u/DigitalOptimizt

The lake sturgeon population currently sits at roughly 1% of its historic abundance. Overfishing caused populations to collapse by 1900.

Our next Attention Grant recipient is Nico V. Isotalo (@nico.v.isotalo)

Based in Minneapolis, Nico works across vocal composition, electronic music production, classical notation, and sound design, building multidisciplinary projects that move between music, film, and experimental production workflows.

She is currently developing Fatigue De Réalité: Swan Lake, an 11-track avant-garde concept album that begins with classical composition before moving through digital production, sound manipulation, and cinematic development.

One thing that stood out in our conversation:

“Right now, I am submerged in writing the screenplay to evolve this album into a cinematic universe… It feels like the ultimate culmination of my art.”

At the time of application, Nico was focused on mixing, electronic sound design, and documenting the project while seeking connections with independent recording artists, audio engineers, and multidisciplinary collaborators ahead of public release.

📍 Minneapolis, Minnesota
🎼 Composer | Vocalist | Sound Artist
🎛 Electronic music, vocal composition, sound design

Read the full feature at GreatLakes.art

#AttentionGrant #GreatLakesArt #MinneapolisArtist #ExperimentalMusic #SoundArtist #ElectronicMusic #Composer #IndependentArtist #TwinCitiesArts

Look at these little ones go! Leelanau county

I’m building a curated online field guide to arts, culture, and conservation in the Great Lakes region.

It’s a tool for creatives to boost their online presence and reach new audiences, and to guide visitors to the artists, musicians, food producers, and small creative businesses that make this region so unique.

#greatlakes #traversecity #leelanau #buildinpublic #artsmarketing

Artist Snapshot
Name: Lyndsay Sharpenedstone
Location: Traverse City, Michigan
Discipline: Pilates instruction and wellness education
Medium: Mat Pilates, yoga instruction, private classes, group classes, pop-up classes
Organization (if applicable): Maajii Wellness LLC

Links:
TikTok: u/maajiiwellness
https://livingbeyondyoga.com
https://www.instagram.com/maajiiwellnessllc
Introduction

Lyndsay Sharpenedstone is a mat Pilates teacher and 200 RYT based in Traverse City, Michigan. She is the founder of Maajii Wellness LLC, a wellness business that combines Pilates instruction with her Anishinaabe heritage as a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Sharpenedstone currently works as a traveling teacher, offering private classes, group classes, pop-up events, and one-on-one instruction. She also teaches at a yoga studio in Traverse City, where her biography and class schedule are available through Living Beyond Yoga.

According to Sharpenedstone, the name Maajii means “to start” in the Anishinaabe language. She describes her work as encouraging people to begin caring for their physical wellbeing, regardless of age, gender, size, or prior experience. In addition to in-person instruction, she is developing private themed classes, including bridal and bachelorette mat Pilates events.

Additional visibility would help support the growth of her in-person and online following as she works toward expanding private instruction, group classes, and future online streaming offerings. She also plans to open her own studio in the future.

Interview
What’s something people often misunderstand about your work or process?

I teach Pilates, and some people see it as just a trend right now. I want to move away from stereotypes and preconceived notions that you have to look a certain way, lose weight, have a dance background, or wear expensive brands to do this work. It’s so much more than that. Pilates started as a form of rehabilitation for injured soldiers in World War I and is still effective to this day. What you look like is not important to me, it’s about building strength from within so you can learn to move with ease, walk with balance, and feel strong in your body.

What feels especially important to you right now, creatively or personally?

Making Pilates as inclusive as I can. I want to help all people feel stronger and more confident, the way it helped me. You really can start from any background, any age, any gender, any size. I want to help you start a journey that strengthens your body, which will strengthen your mind.

Has living in or around the Great Lakes region shaped your work in any way?

Absolutely, I was born and raised by the Great Lakes and I am a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. My culture is what influenced my business. Maajii means “to start” in the Anishinaabe language. My calling is to teach, and I can’t think of a better way to honor my ancestors and the community than through teaching physical health and wellness.

Right now I am a traveling teacher doing private group classes, 1:1, and pop-ups, but I will one day open my own studio!

Current Work & Projects
Maajii Wellness LLC
Private group Pilates classes
One-on-one Pilates instruction
Pop-up Pilates classes
Bridal and bachelorette mat Pilates parties
Teaching classes through Living Beyond Yoga
Development of future online streaming offerings

Additional Notes
Based in Traverse City, Michigan.
Citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
The name “Maajii” means “to start” in the Anishinaabe language.
Seeks support for social media advertising, business cards, stickers, Pilates equipment, props, cleaning supplies, and transportation equipment for classes.
Posts instructional and related content on TikTok (@maajiiwellness) and Instagram (@maajiiwellnessllc).

Upcoming Events & Exhibitions
Private Themed Pilates Classes
Venue: Various private locations

City: Traverse City area
Date: Currently scheduling

Attention Grant recipient Hattie Grimm (@art.hat) is a Milwaukee-based artist currently developing large-scale bird puppet parades centered around collaborative artmaking, movement, and community participation.

As part of her current residency at Arts @ Large, Grimm has been organizing free public workshops where participants create banners, flags, and puppets for a large public parade taking place July 1 in Milwaukee.

On June 17th 6-8pm there will be a free workshop at Arts @ Large where folks will collaboratively make large banners for the parade and then we will do some play with the banners and puppets and create small stories either choreographed or improvised with the props. 

One recurring idea in her work right now: 

flocking.

As Grimm explains:

“A flock of starlings is called a murmuration — it can be upwards of a million birds, moving in sync without a central leader.”

“Each individual bird focuses their attention on its seven closest neighbors, creating a larger synchronized flock movement led as a collective. Every bird in the murmuration has the power to shape the movement of the entire flock.”

Her current work continues a multi-year focus on birds, informed in part by spending time along Lake Michigan observing migration, movement, and bird behavior.

#GreatLakesArt #AttentionGrant #MilwaukeeArtist #PublicArt #CommunityArt #WisconsinArt

In just a few weeks, something pretty remarkable has started happening.

More than 50 artists, musicians, and cultural organizations across the Great Lakes have applied to be part of the first Attention Grant cohort.

So far, we’ve already helped featured creators reach 25,000+ people — but more importantly, we’re starting to test a simple idea:

What if the internet did a better job documenting cultural contribution?

We believe artists and cultural workers deserve more than fighting algorithms for visibility. We believe meaningful creative work deserves durable attention.

Here are just a few of the creators and organizations we’ve had the privilege of featuring so far:

“Viewers often think my work is very complicated, but it’s actually built on pretty straightforward systems. I layer patterns on top of one another and then pick apart, hide, or obscure them until it’s unclear where each pattern begins and ends.”

— April Behnke, Chicago, IL
u/aprilbehnke 

“I find my work to be a relaxing, meditative experience. I always crave coming back to my loom after a long day. Seeing a project come alive row-by-row is exhilarating.”

— Yuliya Klochan, Chicago, IL
u/yuliyaklochan 

“I can crowd a work with small adjustments or additions. That crowding keeps the eye and mind moving. My works are not flat nor singular statements.”

— Renee Atkinson, Detroit, MI
u/pink_tulip_quilting 

“Surface layers and depth. Using multiple and different slips, terra sigillatas, and underglazes to achieve an almost eroded surface or an aged surface.”

— Brian Grossnickle, Maple City, MI
u/babaloo78 

“At the heart of Building Bridges with Music is our mission of fostering open-mindedness, respect, and connection. We use music and the arts as a universal language — a way to reach people across differences, build empathy, and create shared understanding.”

— Building Bridges with Music
u/building_bridges_with_music 

This is just the beginning.

Final applications for Attention Grant v1 close tonight.

Apply now at greatlakes.art

u/cultural_strata u/optimize.art u/smqconsult 

#GreatLakesArt #ArtistsSupportingArtists #ContemporaryArt #GreatLakesArtists #SupportArtists

Just wanted to share this new movie, An Autumn Summer, which filmed right in the Traverse City area. Available now for Rent or Purchase on AppleTV+ and Amazon.

Stars Lukita Maxwell from the hit Backrooms and Shrinking.

You know them and love them in their work in Backrooms, Shrinking, Wayne and Sing Street- meet u/lukita and @_mark_mckenna_ as Cody and Kevin in An Autumn Summer.

Pre-save on Apple TV now, or get An Autumn Summer on Prime and Fandango on June 9

I wanted to give a quick call-out to a new feature-length film made right here in Michigan, and featuring beautiful scenes from "up north." Has anyone seen it yet?

This was surprising :)

Very Midwest