The National Endowment for the Arts is making available grants of $25,000 to $200,000 for creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communities through the arts.

Our Town will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to improve their quality of life, encourage creative activity, create community identity and a sense of place, and revitalize local economies. 

Eligible applicants must be in the form of a partnership between a local unit of government and a nonprofit organization which must be a cultural (arts or design) organization. Michigan projects that have been awarded in the past include Dearborn, Greater Flint Arts Council, University Cultural Center Association and ArtPrize.

Applications must be submitted no later than January 14, 2013

The "Our Town"program is aligned with the cultural economic development asset of the League's "Center for 21st Century Communities" program.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail

Michael Moore speaks at MLGMA Summer Workshop. View more photos on flickr.

Watch the video on Vimeo.

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan - Municipal leaders from throughout Michigan attended the annual Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA) summer workshop in Traverse City recently.

The four-day workshop included education sessions on the economics of placemaking by Michigan Municipal League CEO Dan Gilmartin, a discussion on the value of farm markets and agribusiness, a presentation by Academy Award winner Michael Moore and numerous other topics.

Moore talked about his work in Traverse City in revitalizing the historic State Theatre in downtown Traverse City and starting up the Traverse City Film Festival.

Moore’s talk was centered around the importance of having vibrant downtowns, which is a philosophy shared by the Michigan Municipal League (economicsofplace.com and mml.org/placemaking). The League believes that placemaking is crucial to the Michigan’s economic turnaround.

The annual MLGMA summer conference is an opportunity to city managers, county executives, village managers and other municipal leaders to gather, network, share ideas and learn about the latest legislation, policies and techniques related to Michigan communities.

The group also took a tour of Traverse City including stops at the restored Traverse City Opera House, State Theatre and the Grand Traverse Commons multi-use development. Other sessions included a presentation about the League’s natural gas purchasing program; revitalization and brownfields; and a legislative update from the League’s Lansing staff.

For more about the Michigan Municipal League and what we do go to mml.org. For more about MLGMA go to http://www.mlgma.org/. View more photos from the MLGMA workshop on flickr.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and (734) 669-6317.

The city of Bessemer is putting public/private partnership into action to help sponsor a valuable economic development tool to help in the community’s placemaking efforts.

City officials want to promote Bessemer with a promotional video to be featured on a series narrated by sports commentator Terry Bradshaw that would air in various markets around the country.

The city needs to raise $19,800 for the production, which would appear on “Rediscover America” in 19 regional airings on various ABC and Fox stations, in a segment called “Best Places to Live, Work and Play.” The city would own the video after it has aired and could then use it for further promotion.

The city council has approved spending $10,000 on the project and is reaching out to various community organizations and businesses for help with the balance.

Bessemer’s placemaking video  initiative includes a questionnaire sent out to officials asking about the city’s challenges and opportunities, what key message the show should convey to viewers, and the best locations and subjects to interview.

The city is also looking to tie into the state’s Pure Michigan campaign via its “Wilds of Michigan” theme (www.wildsofmichigan.com) which features the Porcupine Mountains and the old growth forests of the Ottawa National Forest among other Upper Peninsula attractions.

Bessemer City Manager Michael Uskiewicz has said that the region has long promoted outdoor recreation but this new initiative will be more focused, consistent and visible.

The Michigan Municipal League today (June 6, 2012) launched three new blogs about city operations, digital innovations and the importance of private and public investment in communities. These blogs are part of the League’s key mission to serve as the one clear voice for Michigan communities.

Read a news release about the blogs here. The League’s Anthony Minghine, associate executive director and chief operations officer; will write a regular blog called “City Ops” about the practical things that cities deal with on a daily basis. The League’s Rob Ferrari, director of digital strategies, will write the blog “inKNOWvate” about how messaging and technology can generate stronger community engagement, identity and support. The blog “Communities Count” by the League’s Arnold Weinfeld, director of strategic initiatives and federal affairs, will focus on why it’s vital to invest in Michigan’s communities.

While these three blogs are new, the League has been blogging for years, including a legislative blog called Inside 208, and a blog about the eight assets to creating vibrant communities, called 21c3 (Center for 21st Century Communities.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. Reach him at 734-669-6317 and mbach@mml.org.