Here's a little background on the project:
Armory Arts Village is a unique creativity-focused neighborhood being developed on the site of the dramatic historic 19th century Jackson State Prison. It's beautiful stone/ brick buildings and turreted stone walls perched high above the Grand River just blocks from downtown Jackson, Michigan.
A Truly Rare Opportunity
In addition to affordable live/work space, residents will also benefit from:
* Affordable access to shared work, exhibit/ performance space including gallery, large scale art production & a ceramic/ sculpture studio.
* Seminars & workshops designed to help residents develop their art into small businesses & other types of entrepreneurial endeavors.
* Exposure to the public and specific markets for their work.
Inspiring Setting, Ideal Location
The central Midwest location also affords easy access to diverse markets for resident artists' work:
* Five minutes from I-94 & U.S. 127
* Half an hour from the university cultural centers of Ann Arbor & East Lansing
* One hour from the major urban centers of Detroit & Toledo
* Four blocks from downtown Jackson's train depot offering Amtrak service to Chicago, Detroit & New York.
Speaking from personal experience, my grandmother grew up in a house just a few blocks away from the old Jackson prison. I used to go there to visit my great uncle when I was a kid, and even back then you could tell that the neighborhood was a shadow of what it once was.
The Armory Arts Project is an apt symbol for everything the City of Jackson has gone through over the years. The goal is to take this old, run-down structure, and turn it into the hub for Jackson's economic revitalization plan.
There's been a lot of talk in recent years about attracting young, knowledge workers to our state. Well, here's the perfect opportunity to actually make it happen!
A volunteer student at the University of Michigan, Reema Tahti, created a short YouTube video to showcase the project. Check it out:
Things like the Armory Arts Project are great bait that can help our state lure young, artistic workers to places like Jackson. However, affordable housing could be the hook that we use to reel them in, maximizing the potential for meaningful community revitalization and economic growth in Michigan.
Remember, Housing = Jobs.
Which, of course, makes the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund that much more important to our state's economic future. We've got the bait, but we need the hook.