Lansing Shaped:

Jennifer Berggren
Jun 12
4 min read

Updated: Jun 14

Let me tell you about something we've been cooking up alongside our dear friend, Dustin Hunt at Muralmatics. Dustin is a muralist, educator, and community activist and is behind this mural and multimedia endeavor, Lansing Shaped. Three murals. Three generations of one Lansing family. Community engagement. Public art. Beautifully photography, very cool stories.

We've been partnering with Muralmatics to produce a handful of videos. The hopes are the these engage and inspire community involvement, and if you pop by the murals, you get a peak inside a Lansing family and the impact being in Lansing has had on them intergenerationally.

Lansing Shaped officially kick-offs June 14, 2025!

Three released videos are below, so keep reading. 💋

What is Lansing Shaped?

Muralmatics was awarded an art grant and created Lansing Shaped, a city-wide mural project representing three generations of one Lansing family. When visiting one of the three murals, you can scan a QR code to hear the family talking about how lansing has shaped them. (These are our videos, go check em out!!!)

Then, YOU will get instructions to share YOUR own story of Lansing shaping YOU! Your story will be uploaded to a gallery of videos, where people from across the city share how Lansing has shaped them!

Stop by a participating business or organization for the official Lansing Shaped map starting June 14th.

Find a map at these locations:

Strange Matter Downtown & Eastside

Nelson Gallery

Impression 5 Science Center

Rathbun Insurance

Bad Annie’s Sweary Goods

Odd Nodd Art Supply

Capital Hippie

Dear Ollie & Co.

Salus Center

The Robin Theatre

Lifeboat Recovery Services

Sweet Encounter Bakery

Elderly Instruments

Tiny Bit Of Wood

Capital Area District Library (Downtown)

Steven Glynn Photography (by appointment)

pink and green graphic with text and illustrations reads "red carpet premiere party" with a photo of event attendees

Lansing Shaped Newsletter

Subscribe to the Lansing Shaped Newsletter to see the official map a few days before the official launch as well.

You won't want to miss out on seeing these murals and the stories they tell!

You can also check out Muralmatics site for all the info: Lansing Shaped or head to Instagram, like and follow Muralmatics for more info.

Thank you to this small & mighty production team:

Camera/Colorist: Alex Ruff

Camera/AC: Holly Crevier

Dir/Prod: Jenny Berggren

Asst. Editing: Eli Pickering

Big shout out to the photogs along the way 📸 Jena Hovey and Steven Glynn 👏

Production Behind-the-Scenes

Film photos by Alex Ruff

My Lansing Shaped Story

by Jenny Berggren

This city has turned me over in its calloused hands for a decade. I came from a smaller town in Metro Detroit, Mt. Clemens (also known as “the clem” clemtown, bath city, and some less fond names from those who know it.) I found myself in East Lansing til 2014 to attend Michigan State, and after, I skipped over and landed here in Lansing; it’s been my home ever since. A decade now, unbelievably.

Lansing is a weird little place, and it feels perfect for me. So many of my friends moved to bigger, better-known cities; some went to rural areas, others stayed in my hometown. I found a place in the middle of it all. It’s a familiar tax bracket; I can afford life here. It’s full of people who get it. I call them my community and my friends.

I gained access to so much moving here, tasted different kinds of food, met creatives and business owners who could build something here. I learned that I could, too. Lansing is where I learned to hone in on my creative work, to tell stories, to make pretty visuals. I practiced, I've been tested, I grew my craft. I got confident.

Lansing is a mix of working hard and playing hard, complaining a lot and doing something about it. Clients who are friends, friends who are lovers. A queer community and a creative community that makes me feel at home.

I learned how to build a home in Lansing, a few times over, really. I’ve been hit with heartache here. Taken advantage of. Learned how to set boundaries. People here have broke my confidence and my trust. Made me doubt myself. My reality. I've lost hope in Lansing. And, even more wonderuflly, I've healed and been held through it, and I'm not alone in the hard moments anymore.

At the end of the day, Lansing has shaped and re-shaped me. I've become the person I am today. Recently, I got a tattoo of an olive branch, a small sign on me of the peace I found in my life as it is now. But really, my 517 day (our area code, and niche holiday) tattoo is because our city loves olive burgers. And chip dip. And niche parking lot jokes. A bunch of weirdos just trying their best and doing it together. Are you following Lansing Facts? 💞

This project has been one of my favorite things to work on. Dustin has put some amazing art up on walls featuring a family you likely know and love. He brought people together to share their Lansing Shaped sentiments... without all the fluff. Through this series, I was delighted to finally meet Rose Jangmi Cooper, featured in this video. I hopped on her motorcycle and told her about mine. I met Mikeyy Austin and Steve Ruckus, local legends, delightful humans. Being in this community in the city of Lansing has made it possible to partner with talented creatives working on inspiring projects just like Lansing Shaped. I get to use my medium to support those efforts with wonderful humans at my side, what a dream.

💌 Follow along with Muralmatics for more.

Thanks for reading,

Jenny