city of East Lansing, started the first (SCENE) Metrospace galleries in an abandoned bank! This was founded in response to the “Cool Cities” initiative set forth by former Governor Granholm to…
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