Pure Michigan meets arts & cultural acclaim in Northwest Michigan

Tucked into the most scenic corner of the “mitten state,” Northwest Michigan is home to one of the most concentrated clusters of individual artists, arts and cultural organizations and creative community endeavors in the country.

SMU Data Arts, the National Center for Arts Research, has listed Traverse City and surrounding region among the nation’s top 40 arts-vibrant communities, ranking in the top ten among medium U.S. cities in 2016, 2018 and 2020. The index measures numbers of creative endeavors, organizations, artists and investment in the sector.

The palette is vibrant, filled with a wealth of acclaimed artists and writers, performing troupes and venues, musicians and orchestras, dance companies and arts residencies, historic preservation and cultural interpretation, art centers and museums, sculpture parks and public art, film festivals and world class arts training.

Sample a few broad brush tours through Northwest Michigan’s creative scene.