The Michigan House proposes a complete elimination of funding for the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). If the MACC becomes disenfranchised, then museums, historic sites, and other cultural organizations will lose out on $11 million.

MACC is an agency whose grants are accessible to creative projects across the state. They stand for economic development, education, and engagement.

Lisa Craig Brisson is the executive director of the Michigan Museums Association. Her organization is supported by MACC. She says without tax payers, it’d be impossible to get anything done. “It’s very challenging for organizations to articulate all that is involved with our operations. Public funding is a part of what makes operations possible.”

Chad Swan – Badgero is Arts Education Manager for MACC.  He said often when funding cuts need to be made, MACC is the first stop. “When people are considering budget cuts, then that’s the first thing to go.”

Swan-Badgero and Brisson joined The Metro to discuss the history of funding from MACC being on the chopping block and the impact the council has on museums and other public spaces where arts and culture flourish. 

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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The city of Detroit is connected to larger cultural movements throughout its history. Yet, most people don’t realize the first free national public art museum has its roots in Detroit. 

Charles Lang Freer wasn’t born in the city, but moved here for opportunity and economic growth. He turned his Ferry street home into a living gallery, collecting thousands of American, Asian and Middle Eastern art works. 

He arrived in Detroit in 1880, when the city was on the brink of a cultural boom. The Detroit Institute of Arts opened in 1885. Pewabic Pottery opened in 1903. The Scarab Club began in 1907. The College for Creative Studies traces its roots to 1906 as the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts.

Following the success of his railroad car business, Freer retired at the age of 47. He became a student of art, collecting, traveling and amassing an impressive collection. The collection went on to form the country’s first national museum and Asian art museum in Washington DC. 

Dr. Chase F. Robinson is the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.  He and his team worked closely with the Freer House in Detroit to curate a new exhibition in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary. He tells The Metro more about the history behind the Freer House.

A Museum in the Making will be on display June 27 through August 8 at the National Museum of Asian Art in the Freer Gallery of Art. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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