GIG returns to Jackson to celebrate the visual artists who make Michigan music shine with a full-day exhibition, workshops, and live music.
GIG – The Art of Michigan Music 2025
Another fabulous GIG – The Art of Michigan Music is in the books. It was a full day highlighted by a celebration of the visual art of music. By far the best part of the day was spending it with so many wonderful people who enjoy art and music.
The feedback from GIG – The Art of Michigan Music 2024 was very positive. However, one thing stood out: it was a wee bit too long. Three days of awesome were hard to sustain. This year, we focused on bringing together the best parts of GIG 2024 into an action-packed day of visual art, education, and music. Once again, the folks at Art 634 in Jackson were our most excellent hosts.
By streamlining GIG to a single day and working hard to keep our costs down, we were able to make this year’s GIG a free event. Just like last year, we tried to keep costs down for our visual artists by providing free market space and taking no commissions on any art sales.
Art Exhibition and Market
New this year was the integration of the art exhibition and music market. Instead of carving out a separate space inside Art 634 for the art gallery, the exhibit walls were dovetailed into the market. This allowed visitors to stroll through the entire space, taking in the exhibit and items on the vendor tables. You could browse through art, vinyl records, collectibles, and more. Fret Rescue even brought in some customized guitars that you could play. Our friends from CameraMall in Ann Arbor were also there to share information on their printing services and more.
Also new this year was the partnership with Jackson College. Associate Professor Chrissy Hughes and some of her students were on hand. The students created posters and album covers for the exhibition. They also have a table set up to showcase other pieces and share their thoughts and insights with people interested in the graphic design department at Jackson College.
Workshops
As integration was the theme for this year’s GIG – The Art of Michigan Music, the workshops were held on the stage during the afternoon. During each session, visitors could listen while browsing in the event space or take a seat near the stage to engage with the presenters.
Jen Prouty, a visual artist and creative marketing consultant, shared ideas on creating your elevator pitch, in which you provide a short, focused introduction that allows you to build relationships with others. She also shared the key benefits of networking, and a key conversation started — “What are you currently learning about?”
Dave Cicotte, Marketing Professor and Strategist – Owner: No Quarter Media Co, provided an insightful look into digital marketing and branding. Every artist is a small-business owner in some form or another. Dave shared a wealth of information on how to utilize the interwebs best to get your events and business noticed.
Chrissy Hughes led a panel of graphic designers featuring Craig Horky, Jacob Rosenburg, and Dennis Preston. After a few minutes of notes on the delicious egg roll-inspired creations from the FFF food truck, which Dennis was enjoying, the panel moved into a range of topics. One central theme was related to AI. In particular, it is clear that hiring a real person to do your graphic design is essential to standing out in the crowd. AI tools can be helpful, but they are no match for a human creative. That is, unless your business doesn’t care about its image and is fine with using bland and homogenous imagery.
The final panel on photography was truly led by yours truly. I shared the stage with Jena Hovey, Jen Prouty, and Derek Ketchum. We shared our origin stories, notes on techniques, hot tips, and our most memorable experiences as concert photographers. It was a blast.
Extras – Mitten Music and Live Painting
On top of having students from Jackson College, GIG included a couple more surprises. Jeff and Ryan from the Mitten Music podcast were on hand. They conducted a number of interviews with the visual artists and bands that were part of GIG. The interviews will be part of their next season, coming out at the start of 2026. I can’t wait to listen. Hopefully, we can do this again with Mitten Music, as they are true fans of Michigan’s art and music scenes.
Another unique treat for this year’s GIG was live painting by Ari Franklin. They have a studio at Art 634 and asked if they could do a live painting during the music performances. I was like “Hell yeah, you can”. Ari created a fantastic interpretation of “The Drummer”.
Kick Out The Jams!
GIG – The Art of Michigan Music 2025 wrapped up with live Michigan music. The Manchester Underground crew of Berkeley, Steve, and John once again had the sound dialed into perfection. Each band was hand-picked by yours truly to end GIG with a bang.
Paper Lanterns
If you want to experience high-energy power pop punk rock played to perfection, you need to check out Paper Lanterns. This Jackson-based band hit the stage like a cyclone of sound. Their music bristled with raw power. The driving drums and bass added punch while the guitars blazed with sonic brilliance. Terrific vocals with bright harmonies captivated the crowd. They set a high bar for the bands to follow.
Mazinga
Veterans of the Ann Arbor and Detroit punk rock scenes, Mazinga spent the evening celebrating 30 years of cosmic rock madness with us. They played tunes spanning their catalog, including early tunes “Omega Race” and “So Incomplete,” as well as new rippers from their Chinese Democracy Manifest: Greatest Hits Vol. 2 like “Nandeyo” and “This Is Fine”. Razor-sharp riffs, powerhouse drums, and pure punk vocals provided for one hell of a performance.
Carbon Decoy
Closing out the evening was the mind-bending grooves of Carbon Decoy. These guys are high priests of the almighty riff. Each tune built up the intensity until the wall of sound became a tsunami. The music of Carbon Decoy hugged everyone close with magnetic guitars and hypnotizing rhythms. Their performance was a sonic mediation of heavy vibes blasting with bliss.
Feedback and Fotos
Whether you attended GIG – The Art of Michigan Music 2025 or not, we’d love to get your thoughts. We have a short survey and would love to get your feedback.
There are more photos from GIG – The Art of Michigan Music 2025 in our gallery. Be sure to also check out the photos by Derek Ketchum over at Local Spins.
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