Cultural Advocacy Podcast of Michigan

Michelle Sider is a Michigan-based mixed media artist whose work reflects interpretations of the world around her while she pushes the boundaries of working in glass mosaics and paintings. A full-time artist, she focuses on her own work and commissioned works from her studio in the metro Detroit area.

Sider began her art career as a painter, working in watercolor, pastel, acrylic and oil. Her work has evolved to include lush glass mosaics, each one built atop a fully realized painting. She is passionate about a series of mosaics she began in 2019 titled “I am Yemenite.” The works represent her most ambitious project to date and hundreds of hours of work and research.

This podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Miles Mykkanen has quickly become the go-to tenor for roles requiring a deft balance of power, lyricism, and dramatic acuity, having performed on stages in all corners of the globe. A proud Yooper from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Mykkanen leveraged his pandemic downtime to create community around the arts in his hometown of Ironwood. As founding Artistic Director of the Emberlight Festival, he has built a formidable board, raising $750,000 in a county where the annual median income is $29,000. Emberlight has now produced 119 individual events – including a film festival with entries from 83 countries, live performances of chamber music, cabarets, and plays, a photography show and public art installations, and performance infusions featuring regional artists in everything from Ojibwe basket weaving to wool waulking. More than 70% of those events have been free to attend, ensuring that the arts are accessible to everyone in the rural region.

This podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

On this podcast, we talk with 3 professionals in Michigan's cultural sector about their efforts as an advocate and stories they share with elected officials in supports of arts and culture in the Fresh Coast State.

This podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Gretchen Gonzales Davidson is a lifelong musician in Michigan and serves as the Chair of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council among many other civic responsibilities. On this podcast, we talk about the evolution of the music scene in Michigan and the importance of civic participation in influencing change as an advocate for initiatives that are meaningful.

This podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Lauren Ward is the Director of the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan, a statewide membership-based advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring cultural leaders have the tools necessary to provide services of the highest quality. On this podcast, we talk about her journey to becoming an advocate for arts and culture and CAN's 2025 Advocacy Day.

This Podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Brenda Rigdon is the Executive Director of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, a statewide membership organization dedicated to recognizing and preserving Michigan's rich cultural and architectural heritage. On this podcast, we talk about the topics facing historic preservation today, and how you can be an advocate for historic gems in your community.

This Podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Kirk Hallman is the Executive Director at Muskegon Museum of Art, a museum currently expanding the facilities of this cultural institution founded in 1912. The museum features a permanent collection of American and European paintings, sculpture, prints, and drawings, along with exhilarating nationally traveling exhibitions to contemporary regional and Michigan artist shows.

This Podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Nate Love is a Lobbyist with Kelly Cawthorne, representing the arts and cultural interests of the Cultural Advocacy Network (CAN) of Michigan. On this podcast, we’ll talk about the ways in which you can be an advocate for issues you're passionate about, including the legislative priorities of CAN.

This Podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Alison Watson is the Director of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, the statewide government arts and culture agency providing funding and support to all of Michigan’s 83 counties. On this podcast, we’ll talk about the strategic improvements to the statewide funding process and the state of the arts in Michigan.

This Podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Katie Trzaska-Miller is the President of Michigan Presenters and Manager of Community Engagement at Midland Center for the Arts. On this podcast, we speak with Katie about the arts and accessibility; what presenters are working on these days to make performing arts experience designed for each and every person.

This Podcast was produced by the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan with support by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.