Sarah Hopkins is the gallery coordinator at the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center located at 300 S. Washington Square in Lansing, Michigan.
Hopkins obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Michigan State University and a certificate in Graphic Design from Lansing Community College. She started out as an intern with the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center, ultimately leading her to her current position as gallery coordinator.
The Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center has been around for more than 50 years. The gallery started representing Michigan artists in 1965 and continues to encourage that art is for everyone.
Spartan Newsroom Reporter Rachel Pierson spoke with Hopkins to hear more about the role the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center plays in the Lansing community.
Interview Transcript
Rachel Pierson: What role does the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center play in the Lansing community?
Sarah Hopkins: We are a nonprofit gallery, and we not only showcase artwork and have a retail gallery but we also have various programs such as workshops. We have an upcoming exposition for high school students to showcase their work called Art Scholarship Alert.
We have lots of educational programming, one such as Arts for All which is more about providing access and opportunities to the arts for people of varying abilities. We also have an awesome public art project that we do every summer called Art Path.
This allows us to get out into the community and provide opportunities to local artists to produce public art.
Pierson: If you could describe the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center in one to two sentences, how would you describe it?
Hopkins:I really think what we are trying to do is provide opportunities of access of the arts to our community and to all people who want to come into our space. We specifically try to uplift and share the work of Michigan artists because we are a lot about our local community.
Pierson: What opportunities are available for people who want to be involved?
Hopkins: There are all kinds of opportunities within the gallery. At a basic level, you can become a member of the gallery; students can apply for internships and volunteer with the gallery.
But there are opportunities to participate with the gallery as an artist by showcasing work in our space, applying for some of the shows and there are opportunities to teach artists as well.
Pierson: What is the process if I want to showcase or donate a piece of artwork to the gallery?
Hopkins: Donations are a little different. If it is a donation piece, it will be discussed with our executive director on whether or not it is a donation piece we would like to take. We accept a variety of other donations like monetary and supply donations.
But as far as showcasing a piece in our gallery, we have an application process. For our retail gallery, that application is always open but we only review it about twice a year. All of our applications and opportunities for artists are done so by a jury.
For example, our Art Scholarship Alert that we are working toward will have a jury panel help select those pieces.
To get involved with the Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center please click here