The City of Marquette Office of Arts & Culture was honored to receive funding from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council Capital Improvement Grant Program to assist with the purchase of new staging platforms for use by the Office and their organizational partners.

Quality, reliable, all-weather staging is a necessity for performing arts events in City facilities including parks, pavilions, downtown street festivals, and Lakeview Arena. The City’s previous collection of staging platforms, at over 45 years old, is weathered and worn, cumbersome to transport, does not comply with ADA standards, and has been deemed unsafe due to deteriorating supports and brackets, splintered wood, and sheer weight.

The Office hosts and assists partners with a number of outstanding arts and culture events year-round, all of which bolster our region’s quality of life, economy, and tourism, attracting tens of thousands of spectators and performers on an annual basis. Many of these cultural events require staging, so the capital improvement made possible through this MACC grant will help the Office better accommodate the growing number of, and interest in, cultural festivals, events, and other creative opportunities. It also ensures that City facilities are safe and accessible to presenters, performers, and audiences alike.

Through this grant, the Office purchased sixteen weather-resistant, 4’x8′ deck platforms and accompanying parts (accommodating stage sizes of up to 16’x32′ / 20’x24′), four staircases, an ADA-compliant ramp, and a transport cart that can neatly fit fifteen platforms at any given time to assist with both storage and transportation. The height of the new staging, steps, and ramp are adjustable and can accommodate staging heights between 32″-48″ without the need for shims. The products are made of aluminum, significantly reducing the weight of the collection thus making them much easier to transport and setup than in the past.

The new staging is expected to arrive in mid-October 2023, and be available for reservation and use as early as January 2024. The reservation process will be managed by the City of Marquette Parks & Recreation Office, a sister division of Arts & Culture in the City’s Community Services Department. More reservation information will be shared in the near future.

A huge thank you to the Michigan Arts & Culture Council for their generous support and year-round efforts to encourage, initiate, and facilitate an enriched artistic, cultural, and creative environment in Michigan. For more information about the Michigan Arts & Culture Council, visit www.michiganbusiness.org/industries/macc