The Cedar Street Art Collective, a new communal retail and studio space for Lansing-based artists to create and sell their art, moved into the former home of Dicker & Deal in 2017. The Cedar Street Art Collective is a mecca for artists who will be able to rent studio space to work on pieces. On weekends, the building is open to the public for pop-up art shows, presentations and special art-themed events. It’s a novel way to connect the community with working artists, while sidestepping the traditional gallery model.
Andrew Sandstedt is the building’s first resident artist, and his studio is paying the rent for now. Most of his art is made from repurposed materials, including scrap metal, and he’s reached out to upcycling artists first in his attempt to build the collective. That new location, 2420 S. Cedar St., is now a destination business, drawing a mix of actual shoppers and wide-eyed rubberneckers gawking at all the taxidermied animals, neon signs and glass cases displaying artfully arranged, not for-sale antique toys, housewares and memorabilia.